For a mid-priced flat, wallpaper is one of the few changes that alters a room without carpentry, and Guirim's newer buildings suit it. Their walls are inland, away from salt, and mostly dry. Do two checks before choosing. Tap along any wall that backs onto a bathroom or kitchen, yours or the neighbour's, for hollow or damp plaster. And look at which way the room faces: on the highway side, fine dust settles on textured and flocked papers and is hard to shift, so a smooth vinyl is wiser there. Homes on the low ground near the fields should keep paper off ground-floor outer walls, which draw up monsoon moisture.
- Living rooms in the newer apartment buildings: one feature wall in smooth, wipeable vinyl behind the sofa, away from the kitchen side.
- Bedrooms at the back, away from the road: textured or 3D designs are fine here, where little highway dust reaches.
- Ground-floor houses beside the fields: PVC wall panels on any outer wall that feels damp in the rains, wallpaper only on inner ones.
Guirim is a village on the highway between Porvorim and Mapusa. It has a large church and school on the hill, fields on the low ground, and a growing number of housing colonies and apartment buildings for people who work in Mapusa, Porvorim and Panjim.
Housing here is mainly family homes and mid-priced flats in newer buildings. People buy for everyday living, and look for durable, good-value furnishing.
Guirim is inland. Homes near the highway get traffic noise and dust; those on the low ground near the fields are humid in the monsoon.
Inland homes
Dry inland walls are the kindest to wallpaper. Almost any type can be used, including textured and fabric-backed papers. The risk here is a wall that takes the full monsoon rain from outside, which should be checked for seepage before papering.
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.
