Homeowners are generally on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to wallpaper. Many homeowners remember the often tacky wallpaper designs and colors of the ’70’s and the ’80’s, and avoid it altogether. On the other hand, with more elegant and luxurious wallpaper designs being produced by manufacturers these days, other homeowners still prefer wallpapers for enhancing certain ambient feelings and moods in certain areas of the home.
The thing about wallpapers is, more often than not, they are reflective of personal tastes and preferences. Certain bedrooms can be decorated with wallpaper that goes with the hobbies or interests of the room’s occupants, for instance, sports-themed wallpaper for boys, or pink dollhouse wallpaper prints for girls. Wallpaper is much like paint in the decorative sense, as both can be tailored or customized to fit the homeowner’s preferences. But wallpaper takes it one step further with various designs and prints that further reflect personal taste.
For home staging purposes, wallpaper can be more of a distraction most of the time, and it is precisely because of this very personal reflection of the homeowner’s preferences. Keep in mind that home decorating is different from home staging in purpose and goals. Home decorating and interior design aims to reflect the ambiance that the homeowner would like to come home to; home staging, on the other hand, aims to present a home that is about as neutral and as broadly appealing to the widest range of potential home buyers as possible
Most home staging professionals would agree that wallpaper would be more detrimental than helpful when it comes to home staging, and would then recommend that it be removed or, if applicable, painted over. When potential home buyers see wallpaper installed in a home, they would assume that it would take a lot of effort and expense to remove the wallpaper, and this can hamper your selling success rather than contribute to it. No matter how trendy or nice you think that wallpaper is, it will really only appeal to a very limited number of potential clients, while alienating the rest of the people who tour your home and consider making an offer.
You may want to ask your professional home staging firm if they can refer any service providers who can take care of the wallpaper removal for you. If you have the time and the patience to do it, you can make the process more convenient by considering equipment such as a wallpaper steamer or chemical stripper. In some instances, you may be able to paint over the wallpaper, but the area would have to be checked first to see if this would work. Generally, removing the wallpaper and then painting the walls is a better idea.
