You’re preparing to make an impressive upgrade to your home. Natural stone, brick, and wood accents have the vibrant look and feel you want, but the real thing is expensive and can be frustrating to install.

Faux wall panels are an excellent alternative to the solid, natural material that is brick, stone, and wood. There are quite a few options out there for faux wall panels, including peel and stick wallpaper and Barron Designs' very own faux wall panels.

Both options have the potential to transform a room with their contrasting colors and textures, but there are things that only faux wall panels can do, that peel and stick versions cannot.

To ensure that you’re completely wowed with the final result, keep reading for a breakdown comparing faux wall panels vs. peel and stick wall panels.

What Are Barron Designs Faux Wall Panels?

Faux wall panels are decorative panels that when installed, beautifully transform the look of your home.

Faux wall panels can be installed inside your home as a fireplace surround or an accent wall, or outside of your home as an upgrade to your columns, foundation, facade, or landscape retaining wall.

Barron Designs faux wall panels come in a variety of styles that have the same appearance and texture as solid stone, rock, wood, and brick. Each panel looks completely natural because they are cast from natural materials that give them the same texture as the real thing. Best part? DIY installation is easy and can be done in just a few hours.

What Are Peel and Stick Wall Products?

Peel and stick wall products are just like wallpaper; they’re self-adhesive and come on a roll or as tiles. Rolls are one-dimensional, just like traditional wallpaper while the tiles tend to be three-dimensional.

Peel and stick wallpaper is made from PVC/vinyl or foam. Although suitable for interior use on walls and ceilings, as well as in some outdoor applications, peel and stick products should be kept away from higher temperatures, such as fireplaces and behind stoves.

Installation requires no tools or special skills.  

Faux Wall Panels vs. Peel & Stick Wall Panels: What Are They Made From?

By checking out the images above, you can see to the left how natural our Old Chicago faux brick wall panel looks up against a peel and stick version. This goes to show that it’s hard to achieve that classic, antiqued feel with peel and stick alternatives–no matter how much you may love wallpaper!

What the product you choose is made from impacts how you are going to feel about the final result. So, it's important to take this into consideration as you make the best decision for your project.

Some materials are more durable than others, so they’re better for outdoor areas that are subjected to elements, like light, wind, heat, and cold. Durable products, such as Barron Designs faux wall panels, will last longer, require little to no maintenance and can be used both indoors and outdoors.

Peel and stick wallpaper is a good option for dressing up an interior room. While this product may seem more affordable, it is important to know what it’s made from and how well it holds up over time.

Faux wall panels are… Cast from natural materials like stone, brick, and wood, so they look and feel the real thing while adding dimension Made from high-density polyurethane Lightweight and easy to install Panels interlock making it easy to hide the seams Have details that solid stone, wood, or brick offer, without the weight and cost Manufactured with fire-rated polyurethane upon request

Peel and stick wallpaper is… Made from durable PVC or foam Delicate and prone to peeling Only suitable for indoor applications Not cast from natural materials, therefore can only resemble real wood or brick, resulting in a lack of nuance that real texture possesses Not fire-rated, and unsafe in certain areas or climates Edges are straight, making it very difficult to hide the seams

DIY Installation of Faux Wall Panels vs. Peel & Stick Wall Panels

Installation of faux wall panels is an easy DIY project that can be completed in just a few hours. Because the panels are durable and molded from natural materials, they are more forgiving during installation.

The images above show our Colorado Dry Stack Faux Stone Wall Panel next to a roll of stone peel and stick wallpaper. Imagine getting all of those seams on the adhesive lined up to look seamless as it does in this outdoor dining area. Even better, when you use faux wall panels you can complement the look with our Universal Dry Stack Ledger to, quite literally, top it all off!

Installation of peel and stick wallpaper is also an easy DIY project. There is no lifting or special tools required, but since paper products are more delicate there is a greater likelihood of challenges during and after installation.

The self-adhesive nature of peel and stick can be incredibly cumbersome to deal with and you must take caution with placement to ensure the seams line up properly. On the other hand, faux wall panels interlock, so lining them up and disguising seams and corners is effortless.

Installing Faux Wall Panels If you make an error when positioning a panel, it can be easily repositioned Faux wall panels are larger and interlock, so you have fewer seams to deal with, leaving less room for error. They can be installed directly over hard surfaces such as concrete, cinder block, or masonry. Can be installed over any flat surface using adhesive and/or mechanical fasteners. Any holes in faux wall panels are easy to conceal with caulk or paint but are often concealed by the texture of the panel alone.

Installing Peel & Stick Wall Panels These are lightweight and easy to lift and adhere to a wall without using any tools, but they can only adhere to a limited number of surfaces Peel and stick products are difficult to remove and may cause damage to your wall if you experience a problem during installation. The adhesive may be unreliable and require extra glue. Smaller in size, so there are more seams and more room for error. Holes and imperfections are hard to conceal.

Choose Barron Designs Faux Wall Panels for Your Next DIY Project!

Faux wall panels from Barron Designs are an excellent, cost-effective, and realistic alternative to real stone, brick, or wood and add the same charm and beauty to your home.

Installing faux wall panels is an easy DIY project that you can complete in just a few hours. While peel and stick options may seem like the less expensive product to achieve your DIY goals, they are more delicate, require more maintenance, and don’t have the same durability and natural aesthetics as faux wall panels.

To check out all of the texture and color options that our faux wall panels can offer for your next project, click below!

Faux Wall Panels