Decorating walls in a kitchen in an apartment or private house is a creative and complex process. Kitchen - refers to rooms with increased requirements when choosing materials. There is always high humidity, moisture evaporation, and greasy deposits on the walls. We are all looking for the best option so that the material meets all the conditions, and the repair turns out beautiful and is inexpensive.
Tile
Decorating the walls in the kitchen with ceramic tiles is classic and functional. Despite the emergence of new developments in the field of wall decoration, tiles do not go out of fashion and remain a popular and in-demand material to this day. Its new and interesting solutions are constantly appearing.
The popularity of tiles is due to its undeniable advantages. In the kitchen, tiled wall coverings, in addition to excellent decorative characteristics, have impeccable moisture resistance and are not afraid of oil splashes and other contaminants associated with cooking. The tiles are durable and easy to clean, which is important for a kitchen, given the specifics of this room.
A relative disadvantage of the tile covering is the labor intensity of its production, since the material is laid individually and requires a certain professionalism. Another disadvantage is the high cost of work and high-quality tiles. Therefore, often the entire walls in the kitchen are not covered, but only problem areas are highlighted with ceramics.
Optimal selection criteria
Construction specialists will help you choose the right finishing material; they will advise you on the specifics of installation and maintenance of a particular coating.
Designers can give valuable advice on the aesthetic component, taking into account all the features of the kitchen space and the optimal combination of interior details.
The criteria for practical selection of finishing material are:
- Dimensions of the kitchen or dining room.
- Presence, quantity and location of window openings. The level of natural light is directly correlated with the selected material (some coatings may fade when exposed to sunlight).
- Frequency of food preparation in the work area.
- Availability of high-quality hood in the room.
- Furniture arrangement.
- Condition of the underlying walls, floor and ceiling.
The experience in carrying out repair work and the skill of the master himself are also taken into account. It should be remembered that most finishing coatings require proper experience and skill.
Wallpapering the walls in the kitchen
Wallpaper for kitchen walls is a good choice, but it attracts a lot of criticism: they say that such material is not practical for this type of room, it absorbs odor, is afraid of grease and moisture, gets dirty and generally will not last long on the walls. In principle, there is some truth here, but you may like the other existing side of the coin in this matter more. The main advantage is their price. Wallpaper is often much cheaper than other materials, therefore, it can be changed at least every two years, updating the design of the kitchen and refreshing its walls. In addition, the process of wallpapering the walls in the kitchen is so simple that it does not cause much panic even among beginners in the field of renovation.
For the kitchen as a room with special operating conditions, fiberglass or vinyl wallpaper . They are very durable, moisture resistant and fire safe. Vinyl wallpaper comes in foam and flat. The second type of canvas is thinner, they hide defects in the walls in the kitchen less well, but are more resistant to external damage. Fiberglass wallpaper has a fabric structure. They are durable, resistant to any detergents and even acid. Their service life, according to manufacturers, is 30 years. This wallpaper is hygroscopic and can be painted, but the cost of the material is quite high.
Requirements for the bases used
Coatings selected for repair work must meet a number of requirements:
- Sufficient strength.
- Universal coatings that will be resistant to moisture, high temperatures, and synthetic detergents. And the best option is the resistance of the base to the action of abrasive particles, because the kitchen area requires the presence of greasy deposits, which means constant cleaning of surfaces.
- Absolute safety for humans. All modern interior styles assume the use of exclusively natural materials that do not contain toxic impurities or resins.
A separate aspect for evaluating the purchased finishing composition is the design of the kitchen finishing. In this case, you should focus on the size of the room, the presence and location of window openings, the shape of the kitchen and the intended type of layout.
Kitchen paneling with wooden paneling
This type of wall decoration emphasizes all the exceptional properties of wood. Wooden covering makes the kitchen unusually cozy, creates a favorable healthy atmosphere in it and regulates air humidity. This kitchen looks very harmonious in a country house.
Interior wall decoration with wood is not afraid of temperature changes and sunlight. If necessary, the coating can always be washed. If it is possible to line the kitchen walls with natural wood, this should be done, as you will not have to regret it later.
For cladding kitchens, it is recommended to use lining made from pine, spruce, oak, alder, cedar or linden wood. Spruce, for example, has a pronounced structure, and cedar is able to purify the air.
Brick
If the walls in the kitchen are made of brick, then this material is quite suitable for finishing the room without additional costs.
