What to use when working on walls

Decorating trends come and go, and one of the most common is what’s most popular to use on top of walls, ceilings and trim. Sometimes it’s paint, and sometimes it’s wallpaper.

With today’s homeowners and real-estate pros looking to every advantage to showcase their listings, the answer coming from many professionals is now: paint!

“Wallpaper is a very individualized choice, and you have a much better chance of pleasing a wider audience with paint,” says Lorrie Browne, an interior designer in Wellington, Fla., whose Web site – MyDesignSecrets.com – reflects her personal decorating favorites and secrets.

In addition, paint is less costly to purchase versus wallpaper of the same quality, it’s easier to apply even for do-it-yourselfers and can be changed much quicker and inexpensively. Wallpapered walls have to be sanded in most cases as well as primed once the paper is taken down. And paint generally looks fresher, which sends an important message to potential buyers who want to be sure the house they’re considering has been updated.

But before you run out to buy buckets and gallons of paint, heed our experts’ advice about how to make the best decisions for both paint and paper:

Look for Inspiration

Consider ideas from decorating magazines, TV decorating and remodeling shows, other people’s homes, model houses and period rooms in museums. You’ll see all sorts of paint solutions, from ceilings painted different hues from the walls, and walls and even baseboards or crown moldings painted different colors, shades or finishes – the latter ranging from semigloss to high gloss, lacquer, metallic and faux. Today’s faux are dramatically different and fresher than the faux finishes of the ’80s; nowadays there are zippy metallic and textured Tuscan surfaces, says Adrienne van Dooren, a decorative painter in Asheville, N.C. Before you grab that gloss or lacquered paint can, however, know that they generally are more expensive to buy, require more skill to apply and will also show more blemishes once up than flat and eggshell alternatives. “Flat paint will reflect less light,” says van Dooren, who authored “The House that Faux Built: Transform Your Home with Paint, Plaster and Creativity” (East Cambridge Press, 2007). Van Dooren recommends using flat paint on a wall with a sealer to make washing easier in rooms with heavy traffic such as kitchens and applying semigloss on trim in those rooms.

Consider Hiring a Pro

If you’re really stumped on what color, find a paint or color consultant and pay an hourly or project fee. Sunny Goode, author of “Paint Can!” (Sterling Publishing, 2006), offers decorative paint services as well as information on her Web site, www.sunnygoode.com. Because of the down economy, Goode encourages homeowners to consider punchy, happy colors. “Bright pinks, sunny yellows and stem greens can change one’s perspective in horrible economic times,” she says. Van Dooren recommends going with now popular darker colors, such as deep turquoise, chocolate brown, sage green and red. But if you plan to sell soon, she advises opting for these colors in more medium tones.

Paint a Sample Area

Before you decide, paint a swatch on the wall or ceiling that’s large enough to see and study; many paint manufacturers even sell paint in small sample quantities. Many also have interactive tools on their Web sites that allow you to input a photo and change the color online before you proceed. Pittsburgh Paint’s Voice of Color offers tips and a short quiz to make it easier to find colors that best fit a homeowner’s personality. After you’ve applied your paint choice to a wall, ceiling or baseboard, check out your reaction at different times of the day as the amount of natural light changes; the color of the paint will seem to vary. Also, consider your reaction to the paint color when you turn on artificial light at night or on dark days, experts advise.

Favor ‘Green’ paints

Consider purchasing only environmentally friendly low- or no-VOC paints, which most manufacturers now produce. Doing so can be used to advantage when your listing is marketed for sale, says Norma Lehmeier Hartie, author of “Harmonious Environment: Beautify, Detoxify & Energize your Life, Your Home & Your Planet” (Lingham Press, 2008).

Don’t Rule Out Paper Completely

Wallpaper can complement painted surfaces, particularly when colors, patterns, textures and scale are considered and align, says Goode. But if you do and are thinking of resale, just use most wallpaper judiciously.

Alissa Swedlow, whose eponymous design firm is based in Los Angeles, recommends simple neutral grass cloths or linens that offer some texture that many paints can’t but not too much pattern. Good ideas to consider are applying wallpaper just to one wall or a ceiling rather than an entire room or using it in a room that’s not terribly large and where it gives instant cache but won’t overwhelm such as a powder room or closet. Swedlow also advises not wallpapering all the rooms in a house. “Wallpaper should be used a bit sparingly,” she says. And even though it can be expensive to buy, install and take down, it can offer some advantages, she says. It can be a more affordable alternative to wall art and good mirrors and offer a great way to personalize a room. “Wallpaper tells a lot about yourself and what you like,” she says. One clever way to bring in some wallpaper but not too much is with framed panels that resemble art, she says.