Paint vs wallpaper: what to use on the walls of a Batumi apartment
For an apartment by the sea we usually choose paint over wallpaper. Paint lets the wall dry out and washes well, and a scuff from a suitcase can be painted over between one guest checking out and the next checking in. Wallpaper is fine on internal walls in dry rooms if you live in the apartment yourself and heat it in winter. We don't recommend it for external walls: with humidity at 70–80%, and higher in winter, mould starts growing under it.
Updated 17 October 2026
Comparison by criteria
| Criterion | Paint | Wallpaper |
|---|---|---|
| Humidity | Vapour-permeable paint lets the wall dry out | Vinyl wallpaper traps moisture against the wall |
| External walls | Suitable over an antifungal primer | Not recommended: mould grows underneath |
| Small repairs | Touch up the patch from the same tin | Replace a strip from a roll of the same batch |
| Cleaning | Washable paint takes a sponge and cleaning products | Not all are washable, and paper ones don't like water |
| Wall preparation | Needs a flat wall: every flaw shows | Hides small defects in the surface |
| Cracks in a new build | Hairline cracks show through | Paintable non-woven lining covers them |
| Cost of the work | Comparable: most goes on preparation | Comparable: most goes on the rolls |
| Rental apartment | Convenient: touch up and check guests in | Awkward: a torn corner waits for a tradesman |
What happens to a wall under wallpaper
In a humid climate, the paint vs wallpaper choice starts with the external walls. In winter such a wall is colder than the air in the room, and warm, moist air leaves water on it, the way a glass from the fridge gets wet on a hot day. Under vapour-permeable paint this moisture goes back into the room, as long as the apartment is aired.
Vinyl wallpaper lets almost no vapour through. Water collects between the wallpaper and the wall, the paper backing and the paste feed the mould, and the patch grows for months. From the outside you only see it when it shows through the pattern or when the wallpaper comes off at the next renovation.
An empty apartment gets damper in winter. If the owner lives abroad and nobody turns on the heating or airs the rooms, condensation forms on the external walls for weeks, and under vinyl wallpaper the mould has time to spread before spring.
Furniture against an external wall
In winter the dampest spots are usually behind a wardrobe or a headboard standing against an external wall. The air barely moves there, the warmth of the room doesn't reach it, and the corner stays cold. Move the wardrobe in February and you will often see grey specks on the paint or a wavy edge on the wallpaper.
That is why we treat external walls with an antifungal primer and finish them with vapour-permeable paint. We set wardrobes about a hand's width away from the wall so that air can move behind them. In a short-term rental, guests often push the bed against the wall, so we fit spacers to the headboard to keep a gap. On paint, a patch is easy to spot during cleaning and treat straight away. Under wallpaper you don't see it until it is too late.
Paint vs wallpaper in a rental apartment
Guests knock the walls with suitcases, chair backs and wet towels. On paint such a mark comes off with a sponge, and if it doesn't wash off, the patch is touched up with a roller in half an hour. We leave a tin of the same tinted paint in the apartment, with the colour code on the lid.
Small repairs are harder with wallpaper. A torn corner or a wine stain means replacing a whole strip, and that needs a roll from the same batch, because the shade varies between batches. If there is no spare roll, the whole wall is papered again, and the apartment drops out of bookings for those days.
A wall that has faded in the sun is also better repainted in full, from one corner to the other. A fresh touch-up on faded paint shows in side light, and guests photograph the apartment from every angle.
Wall preparation and the cost of the work
Paint shows every flaw in the surface, especially in side light from a window. A wall to be painted gets several skim coats and is sanded, and most of the labour cost goes on this preparation. Wallpaper forgives small defects, and thick textured non-woven wallpaper hides noticeable ones too.
In a new build, hairline cracks often appear in the first years where partitions meet the frame: the building settles and the floor slabs deflect under load. Through paint, such a crack is visible at once. The compromise here is glass fibre lining or paintable non-woven lining. It reinforces the surface, cracks don't show through it, and the wall can be repainted later.