The brick wall is durable and heat-resistant, is not afraid of moisture and has a long service life.
Most often, only one, or maximum two walls are finished with brick. It fits perfectly with any furniture, combines well with other materials, and looks great in any design style.
Decorating kitchen walls with panels
One of the options for decorating walls in the kitchen is decorating with wall panels. They are made from a variety of materials, have many great features and are ideal for this type of space.
Panels made of plastic, MDF and wooden panels with a protective finish are used for cladding. Depending on the style of the kitchen interior, panels made from other materials can be used. When choosing, you should pay attention to the technical characteristics of the panels, taking into account heat resistance, resistance to moisture and their hygroscopicity.
Plastic panels are especially popular among designers, homeowners and craftsmen. They have a wide range of colors and textures. In the kitchen, such cladding is not afraid of moisture, temperature changes and mold. The material has an acceptable cost and relative environmental friendliness. When choosing a wall panel for your kitchen, you should pay attention to moisture-resistant materials based on modified plywood or fibreboard. The surface of such panels is covered with laminated film or natural veneer, which provide the products with protection from moisture, mechanical damage and make them easier to care for.
Idea 6. Vinyl stickers
If the walls in your kitchen are plain, and you want to frequently update their decor without spending a lot of money and effort, then your choice is vinyl stickers.
They stick easily, peel off even easier and leave no trace of the old picture, and there are so many design options for stickers that you are sure to find something that suits the interior of your kitchen.
Cladding kitchen walls with stone and brick
Natural stone for finishing walls in the kitchen is considered an exclusive material. It looks great in the kitchen interior. It is better to use granite for its cladding. This material is available in the form of small mosaics or large slabs. Granite coating is resistant to grease, chemicals, heat, sunlight and water. It is very durable and can be easily cleaned from any contaminants that accompany the process of cooking on a stove. But, unfortunately, finishing the walls in the kitchen with natural granite is not affordable for everyone: this stone is quite expensive.
Lately, brick-clad walls have been popular. Depending on the style of kitchen design, you can choose a brick in the natural color of fired clay or painted with white enamel. The brick cladding located above the kitchen countertop must be protected from contamination by special impregnation or a glass panel.
The same effect, but with less investment, can be achieved using decorative tiles. It has a classic brick size and an artificially aged surface, so the appearance of the tile is practically no different from the original. Kitchen walls with brick finish are an ideal solution for loft-style interiors.
Brickwork
Brick coverings are quite common in photos of modern kitchen decoration. This is how rooms are decorated in modern, loft or high-tech style.
- To enhance the attractiveness of the finish, the wall is additionally treated with a protective agent.
- It can be real brick or imitation.
- The coating blends seamlessly with any type of decor, kitchen appliances and furniture sets.
- Their cost is low, so experts advise using brick to decorate spacious rooms.
Painting the walls in the kitchen
This type of finishing is considered very practical and original, but not always cheap. The reason for the high price is a whole series of preparatory work prior to painting the kitchen walls. This includes cleaning, leveling, priming, etc. If the walls are clean and even from the beginning, there should not be any particular problem with painting them. Today it is possible to choose any color, and a variety of paint textures allow you to create an original and often exclusive design.
According to many experts, the ideal material for finishing walls in the kitchen, taking into account the price-quality ratio, is water-dispersion paint. It protects structures from moisture and allows air to pass to their surface without disturbing its exchange in the room. After the material dries, a coating remains on the wall, which can have any color depending on the pigment added to the composition.
Cork coverings
Environmentally friendly, easy to use, beautiful material that further improves sound insulation. It can usually be found on sale in the form of tiles or rolls.
Rolled types of coatings are convenient to use; additional surface treatment before installation is not necessary. After lining, wax or varnish is applied on top. The surface is continuous and seamless. The material goes well with any design style and color of the headset.
Sometimes in stores you can find cork in liquid form: it is applied to the walls using a sprayer. It has excellent moisture-repellent properties and also improves sound and heat insulation.
Decorative plaster
An equally popular type of finishing is decorative plaster. Today, the construction market offers a lot of different options with which you can create a unique and original coating. The advantage of decorative plaster is that the same composition always produces a unique pattern that you can create yourself.
