Beadboard - panels vs wallpaper

I made this beadboard accent wall by our front door entryway last year and absolutely loved how it turned out. This project gained viral status in part due to the cost effective meets functional design. In my ongoing quest for a cohesive home given our modest open concept layout, I decided to use a similar design in the mudroom next to the garage entrance.

After I first tackled the beadboard project I saw "beadboard" wallpaper in a few spaces. So in the interest of experimentation I gave it a shot in the mudroom. The wallpaper product I used was a pre-pasted traditional type wallpaper. It has ridges just like the beadboard panels and has an almost spongy texture. It is paintable once dry. Here is my overview of pros/cons to each method.

Beadboard wallpaper:

https://amzn.to/3YKXjUS

PRICE & SKILL LEVEL:

The wallpaper wins here hands down! This is about $15-30 a roll depending on where you buy it, very budget friendly. You'll only need about another $20 in supplies with a wallpaper tub, exacto knife and smoothing tool. Because there are no power tools required for this part I do think this is a more accessible option if you don't have access to tools or aren't quite comfortable using them.

Wallpaper supply kit:

https://amzn.to/3lGKSLC

I used 8x4 beadboard panels for the first project (the front entryway). These are about $80 and you will need to make some cuts. I had the store cut it in half to get two 4x4 sheets and made further adjustments from there.

There were no seams to caulk or nail holes to fill with the wallpaper application. I did find that while wet it was easier to tear so gentle application was necessary. Overall the entire installation process with the wallpaper was easier and faster.

THE DOWNSIDE

You're probably wondering why wouldn't I just flat out recommend the wallpaper, seems to be winning in all the categories. Well, durability is what it all comes down to. I can tell that even after the paint, the wallpaper will ding and dent easily. It just doesn't have the same feel under the fingertips as the beadboard panels let alone real beadboard.

Visually this wallpaper is amazing, especially when finished with trim. I'm definitely willing to give it time but I think if you have the skill set, tools, time and budget, the beadbaord panels are the way to go. This is a great alternative and I'm planning to keep it as is for as long as I can.

Details for the beadboard panel installation here: