Before we dive into the reasons why you would consider wall
wrapping your tiles, what is wall wrapping and is it worth the effort?
Wall wrap is a stretchy vinyl film material with an adhesive
backing that sticks to your wall, creating a coating over the surface. It’s
used to change the color of your walls. So, consider it as a form of paint,
which is a colored adhesive with a binder property that becomes a film when
dry. The binders in paint are also often composed of vinyl (vinyl-acrylics,
vinyl acetate/ethylene).
To keep it simple, think of Wall Wrap as a sheet of paint.
But unlike paint, the adhesive in wall wrap is much stronger on certain hard to
paint surfaces, like ceramics and glazed tiles that appear on bathroom and
kitchen areas. These surfaces don’t have the pores needed for paint to go into,
so paint begins to slide off the wall. To further aid in the strength of this
sheet of paint we call wall wrap, certain manufactures, like V-Wrap, add an
additional clear layer, a laminate, to protect it from being scratched or
affected by UV in light and sun.
One: Keep up with design trends with little risk.
The one guarantee of fashion trends is that one day that
trend will be out of favor. If this happens with an article of clothing, you
just put it away in the recesses of your closet until it becomes fashionable
again in a few years, and you are free to wear it again without shame. But what
happens when the object is not so easily replaced, like wall tile? Well, you
sell your house. Just kidding. You live with it until you can’t.
With wall wrap, you simply peel it way from your wall and
install the most current trend, or just keep to more timeless décor style.
So if you’re interested in keeping up with the latest design
style, have an idea that may or may not work in the end, you may try it without
costly risk.
Two: It’s easier to work with than paint or installing new tile.
With wall wrap, you peel the backing and stick it to the
wall. There are basic tools you will need like a small squeegee and a knife,
but nothing more complicated (installation video). If you want to create an
interesting design, motif, or create a two-tone color, paint and new tile
becomes a lot more complicated. With wall wrap, choosing the color and design
you want is done on a computer and the result is printed-out. Viola! Paint on a
sheet.
Three: Creative possibilities are almost endless.
Creating mosaics, stripes, circles, hexagons, duplicating a
favorite Italian tile design is all possible with wall wrap. It could be
created on sheets, and some manufactures will also offer custom pre-cut
patterns to fit precisely over your current tiles. If you’re into Cottagecore
aesthetic, for example, how about making a quilt for your kitchen wall with
wall wrap? Whatever design strikes your fancy, it’s possible to make with wall
wrap.
Four: Versatility
As was stated earlier, it will be difficult for paint to
stick adequately to tiled walls, but wall wrap will handle the job like a
champ. Certain wall wrap will also allow you to wrap around corners and follow
dips and groves in surfaces.
If you want the grout to show, order pre-cut wall wrap so
not to cover the grout lines.
Arrange and print wall wrap to change the dimension of
present tiles. If you have 4x4 inch tiles for example, you could print a mosaic
pattern on the wall wrap so now your wall will have the smaller mosaic
patterns. You could also create larger tile setting or mix-and-match sizes on
the same wall to create an original motif.
Five: Save time; Save Money
Unlike installing new tile, the time it takes to install
wall wrap is a fraction of the time, and when factoring labor, much cheaper as
well. If you are renovating your home for sale, wall wrap is a quick and easy
way to install a new look in no time. Excellent option for home flippers if
changing those tiled walls just isn’t in the budget or you’re short on time.
Not so with paint and
installing new tile, feel free to experiment with outside the line designs.
Send us photos of your creations!
