Here, we\u2019ll discuss the intricacies involved in the same, especially when it comes to painting your house or applying wallpaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Shouldn\u2019t You Decorate Your New Construction Home Immediately<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/Waiting-for-a-new-construction-home-to-settle-1024x685.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBy default, you will get a house with builder\u2019s white walls (or beige) \u2013 and it\u2019s common to drown in all that white. After the post-construction cleaning of your new home,<\/a> you’ll wait to decorate it. But why do you have\u00a0to\u00a0wait\u00a0in the first place? Are you waiting for the concrete to dry?<\/p>\n\n\n\nNo, quite the opposite, actually. You\u2019re waiting for it to move; and not just concrete but you\u2019re actually waiting for the whole house to \u2018settle\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
New building material, such as your drywall, exterior bricks, foundation concrete<\/a>, plaster, and even the timber frame itself are\u00a0quite literally fresh.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nLet\u2019s take wood, for example. Trees are cut down and the timber is processed, waiting in a warehouse for transport. Your builder orders the same for your house and installs it immediately. So, before being put in your house, it might not have been exposed to the elements. It is common sense that wood expands and contracts as weather changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timber, much like the rest of your new build\u2019s material, needs to cycle through the four weathers at least once and make room for itself. The concrete poured into your walls and the plaster sealing everything may also not be completely dried out, depending on where your house is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In colder climates, concrete and plaster take longer to dry out completely and when dried, they contract \u2013 albeit slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what would happen if you were to paint your house immediately after moving in? Would it come crashing down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, but you will start seeing cracks and nail pops as the house settles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-crack-on-some-ceiling-drywall-near-a-light-1024x768.jpg\")
A crack on some ceiling drywall near a light<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/cohesivehomes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/A-nail-pop-on-drywall.jpg\")
A nail pop on drywall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nIf you\u2019ve already had professionals paint your house, you will find that pretty soon, you\u2019re going to have to call them again. On the other hand, if you painted it yourself, keep some paint saved for when that happens. There will be a slight difference in the fresh and old coat of paint, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you really <\/em>can\u2019t stand your white walls, you can paint them. Just make sure the paint you use is breathable, i.e., something like matt emulsion<\/strong>. Keep a window popped to ensure smooth airflow and facilitate the drying process.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat If I\u2019m Using Wallpaper Instead of Paint? <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nApplying wallpaper on your drywall in the first year is usually a very bad idea. Like we mentioned above, if you are feeling really suffocated because of the white, use breathable paint \u2013 a light coat \u2013 until the four seasons pass. This is because matt emulsion can dry up fairly quickly (usually 1-2 hours) and the house settling process continues as if nothing happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wallpaper, on the other hand, is the opposite of breathable. From the glue you use all the way to the paper itself, it inhibits airflow and can therefore severely impede the drying process. The \u2018settling\u2019 process isn\u2019t exactly structural but only leads to hairline cracks and nail pops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the wallpaper, you won\u2019t be able to see any of that, which can invite more trouble for you in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is a wide assortment of wallpapers out there, each ready to call your heart toward itself but if you ask us, we suggest that you stay as far away from wallpapers as you can for at least the first year. If possible, wait for two years before applying wallpaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How Long <\/strong>t<\/strong>o Wait Before Tiling My New Construction Home Walls?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nTiling your new construction home walls is like wallpapering them with ceramic and has the same effect as wallpapers<\/strong>. It drastically slows down the drying process and because of the tiles\u2019 own weight, chances are that even the smallest cracks will enlarge once they appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHaving said that, there are flexible tile adhesive and grout options that you can go with, too<\/strong>, if you really must <\/em>install tiles. Tiling will still reduce the drying speed, but the flexible grout and adhesive will ensure that as your house settles and shifts, it doesn\u2019t end up breaking tiles or worsening cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIf you have never tiled a wall before, we recommend you don\u2019t try it out on your new construction home. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat If My Walls Aren\u2019t Made of Drywall?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThere are numerous alternatives that you can ask your builder to use instead of drywall if you really need to decorate your walls early on, and one of the best alternatives is that of using concrete or brick and mortar walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the cost of material is the same for drywalls and bricks, the latter takes longer to cure and install. Concrete is slightly expensive, but again, the longer curing process means that you\u2019ll not only have to wait longer for your house, you will also have to pay more labor and material costs. