Wall Fabric or Paint: Decor Magic It's Your Call

By Lloyd M. Gordon
President, GEC Consultants, Inc.
Skokie, Illinois 60076

Wallpaper or paint?  It depends on where you are going to use it.  The first time I used plastic coated wall covering in a dining room was in 1957 when I was redecorating my first family style restaurant that I had purchased four years before. . At that time wall covering was 10 cents per square foot more than applied paint. I was on a tight budget, but, I figured that you never have to repaint. I was correct. It cost less to maintain as it lasted for years.

There are certain times when you want to use paint.  You might want to develop a certain aura and atmosphere. You might want to bring a certain color in. You might want paint in certain areas because it can be maintained easier in places that can be knocked or bumped. You can call in the painter and he touches it up. With wall coverings you have to patch and repair which can be more difficult to do.

If you want to change the wall covering décor you have to rip off the wall covering and you have to refinish the wall thoroughly before you can successfully put on a new fabric or replace with a coat of paint.  Whereas with a painted wall, you wash the wall, patch if necessary, sand smooth and put another coat of paint on it.

In today’s world, it costs a little bit more for wall covering. But in some instances it is the best way to go. If you wish to depict a scenic atmosphere, with paint you must get the services of an artist/painter which can be very original but is also quite expensive. In this case, wall coverings that depict a scene are the way to go. They have scenes of foreign locations in the country and city, scenes of orchards, scenes of villages, scenes of oceans and streams.

If you are going to paint in your restaurant, you have a problem with covering up everything. You have to make sure paint doesn’t slop on the tables, chairs and floor. There is also a residual smell that customers may detect and find unfavorable even if you paint after hours.  With wall covering you can affix it in an evening. Restaurant owners often can do it by themselves. Almost anyone can put up wall coverings today. A lot of them are self-adhesives which makes it easy to put up.

I am more in favor of wall coverings as opposed to paint. I would even go so far as if I want a neutral wall I will put up wall covering with a small neutral pattern which will last a long time, wear well, be easily cleaned and maintained and will fit the need favorably. With wallpaper, you just wash it once a year and it brightens

Remember that preparation for affixing wall fabrics require a clean and dry wall. You have to remove smoke residue for example. If there is paint on the wall it is good to rough the paint up. You must fill in the cracks and chips or it will show through.  Have as smooth a surface as possible.

Mr. Lloyd M. Gordon, President of GEC Consultants, Inc. has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has concepted more than 390 restaurants and has been consulting for over 44 years. He helps people enter the restaurant industry, points the way to profitability, and helps keep them successful. To discuss "Wall Fabric or Paint: Decor Magic It's Your Call" he can be reached at 847-674-6310.

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