Changing the walls in your home to match your style is one of the easier things you can do to transform your space. If you want to decorate your walls and give it a custom look the two most popular ways to do this include wallpaper or using wall stencils. Wall stencils allow you to create your own wallpaper look by using paint.

This technique isn’t for everyone, but here are 4 reasons you should at least consider the DIY method.

1. Cost

Using wall stencils and painting the designs yourself can be extremely cost effective. Wallpaper ranges in price but it can be expensive depending on the size of your room, the quality of paper you purchase, and the design you pick out.

2. Prep Time

Prepping a room for painting requires less time whereas wallpaper can take quite a while to prep for, especially if existing wallpapers needs to be removed.

3. Durability

Both wall stencils and wallpaper can be used in any part of your house, however in high humidity areas like your bathroom or kitchen, wallpaper does have the ability to peel away from the wall.

In addition, if your paint gets damaged you’ll just have to do a quick touch-up. With wallpaper, it may not be so quick depending on the damage.

4. Flexibility

If your style tends to change from year to year, or you don’t want to be locked into a certain design, wall stencils are easily adaptable – just paint over it when you change your mind. With wallpaper it may be worth it if you plan to keep it installed for 5+ years, otherwise removing the wallpaper is a tedious task that requires patience and the right tools.

Your walls, your choice

When it comes to making your home “you” there is no right or wrong choice. If you want to spend a little more money on installing wallpaper versus spending more time on stenciling it yourself, it’s your choice. Both offer pros and cons and you can always mix and match.

Will you choose to create your own custom design or install wallpaper?