Part 1: Tips on Measuring a Room for Wallpaper

Shopping for wallpaper is a task you either love or despise. You might look all day for paper and not find a thing, or you might fall in love with the first wallpaper you see.

Before shopping for wallcoverings, you'll want to consider where you want to install wallpaper -- on every wall, in just part of the room (as on one wall or under a chair rail), or a simple wallpaper border to install on a painted wall.

Gather samples like paint chips (the larger the better), fabric swatches, flooring, tile, etc. Take these with you when you look for wallpaper. Also take a pad of paper to note book names and style numbers, a pen, small bookmark papers, and your room's floorplan with accurate measurements. Not sure which measurements you'll need? Here are some guidelines.

Tips on Measuring a Room for Wallpaper

Take the following measurements in the room to be wallpapered.

• Sketch a simple floorplan of your room.
• Measure the overall length and width of the room and note these measurements on your sketch next to each wall.
• Measure the ceiling height. Be sure to note any differences in height if your room has a cathedral or sloped ceiling, making a sketch with height measurements.
• Draw a simple face-on sketch of each wall in the room, noting the overall wall size (height and width).
• On these wall sketches, draw in the placement of all wall features such as doors, windows, and closets. Write down the size and placement of each feature.
• Finally measure each individual wall section (for example from a corner to the closet door, then from the closet to the window frame, the width of the window, and from the window frame to the next corner). The measurements of these sections should add up to equal the overall length of the wall.

To get a rouph estimate of how many rolls of wallpaper will be required, go to a website with an online wallpaper estimating tool for a rough idea of how many rolls might be needed for your project.

Take your room diagram and measurements to the store. Ask the salesperson to figure out how much wallpaper to purchase. That estimate will require that a wallpaper match be considered. Compare their recommendation to your online estimate. The results should be within a roll or two of each other. Remember, the actual quantity needed will vary by the size of the wallpaper rolls as well as the match requirements for that paper.

Next: > Page 2: How Wallpaper is Priced and Packaged

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Part 2: How Wallpaper is Priced and Packaged

Pricing: Single, Double, or Triple Rolls

Wallpaper pricing can be confusing. While wallpaper books list prices per Single Roll, the wallpaper is manufactured and sold in Double Rolls. (Some papers are also sold in Triple Rolls.)

While this system may seem odd, double and triple rolls provide longer continuous lengths of paper with more useable full lengths. For example, a single roll with 13.5 running feet of paper would allow you to cut only one 8 or 9 foot strip per roll, whereas 3 full strips could be cut from a double roll (9 yards, or 27 feet, long).

So, keep in mind that even though a wallpaper book lists the price of a Single Roll at, say $20, you'll usually be required to purchase the wallpaper by the Double Roll, at a cost of $40 in this example.

Packaging: European, Metric, or American Rolls

Wallpaper is also manufactured in a variety of widths. The wider the paper, the fewer strips you'll have to hang and the fewer seams. Here are two common widths:

• European and Metric Double rolls are generally 20.5" wide and contain 56 square feet of paper.
• American Double rolls are wider, at 27" wide and 9 yards long, with about 70 square feet of paper.
• In addition, Wallpaper Borders vary in width but are typically packaged in 5 yard rolls.

Before You Buy Wallpaper

Before ordering wallpaper you'll need to determine if the paper you've selected has a "drop match" or a "straight match", since a drop match means more paper will be needed. An example of a straight match wallpaper would be a plain vertical stripe that doesn't need matching at the seams. Most other patterned wallpapers however are printed with a drop match that ranges from a few inches to a few feet. Drop match papers will require careful matching at the seams.

Before ordering you'll also want to read the manufacturers' suggestions regarding measuring, ordering, and hanging paper, including paste requirements, so you can determine any special requirements or materials.

Find out the store's policy on returns, including any time limit, restocking fees, or if returned rolls can be opened. For large jobs it can give you some peace of mind to order one extra double roll to allow for mistakes, wasted sections, and proper matching.

When your wallpaper arrives, don't open any roll until you've checked the quantity received and all Dye Lot or Run Numbers are identical for every roll in your order.

Ready to hang your wallpaper? Go online for some great how-tos and tutorials. (See "Related" links at right for sites with more information.)

Next: > Page 2: How to look for wallpaper without going crazy

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Part 3: How to Look for Wallpaper Without Going Crazy

Have you looked for wallpaper recently? If so you know that there are literally hundreds of books with thousands of wallpapers available.

How can you find just the right one? You could just randomly browse the books, but the chances of finding just the right paper would be slim. Instead, give some thought to your project before you go shopping. Are you thinking of a stripe or a floral? In neutral or a bright colors? Will the wallpaper cover every wall surface or only one wall or under a chair rail? What other colors need to be matched (carpeting) or coordinated (bedding)?

When you arrive at the wallpaper store, be sure to ask for help. Explain your project, your colors, and what you think you are looking for. Many wallpaper stores have access to an huge index book of wallpaper styles and colors. If you are looking for a pattern of ivy or a trellis, the salesperson can look up these motifs and guide you to books that include them.

If you don't have a specific pattern in mind then ask the salesperson to show you how their wallpaper books are organized. Typical wallpaper categories are Country, Traditional, Kitchen & Bath, Textures, and Kids styles. These categories are often noted with colored stickers on the spine of the book.

Because searching for wallpaper can be an overwhelming task, decide that if you begin to feel pressured you'll spend one hour looking at books and go back another day to spend another hour.

Begin by choose several books in the category that appeals to you. Lay out your color samples (carpet, tile, paint, etc.) next to the upper right corner of the first book.

Quickly flip through the pages of the book, looking ONLY at the upper right corner as pages flip by. You are looking for a palette of colors that might work for your room. (Each book and manufacturer generally has a specific color palette for every book.) If a book's color tones don't work, then you can put it back on the shelf.

If the colorways in the book are what you need, then proceed to look through the book, page by page, seeing if the color combinations, motifs, and patterns are anything you might be able to use.

Bookmark any possibilities and set aside. Move on to the next book. Use the same technique to quickly flip through each book, looking only at color first.

When you've found several good papers, ask for samples (some stores have sample rolls in the back room, others might cut a corner off the page). Better yet, check out the books overnight to see how the papers look in your own home.

Always try the wallpaper samples under various light sources (daylight, lamp light, etc.) to make certain the colors will blend with the other elements of your decor.

When you have a winner have the salesperson double check your room drawings and measurements, then go ahead and order your paper.

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