In the end the cost of the work is comparable. With paint, more of the money goes on skimming and sanding, with wallpaper on the rolls themselves and on matching the pattern. A large pattern means more waste when matching, and a complex paint shade usually costs more than a white base.
What to use in each room
We paint the kitchen, entrance hall and corridor with washable paint, because these walls get wiped with a sponge more than others. In the bathroom we don't hang wallpaper at all. We use paint made for wet rooms there, and only where splashes from the shower don't reach.
In the bedroom and living room either option works. If the wall is internal and the apartment is heated and aired in winter, non-woven wallpaper will last a long time. A child's room is easier to paint: a felt-tip drawing is simpler to paint over than a strip of wallpaper is to replace.
We also paint the walls of a glazed balcony or loggia, using exterior or moisture-resistant paint. It is cold and damp there in winter, and wallpaper is the first thing to come away from the wall.
Which to choose
When to choose: Paint
Paint suits most apartments by the sea, and for a rental or an apartment you only visit now and then, we consider it the only sensible option. It is easy to keep in good order, even if someone other than you looks after the apartment.
- External walls, corners and window reveals
- A short-term rental where the walls are touched up between guests
- The kitchen, entrance hall, corridor and child's room, which get washed often
- An apartment left unheated for long periods in winter
When to choose: Wallpaper
Wallpaper suits an apartment you live in yourself, with the heating and ventilation working in winter. Choose non-woven wallpaper without a vinyl layer, because it lets vapour through.
- Internal walls in the bedroom and living room
- A feature wall behind the headboard, if it is not an external wall
- A new build, where paintable non-woven lining will cover hairline cracks
- A wall with small defects that would take a long time and a lot of money to prepare for paint
Questions and answers
Why does mould grow under wallpaper and what can you do about it?
Mould needs moisture, food and still air. Under wallpaper on a cold external wall it has all three: condensation, a paper backing with paste, and no draught at all. It happens especially fast behind furniture and in apartments that stand empty in winter.
If a patch has already appeared, we strip the wallpaper off that whole section, dry the wall and treat it with an antifungal solution. Then we look for where the water comes from: a cold corner, a leak, ventilation that doesn't work. Until the cause is fixed, the patch will come back under paint and under new wallpaper alike.
What paint should you use on walls in a damp apartment?
For living rooms and bedrooms we use a water-based, vapour-permeable emulsion that stands up to wet cleaning, and on external walls we put an antifungal primer under it. A deep matt finish shows less unevenness, while a semi-matt one is easier to clean, so we use it more often in the hallway and kitchen.
The bathroom needs paint for wet rooms, and only where shower water doesn't reach. Label the tin with the leftover paint: name, tint code, room. Without the code it is hard to match the shade a year later.
Can you put up wallpaper in an apartment by the sea?
Yes, on a dry internal wall and in an apartment that is heated in winter. Choose wallpaper without a vinyl top layer, such as paintable non-woven wallpaper: wallpaper with a vinyl layer lets vapour through poorly, even on a non-woven backing. We prime the wall before hanging and use paste with an antifungal additive.
If you want wallpaper on an external wall, check the wall with a moisture meter in the wet season and don't put a wardrobe right up against it. In an apartment that stands empty for several months a year, we don't recommend this option, because nobody is there to keep an eye on the wall.
Is paint or wallpaper better for a short-term rental apartment?
Paint. The walls get checked at every cleaning, and a suitcase scuff is painted over the same day if there is a tin of the right shade in the apartment. On wallpaper, the same damage waits for a tradesman and a roll from the same batch, and meanwhile the apartment may miss bookings.
If you want a pattern or texture, make one feature wall on an internal partition behind the headboard. Leave the other walls painted: they are easier to keep in order for years, and you don't need a separate tradesman for that.
Send photos of the walls and we'll tell you where paint works better
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