It is better not to use plaster, like wallpaper, in areas of direct contact with water and dirt. If your plans are to perform some kind of unique designer finishing using plaster, then it will be difficult to cope with on your own, but almost anyone can cope with the most ordinary process of applying plaster. You should also be prepared that cracks may appear on the plastered surface.
Idea 10. Interior letters
Interior letters and words can set a good mood in the house, inspire and transform a boring interior into a stylish and “talking” one.
Wall letters can be bought at a craft store, interior stores, online stores, or made with your own hands from plywood or cardboard using a jigsaw, band saw or hand router.
Let’s add just one piece of advice: remember that the main thing in interior letters and words is their font. The more interesting it is, the cooler your kitchen decoration will be. You can download cute fonts for free from specialized resources.
Apron decor
In the kitchen there is a space where the housewife spends most of her time - a work area, which includes a stove, sink and other devices that help in cooking. Wall finishing material in this area requires moisture resistance, heat resistance and washability. This does not mean that the apron will have a nondescript appearance; thanks to the abundance of finishing materials, this area can become a key element of the interior.
Idea 1. Composition of saucers and plates
If your kitchen is in a traditional style, then you can decorate one of the walls with saucers and plates.
This decor will look great in the dining area, in the design of the walls between windows, in niches and on ledges, under/above wall sconces, above consoles or a set, if it is not too high.
Here are some tips to help you create a cohesive composition:
Symmetrical arrangement of plates on the kitchen wall
An old Soviet-era set should not gather dust in the closet, because it can be used to decorate a kitchen interior in a classic or “rustic” style
– Making this kind of wall decor with your own hands is very simple: take bright plates, paint their bottoms with slate paint and draw cute pictures or signatures
Five design tips
- When choosing wallpaper and furniture, try not to overload the interior; one thing should be the emphasis. Combine spectacular bright wallpaper with laconic and simple kitchen facades, but for a catchy set with an intricate design you will need a neutral, calm background.
- When choosing a color scheme, not only the shade is important, but also its belonging to the color scheme . Warm shades should be combined with the same warm color “brothers”, cold shades should be combined with cold ones.
- When combining several types of wallpaper, choose one price category . The best solution is companion wallpapers belonging to the same manufacturer’s collection.
- Wallpaper with a pattern can be used to visually adjust the area of a room . Thus, vertical stripes are suitable for low kitchens, and horizontal stripes for narrow ones. To avoid getting bored with stripes, give preference to soft colors that gradually flow into each other.
- For a kitchen facing west or north, choose warm shades - yellow, cream, grass green, light peach, orange, apricot and light brown. For southern and eastern kitchens, pale blue, light green, blue, silver, and white are suitable.
Idea 11. Panel organizer
A panel organizer can decorate the walls of the kitchen and help you in everyday life, because you can leave all kinds of business cards, notes with instructions, shopping lists, as well as photographs and postcards on it.
There are three options for a wall organizer: made of cork (or even wine corks), wood/plywood (then the notes will be attached with buttons) or made of a sheet of metal (attached with magnets).
Modern materials
Modern material should reliably protect walls from soot , greasy splashes, dirt, moisture and at the same time not cause problems with cleaning. Well, no one has canceled the aesthetic function.
The most popular finishing materials are tiles, plastic panels, lining, wallpaper, decorative plaster and paint.
Let's look at each of them in more detail , then you will know exactly what material you can use to decorate your kitchen other than wallpaper and tiles.
Tile
Tiles are a material that can be called an old-timer in our kitchens. We owe its appearance to the inhabitants of ancient states.
Since then, tile manufacturing technology has been changed many times to increase strength . Tiles include tiles, porcelain tiles, and clinker.
Today the following advantages of this material are highlighted:
- The tile looks great in any design solution . It doesn’t matter which style is chosen. You can choose a suitable color and texture for any of them.
- The main material in tiles is clay. Therefore, this material is one of the most environmentally friendly. It is non-toxic and hypoallergenic due to firing.
- The tiles are resistant to moisture , aggressive chemicals, and temperature changes. It does not burn, which allows it to be used even for decorating stoves and fireplaces.
- Regardless of the texture, the slab is easy to clean, while maintaining its color and texture. It is not recommended to use abrasive substances to wash tiles as they can scratch them.
- The modern building materials market offers a wide range of tiles of different sizes and colors, including those for decorating walls in the form of panels.
The disadvantages of tiles include their fragility. If struck by a hard object, it may burst and even split.
