A new wave in modern home decor
A new wave in home décor is building in the form of custom wallpaper murals, and many homes and workplaces are taking on a new dynamic as a consequence. Fortunately for those looking to redecorate, the proliferation of wallpaper mural manufacturers coupled with the increased availability of millions of high-quality images from photo agencies means they can be seen in more homes and businesses than ever before. Now easier than ever, creating stunning room spaces is possible for anyone, not just professionals. Whatever wall space, room, hallway or door you want to change, the right image will be available for it; It is only your imagination and courage that will limit you!
Wallpaper murals fit any wall space
Think of the number of large wall spaces in your work environment or home that could hold their own. Do you have one or two spaces in mind that could benefit from some wallpaper murals? For example, one of the most popular rooms to enhance with dramatic or playful wallpaper murals is a child’s or teen’s bedroom. As we know, children are all individuals and each will have their own ideas of how they would like their personal spaces decorated. So now you can give them an amazing choice. Next on the list of the most popular rooms to have wallpaper murals are the main living areas. These can be stately spaces in open-plan living rooms, to smaller but interesting walls in dining rooms. In these main living areas, the most popular murals we print are cityscapes and landscapes. These often offer the effect of dramatic, mind-expanding extensions to the look of rooms. However, make sure you don’t limit your thoughts on what you can do, as wallpaper murals can be used in hallways, hallways, doorways, bathrooms, playrooms, and more.
From only €10 m2
The cost of custom wallpaper murals can vary greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer. It is not necessarily that some manufacturers are more greedy than others, it may be that they have different specialties, different costs and different expectations of their customer base. In the UK at the moment (2013-2014), you can pay anywhere from £10 + VAT per square meter up to £60 + VAT per square metre. Understanding the basic manufacturing costs of these products means you don’t have to pay high prices for the best products. While basic material costs mean that high-end products cost too much to offer in the lower price ranges, you won’t have to pay a lot of money to get the best. For my personal choice, I would recommend you consider wallpaper murals which are in the £25-£35 + VAT per square meter price range. Having all of this on board will allow you to have wallpaper murals that have incredible lightfastness, are easy to install with repositionable self-adhesive backings, and also offer excellent color rendering.
Choose the best image
The most important choice of all with wallpaper murals is the image you want to display. Some retailers of these products do not offer custom service as they only have standard stock murals in set sizes. These are cheaper, but do not offer anything remarkable. Being able to use your own image by uploading it online or emailing it to the manufacturer is one of the key features of custom services. Some even offer their own extensive online image galleries for you to choose from. If you’re not familiar with professional imaging, it’s easy to send an image to the manufacturer to be turned into a large wallpaper mural that isn’t held to a high enough standard. It is often best to check your requirements before doing this. If you are unsure about your image, you can always request a small sample proof in advance.
Some last decades, others not.
If you want your wallpaper murals to last more than a year, there are a couple of things to check when making your choices. The environment where wallpaper is hung affects its lifespan, as does the brand of inks and the brand of paper it is printed on. To explain, the combination of a high quality substrate (or paper) and fade resistant inks will allow for an expected lifespan of your wallpaper murals of up to 100 years. A long product life is definitely a good selling point, so if the seller doesn’t promote this as a benefit, the wallpaper mural you’re about to buy may fade faster than expected. This could be as short as a year or two. Manufacturers will give advice, usually on or on their sales pages, where and where not to install wallpaper murals, however they cannot control this. This applies to both domestic and commercial uses. The main factors that work against the long-term use of your wall screens are humidity and sunlight. This is the same for any digitally printed product, so be sure to check the manufacturer’s specifications before making your purchase.
Other products that work with Wallpaper Murals
Why stop at wallpaper murals? There are some other products that work brilliantly in conjunction with them and will only enhance the rooms you are decorating. Printing technology and product design are advancing all the time, and now you can incorporate custom printed acrylic panels, which are very bright and durable. These can be in desktop sizes, wall sizes with hidden fixings and can now even be printed as unique acrylic headboards. Images are printed on the back of acrylic panels and the resulting effect offers deep color saturation in the image as well as a spectacular viewer experience, especially when compared to normal prints. Acrylic panels are handcrafted into picture frames and have wall mounts installed, these wall mounts invariably lead to the frame being pushed away from the wall. Some of these frames even have a ‘hidden fixings’ design which leads to an interesting and contemporary floating effect. Some craftsmen even incorporate printed acrylic panels into furniture designs. Perhaps a less obvious product, consider the idea of ceiling murals and floor murals. All of these alternative ideas are perfect for both home decor enthusiasts and professional commercial space designers.
Paper and inks are not all the same
An important issue that people often neglect when choosing who to buy their wallpaper murals from is the specifications of the wallpaper material itself (the substrate). The nature of this substrate affects a wide range of things, including its effective shelf life, the final color of the inks, and even how easy it is to hang. The importance of your choice of paper is reflected in the wide variety on offer. If it is the best that you are looking for, then a thick and heavy fabric based material is the best that is created for interior wall coverings. You can get them so that the paper does not wrinkle or stretch when you hang them, and this makes your life much easier. The self-adhesive type is offered less frequently. These are the easiest of all to hang, and the process is much less fussy than the ‘glue it yourself’ variety. At this point, the last thing to consider is the size of the strips that the image is printed on; some manufacturers print them on poster-size panels, while others print the entire image on a single sheet. My personal favorite is the kind that arrives in rolls of pre-cut lengths, slightly wider than regular wallpaper. They come with a plan for the order in which to hang the panels, these are the best to install.
Summarizing your choices
To give you a final checklist of all the points covered so far, you can enjoy the benefits of cheap, ready-to-use images in preset sizes or you can order beautifully printed, custom-made wallpaper murals quite easily. You have the option to choose from pre-selected highly impressive professional images, or you can upload and use your own favourites. Manufacturer websites that have galleries of images for you to choose from often allow you to select your favorites at no extra charge, or you can visit photo agency websites where you’ll find millions more to choose from on every topic you can think of. . . The overall quality of the product is important to its installation as well as the final effect, so you should consider whether you want a ‘stick it yourself’ wallpaper or one that is self-adhesive. Consider the paper material itself and whether it’s a fabric-based material that won’t wrinkle and won’t stretch. Remember that wallpaper can be delivered as a single solid sheet, poster sized panels or in pre-cut lengths which are the easiest to install. Lightfastness is an issue with some products, especially cheaper ones, so to avoid disappointment with fading, be sure to check product specification claims before ordering. Keep this simple checklist in mind and you are sure to enjoy the dramatic effects of high-quality wallpaper murals in your home and office for many years to come.
