ᐅ Wallpaper or plaster? Which is better for a new build?

Created on: 8 Jan 2023 13:26
G
Gooosee159
Hello

We are currently considering how to finish the walls in our new build.

The interior and exterior walls are made of sand-lime bricks, and a few non-load-bearing walls are made of gypsum concrete.

We want to design the walls so that we can avoid settlement cracks for as long as possible. (These are unavoidable in new buildings.)

What options are available?

Applying a plaster finish on the walls

Paintable plaster, roller-applied plaster, or simply smoothing with a drywall finish to Q3/Q4 level and painting

Alternatively, wallpaper and painting

Non-woven wallpaper, non-woven "Raufaser" wallpaper, painter’s fleece

We want the walls to be either smooth or with a light to medium texture (we are still undecided)

It is important to us to avoid settlement cracks for as long as possible. Non-woven wallpapers are the better choice because they cover small cracks and will only tear if large cracks appear.

The application should be relatively easy to carry out by amateurs.

We plan to have the painter do the stairwell and ground floor.
We want to do the upper floor, attic, and basement ourselves because we don’t have enough budget to have the painter do everything.

What would you recommend?

What is the difference between painter’s fleece and non-woven Raufaser wallpaper?
Is the only difference that painter’s fleece is smooth and Raufaser has a texture?

Non-woven wallpapers are definitely preferable to normal paper wallpapers, right?

Thank you for your help
G
Gooosee159
25 Jan 2023 13:59
@Tolentino When was that? How old are those prices now?

We’re trying to make it as smooth as possible so the painter has to do little or no work.

The painter should only hang the wallpaper, and then we will paint the walls ourselves.

Maybe the painter will only paint the stairwell and the ground floor to get a good result, and we might do the rest ourselves.

Do you mean 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) of wall surface or 200 m² (2,150 sq ft) of living area? That makes a big difference.

Yesterday, I roughly calculated what the materials for wallpapering and painting would cost me per m² (sq ft) of wall surface.

That would be about 4–4.50 € per m² (sq ft) of wall surface (fully self-performed).

About 1 € for painter’s fleece
About 0.50 € for primer
About 0.75 € for adhesive
About 1–2 € for wall paint (depending on whether you apply one or two coats)

Does that seem accurate, or did I make a mistake?
Tolentino25 Jan 2023 14:02
It’s been almost exactly one year.
Wall (plus ceiling) area.
Your calculation is correct; I haven’t checked the prices now (I don’t have them at hand and I’m too lazy to look them up, sorry).
G
Gooosee159
25 Jan 2023 14:27
I will start asking around to see which painter is available and what prices they charge.

I need to compare the prices the painter quotes with the cost of doing the work myself and see which option is more expensive.

You should be able to paint well by yourself on the wall that the painter has wallpapered, right? At least for the rooms that are not as important, like the bedroom, children's room, and so on.
Tolentino25 Jan 2023 14:37
I painted everything myself. On fiberglass mesh fabric – very simple!
P
Pitiglianio
25 Jan 2023 15:16
Last year, I requested quotes for my new build.
Both quotes included:
- Protective covering and masking work on sensitive components
- Erection of a work scaffold in the stairwell
- Filling work (preparation for painting fleece)
- Sanding work (preparation for painting fleece)
- Application of a primer sealer (binds sanding dust and reduces the substrate’s absorbency)
- Installation of fiberglass-based painting fleece
- Two coats of interior dispersion paint / matte white (special paint for surfaces sensitive to raking light on walls and ceilings)
- Elastic acrylic joint sealant applied to all interior corners and adjacent components
- Cleaning up, including removal and disposal of protective covering and masking materials
All materials included.

Quote 1: 19 EUR/m² (19 EUR per square meter)
Quote 2: 16.50 EUR/m² (16.50 EUR per square meter),
net price, of course.
Tolentino25 Jan 2023 16:12
@Gooosee159 If breathability is important to you, do not use fiberglass-based painter’s fleece. As far as I know, Erfurt is based on cellulose and textile (so it is breathable).