Read this article about how and on what surface to apply liquid wallpaper.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper for kitchen walls is chosen quite often. Of course, not all of them are suitable for this specific room.
Wallpaper must be durable, moisture resistant , easy to clean, and meet fire safety requirements. Paper wallpapers do not meet these requirements, unlike smooth or textured vinyl wallpapers (foamed vinyl).
When choosing wallpaper colors, you must be guided by the design of the kitchen, as well as its size. To visually expand a small space, it is better to choose wallpaper with a small pattern, and for a spacious kitchen, large ones are also suitable.
If the windows face north or west, it is better to stick to warm colors , and if the lighting is sufficient, you can make the walls darker and brighter.
Photo wallpaper in the kitchen will create not just the illusion of expanding space , but also a special atmosphere. Especially if the drawing is in the form of an enfilade, or they depict a path going into the distance. A pseudo-window will also work. The main thing is that the kitchen has a minimum of furniture and a maximum of free space.
The main advantage of wallpaper is its wide selection, low price, and the ability to replace it after a few years.
The disadvantages of paper wallpaper and photo wallpaper are that they absorb moisture well , as a result of which they warp and move away from the walls.
They can only be placed on the opposite side of the wall along which the stove and sink are located.
Painting
To paint the walls in the kitchen, you must use waterproof paint. One of the most suitable types is water emulsion. It is odorless as it contains no solvents. Its price is low and it dries quickly.
After applying paint to the walls, the moisture from it quickly evaporates. A water-repellent coating remains. But at the same time, it allows air and steam to pass through, allowing the walls to “breathe.” And the color spectrum of water-based paints is almost limitless.
A type of water-based paint is antibacterial water-repellent. Its color is white, but you can change it by adding color. It does not turn yellow over time and dries quickly . Silver oxide gives antibacterial properties to this paint.
A significant drawback of water-based emulsion is its inability to remove stains from a painted surface. And it cannot be applied at temperatures below +5 degrees.
Decorative plaster
Decorative properties of plaster are given by the fillers and additives included in its composition , for example, stone chips or sawdust.
It can be plain or colored. Additives can be pearlescent, shiny, contrasting with the main tone.
The positive properties of decorative plaster include:
- Ease of application and versatility. The surface for its application can be wood, concrete, metal, brick.
- After application there are no seams left.
- There is no need to pre-level the surface, as the coating perfectly masks all unevenness.
- Decorative plaster contains no impurities hazardous to human health.
- It can withstand temperatures up to +70 degrees, which is important for the kitchen.
- Decorative plaster is an unfavorable environment for the development of bacteria and fungus.
- The coating is durable , fire resistant, and easy to maintain.
The disadvantages of decorative plaster are high cost and high consumption.
Wooden lining
Many people are attracted to the lining by the natural warm color of unpainted wood, on the surface of which a pattern of saw cuts is visible.
The beneficial properties of wood are environmental safety and the ability to regulate indoor humidity.
Wood allows air to pass through well. After impregnation with a special composition or varnishing, it is easy to clean.
Before fixing the lining to the walls, you do not need to level them, but you must first mount the frame . Therefore, the volume of the room will decrease somewhat, which will be a significant disadvantage for a small kitchen.
The most suitable materials for decorating a kitchen are pine, cedar, linden, oak or alder lining. It exudes a pleasant aroma, and coniferous wood also fills the room with phytoncides that have antibacterial properties.
The disadvantage of lining is the high price, as well as flammability . Therefore, the area around the stove must be finished with fire-resistant material.
You may be interested in learning about such a material for interior wall decoration as clinker tiles. Read here.
Plastic panels
Plastic panels are another common material for finishing kitchen walls. Another name for them is PVC panels. They are usually sold as rectangular planks of varying lengths and widths.
They can be mounted on a pre-installed frame , like drywall, or directly on the wall if it is level enough.
Advantages:
- It has high moisture resistance.
- The plastic is easy to clean, even if it gets splashed with grease and leaves stains.
- It does not conduct electric current, which is important if electrical wiring is run behind the panels.
- Plastic panels are available in different colors and textures. They can perfectly imitate wood, leather, stone, metal, mirror or have a relief ornament.
Flaws:
- When hit by a heavy hard object, the plastic breaks, but the damaged panel can be easily replaced without disassembling the entire structure.
- Some types of PVC will fade in the sun.
- When exposed to high temperatures, plastic melts and deforms.
