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Wallpapers & wall stickers are a versatile and easy way to transform the look of a room, with an almost endless variety of textures and patterns for you to choose from

Knowing where to start when buying new wallpaper can be tricky, so here’s our guide to make things a little easier for you

Before you start browsing, know if wallpaper is the best option for the room / walls. Consider the following before you decide to buy a wallpaper.

● Layout of the Room:If there are many doors and windows, this leaves very minimal space to stick wallpapers

● Size of the walls:Larger the surface area, more wallpaper is required, which will be more expensive

Topics In This Buying Guide

● Wallpaper Quality and Size

● Material Options

● Ways to Paste Wallpaper on Walls

● Matching the Wallpaper Design

● Wall Stickers

Wallpaper Quality and Size

Wallpapers usually come as rolls of varying widths, The rolls are cut to size and are pasted next to each other to form a continuous pattern of the wallpaper. To know how much wallpaper is needed, start by measuring the room where the wallpaper is required.

Measure width and height (from floor to ceiling) of each wall in Feet. Do not consider skirting and cornice/ molding below the ceiling while measuring the height

Multiply width (in Feet) x height (in Feet). This will give you wall are in Square Feet

If there are any windows or openings on the wall, please subtract the area of the opening from the total sq. feet area. This will give you the area which you will need to cover with the wallpaper

Check the roll label for the total amount of square foot coverage the roll provides and make sure it is more than your total wall square footage

Always buy an extra roll well in advance to avoid inconvenience in the future as particular wallpapers may not be available at the time of need

Material Options

Paper

The vast majority of wallpaper are printed paper pulp

This is relatively light and easy to hang, suited to virtually all rooms in your home

You can find it in different weights, with heavier paper usually the best quality, and less likely to rip

PVC

(PVC) is sprayed onto the paper substrate of a wallpaper, making it more scrubbable and strippable than 100% (pulp) paper or non- woven paper.

This gives a nice medium between non-woven and solid vinyl wallpaper

Vinyl coated is less glossy and more matte than sold vinyl but can still have a subtle shine to it

Vinyl

Vinyl wallpapers are made of a type of plastic, and is highly durable, scratch resistant water resistant and tear-proof. Vinyl is an inexpensive type of plastic used commonly to make records, food wraps, carpet & linoleum flooring etc.

Solid Vinyl wallpapers are shiny and glossy in finish

This type of wallpaper is suitable for use in Kitchens and Bathrooms, since it can be scrubbed clean with water and withstand steam

Vinyl Coated

This type of wallpaper is composed of printed paper coated with a layer of vinyl. It is the most used type of wallpaper, because of its high durability.

Vinyl wallpapers have a shine & gloss due to the plastic coating

The thicker the vinyl coating layer is, the more durable the wallpaper will be. Vinyl paper can be used in kitchens and bathrooms, as it can of withstanding steam. It is can also be washed, making for easy maintenance

Ways to Paste Wallpaper on Walls

Self Adhesive

This is removable wallpaper where you peel off the backing and stick the wallpaper directly to the wall

If you’re looking for something that you can remove easily with little to no damage to your walls, this option is ideal

Pre-Pasted

This wallpaper has dry glue attached to it. The backing becomes sticky (called activating the glue) when you apply water or activator along the strips

Once the glue is activated, the wallpaper can be easily stuck to the walls.

These types of wallpapers take more time to install compared to the self-adhesive ones

Non-Pasted

This type of wallpaper doesn’t have any glue at the back. Therefore, when sticking on the wall, you will need to buy separate glue and apply it to the back of the wallpaper

Matching the Wallpaper Design

Wallpapers come in rolls and have patterns which need to be matched while pasting the wallpapers. There are 3 types of wallpaper matches

Free Match

These are the easiest wallpapers to install, no matter how the strips of wallpaper are placed next to each other, there'll be no visible join or seam

This can result in less waste as you don’t have to discard the non-matching areas

Straight Match

Both edges of the wallpaper match in a straight horizontal line with the edges of the next strip of paper

There should be minimal waste with this type of wallpaper

Offset Match

The right-hand edge of the first strip of patterned wallpaper will only match with the left-hand side of the next piece when the second strip has been dropped by a specified distance

There can be more waste with this type of design, as you can only use pieces that match correctly

Wall Stickers

A wall sticker is an adhesive product that is peeled off of a backing paper and affixed to a wall or a smooth surface such as a mirror

These are used as an easy way to transform the look of a place without much hassle

Reusable wall stickers can be used multiple times before losing their adhesion

Different styles and graphics are available for wall stickers. They have the ability to conceal specific portions of the wall while also beautifying it

Typically, wall stickers are made of PVC or Vinyl

More Tips

• When exposed to direct sunlight, wallpaper in rooms tends to fade. As a result, they should not be used on walls facing the sun directly

• It is not advisable to use wallpaper on walls prone to moisture

• Always read the care instructions provided with the wallpapers before cleaning them. Scrubbable wallpapers can be safely cleaned with warm water and soap, just be sure to be gentle. Never rub or wipe dry, though – pat with a lint-free cloth and start from the bottom to avoid drips