Wallpaper in a Dabolim apartment has two enemies, and both come from outside. The first is rain driven by wind against the outer walls of tall blocks on the plateau; any wall that has shown a damp patch after the monsoon should be left unpapered until the seepage is cured, or covered with PVC wall panels instead. The second is the fine red dust of the dry season, which lodges in flock and deep texture. So choose a smooth vinyl in a mid or patterned colour and put it on an inner partition: the wall behind the bed or the sofa. In a flat that is let furnished, one papered wall is enough.
- Inner bedroom walls: smooth wipeable vinyl behind the bed, in a pattern that hides the dust film between cleans.
- Outer walls of upper floors: leave these painted, or use PVC wall panels, if the plaster has ever stained after heavy rain.
- Furnished flats for tenants: a plain hard-wearing vinyl on one living-room wall, with a spare roll put by for later repairs.
Dabolim sits on the plateau above the Zuari, between Vasco and Cortalim, and is where Goa's older airport and the naval air station are. The plateau has filled with apartment complexes and gated colonies whose residents work at the airport, the navy, Verna and Vasco.
Housing here is mostly mid-rise and high-rise apartments, many on upper floors with wide views. Windows are large and exposed. Blackout is in demand in bedrooms because of shift work at the airport, and many flats are let furnished.
The plateau is open to wind from the sea and the river. Aircraft noise is part of life, and red laterite dust blows in the dry months. Heavier lined curtains help a little with noise, and smooth blinds are quicker to clean of dust.
Apartments and town flats
In a flat, one papered wall behind the sofa or the bed changes the room for little cost. Shared walls with a neighbour's bathroom or kitchen should be checked for damp. Vinyl wallpaper wipes clean, which suits homes with children.
Hilltop and plateau homes
Exposed walls on high ground are driven with rain in the monsoon. Paper the sheltered inner walls, and treat any wall that has shown damp patches before covering it. Vinyl wallpaper is the safe choice.
