As the names suggest, one is paper and the other is cloth. It can be said that wall cloth is another form of wallpaper. The difference lies in the texture.

When we decorate, we must not only consider the current aesthetics and texture, but also the durability and whether there will be any problems in the future.

Well, due to the difference in original materials and length, the degree of use of the two is definitely different:

The raw material of wallpaper is wood fiber, which has the advantage of environmental protection. However, wallpaper is small in size and needs to be spliced ​​and pasted, with many gaps.

Wall cloth, made of polyester fiber, is woven as a whole and is not restricted by length. It can cover the entire wall with no seams, so there is no problem of warping edges, and it can even cover some minor flaws caused by wall sinking and cracking.

In addition, in terms of durability, wallpaper is susceptible to moisture, mold, warping, and damage, and generally problems will occur after 3-5 uses. Wall cloth is relatively more durable and easy to maintain. Once contaminated, it can be wiped with a wet cloth. Moreover, the texture and shape are better than wallpaper, and the service life can reach 10-20 years.

It is precisely because of its functional disadvantages that wallpaper has gradually withdrawn from the mainstream home improvement market, and has been replaced by wall coverings with better functions in all aspects.

However, there are good and bad wall coverings. Although most of the ones on the market are of good quality, it cannot be ruled out that there are some that are of varying quality. You should also understand the following 8 things not to choose.

1. Do not choose dyed fabric

The materials of wall cloth mainly include flocking, silk, chemical fiber, gauze, woven cloth, etc. No matter which one, the warp and weft threads must be dyed first and then woven into wall cloth, which is also called color-dyed cloth.

If it is woven first and then dyed, although the color saturation of the surface is high, the inner layer is not dyed properly and will appear discolored. This kind of cloth is also called dyed cloth.

How to judge specifically?

Use a wet paper towel to scrub back and forth repeatedly to see if there is any staining. Alternatively, throw the wall cloth sample into the washing machine, add detergent and mix it to see if it fades. If neither of these occurs, then it is definitely not a dyed cloth, but a yarn-dyed cloth. It will not fade or lose color during use, so you can choose it with confidence.

2. Do not choose non-three-proof wall coverings

The three protections here refer to waterproof, anti-fouling and anti-mildew. These three directly determine the durability of the wall covering.

But every merchant will say that their own products are three-proof fabrics, and when we cannot distinguish them intuitively, we have to rely on one-sided tests to identify them.

Specific method: Pour water on the wall cloth, shake it back and forth, and then let it stand to see if there is any water seepage. The anti-fouling method is basically the same. After drawing with a pen, see if it can be wiped off.

Although the chance of water coming into contact with the wall is low in home use scenarios, waterproofing is moisture-proof. Only when the waterproofing effect is good can it reduce the situation where the wall absorbs water and becomes moist, or even moldy, due to humid air.

As for wall coverings that are not three-proof, the merchants dare not let you do these experiments, so try not to choose this kind of wall covering.

In addition, choose high-precision products. The higher the precision, the less likely it will be to be abraded or pilled during later use.

3. Do not choose static wall coverings

Since the raw material is similar to cloth, static electricity may occur in some parts.

The reason why we don't choose wall coverings with static electricity is that static electricity will cause dust to be adsorbed by static electricity, which will increase the trouble of cleaning.

Therefore, when you understand these conditions, when choosing wall cloth, you can look at the anti-static ability indicated on the quality inspection report. If it can reach 99.9%, there is no problem.

4. Do not choose wallpaper or wall coverings that are not flame retardant

This is actually chosen for peace of mind. If a fire accident occurs, the flame retardant wall covering will at least not become fuel and cause greater losses.

The national standard divides the burning level of building materials into four levels:

A1 non-combustible materials, which basically do not cause combustion, such as marble, tiles, etc.

B1 Flame-retardant material, extinguishes naturally within 10 seconds away from the fire source;

B2 The fire is not likely to grow larger after leaving the fire source;

B3 flammable materials, highly combustible materials;

The highest grade that wall coverings can reach is B1, which is difficult to burn and will automatically extinguish 10 seconds after being away from the fire source. Moreover, the amount of smoke is not too large and the smell is just a faint smell of burning cotton. It is generally acceptable for home decoration.

5. Do not choose products without environmental certification

Whether or not the wall covering has environmental certification determines whether it is safe to use. For the sake of our own and our family's health, we must understand this when choosing wall coverings.

The highest standard of green environmental certification in my country is the Ten-Ring Certification, which indicates that the product is not only qualified, but also meets specific environmental protection requirements during production and use.

Imported brands meet the EU SVHC environmental standards and are tested and certified by the professional organization SGS.

It's actually very simple, just look at the two labels in the picture above. If you have a baby and are a more particular family, you can add an infant skin-friendly Class A standard.

6. Do not choose base film and glue without environmental certification

For safe wall covering, the glue must not fail, otherwise all the previous efforts will be wasted.

The more commonly used and safe glues are starch glue and glutinous rice glue, which are so safe that they can even be eaten. Many well-known bloggers have also reviewed them. Most brands of base films and glues on the market are safe, and their formaldehyde content meets national standards.

However, you also need to pay attention to smell identification. Good glutinous rice glue has a light starch smell that is not pungent. If it smells very pungent or has a fragrance, you need to be careful, as it may contain the aromatic hydrocarbon carcinogen benzene.

Similarly, we can also judge whether it is qualified by looking at the label, test report, and smelling the odor.

7. Do not choose hot glue paving

There are two ways to construct wall cloth, one is cold pasting and the other is hot pasting, also called hot glue pasting.

When we buy wallpaper, hot glue paving is often praised as a very fashionable method because the construction is simple, the wall cloth comes with adhesive on the back, and it can be fixed on the wall by simply melting the adhesive with an iron. There is no glue dripping, and it is relatively clean.

But in fact, during construction, the ironing machine is large, and there may be problems with the edges and corners not being handled finely, so it is easy to fall off, and the self-adhesive ring is questionable to preserve, so it is not recommended.

It is more recommended to choose the cold pasting construction method. Before pasting the wall cloth, a layer of base film will be applied first to effectively prevent the moisture, dust, water vapor and alkaline substances on the construction base from escaping. After it is completely dry, glutinous rice glue will be applied to fix the wall cloth.

It will be convenient to replace in the future. You only need to let the workers wet the glue and the entire wall cloth can be peeled off.