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHaving said that, these walls are plastered with concrete again after the wall has dried, and only after the concrete has dried does the paint go on it. Since concrete is exposed to the sunlight directly here, once the concrete is dry, you can do anything you want to it by the time you move in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nBy default, you will get a house with builder\u2019s white walls (or beige) \u2013 and it\u2019s common to drown in all that white. After the post-construction cleaning of your new home,<\/a> you’ll wait to decorate it. But why do you have\u00a0to\u00a0wait\u00a0in the first place? Are you waiting for the concrete to dry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, quite the opposite, actually. You\u2019re waiting for it to move; and not just concrete but you\u2019re actually waiting for the whole house to \u2018settle\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n New building material, such as your drywall, exterior bricks, foundation concrete<\/a>, plaster, and even the timber frame itself are\u00a0quite literally fresh.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take wood, for example. Trees are cut down and the timber is processed, waiting in a warehouse for transport. Your builder orders the same for your house and installs it immediately. So, before being put in your house, it might not have been exposed to the elements. It is common sense that wood expands and contracts as weather changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The timber, much like the rest of your new build\u2019s material, needs to cycle through the four weathers at least once and make room for itself. The concrete poured into your walls and the plaster sealing everything may also not be completely dried out, depending on where your house is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In colder climates, concrete and plaster take longer to dry out completely and when dried, they contract \u2013 albeit slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But what would happen if you were to paint your house immediately after moving in? Would it come crashing down?<\/p>\n\n\n\n No, but you will start seeing cracks and nail pops as the house settles<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n If you\u2019ve already had professionals paint your house, you will find that pretty soon, you\u2019re going to have to call them again. On the other hand, if you painted it yourself, keep some paint saved for when that happens. There will be a slight difference in the fresh and old coat of paint, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you really <\/em>can\u2019t stand your white walls, you can paint them. Just make sure the paint you use is breathable, i.e., something like matt emulsion<\/strong>. Keep a window popped to ensure smooth airflow and facilitate the drying process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Applying wallpaper on your drywall in the first year is usually a very bad idea. Like we mentioned above, if you are feeling really suffocated because of the white, use breathable paint \u2013 a light coat \u2013 until the four seasons pass. This is because matt emulsion can dry up fairly quickly (usually 1-2 hours) and the house settling process continues as if nothing happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wallpaper, on the other hand, is the opposite of breathable. From the glue you use all the way to the paper itself, it inhibits airflow and can therefore severely impede the drying process. The \u2018settling\u2019 process isn\u2019t exactly structural but only leads to hairline cracks and nail pops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the wallpaper, you won\u2019t be able to see any of that, which can invite more trouble for you in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a wide assortment of wallpapers out there, each ready to call your heart toward itself but if you ask us, we suggest that you stay as far away from wallpapers as you can for at least the first year. If possible, wait for two years before applying wallpaper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tiling your new construction home walls is like wallpapering them with ceramic and has the same effect as wallpapers<\/strong>. It drastically slows down the drying process and because of the tiles\u2019 own weight, chances are that even the smallest cracks will enlarge once they appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that, there are flexible tile adhesive and grout options that you can go with, too<\/strong>, if you really must <\/em>install tiles. Tiling will still reduce the drying speed, but the flexible grout and adhesive will ensure that as your house settles and shifts, it doesn\u2019t end up breaking tiles or worsening cracks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have never tiled a wall before, we recommend you don\u2019t try it out on your new construction home. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There are numerous alternatives that you can ask your builder to use instead of drywall if you really need to decorate your walls early on, and one of the best alternatives is that of using concrete or brick and mortar walls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the cost of material is the same for drywalls and bricks, the latter takes longer to cure and install. Concrete is slightly expensive, but again, the longer curing process means that you\u2019ll not only have to wait longer for your house, you will also have to pay more labor and material costs. <\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that, these walls are plastered with concrete again after the wall has dried, and only after the concrete has dried does the paint go on it. Since concrete is exposed to the sunlight directly here, once the concrete is dry, you can do anything you want to it by the time you move in.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat If I\u2019m Using Wallpaper Instead of Paint? <\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How Long <\/strong>t<\/strong>o Wait Before Tiling My New Construction Home Walls?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What If My Walls Aren\u2019t Made of Drywall?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n