Wallpaper Calculators: Consider this first...

Determining the number of rolls of wallpaper you need to complete a project may seem like an easy task. In fact many wallpaper places provide some sort of wallpaper calculator to plop in a few dimensions and out comes the answer. However, the answer may not always be so cut and dry.

In most cases you determine the correct amount needed by taking the total square footage of the wall space you’re covering and dividing it by the square footage of a double roll. This will tell you how many double rolls you need. Easy enough…however these other factors should be part of the equation as well:

1. Windows, doors, cabinets, tubs, and other fixtures
2. Random, Straight or Drop Match
3. Pattern Repeat
4. Mistakes & Mishaps
5. Future Repairs

Windows, doors, cabinets, tubs, and other fixtures

If you’re wallpapering a bathroom, you don’t want to just measure the length of all the walls and multiply by the height to get your total square footage…especially if you have a shower/tub surround, cabinets, window and linen closet. You’ll end up with way too much. You need to deduct for the doors and fixtures to get a more accurate figure.

Random, Straight or Drop Match

The pattern match needs to be considered. Is it a “random match”, “straight match” or “drop match”? “Random match” means there’s no matching of any patterns when you hang one strip next to another. An example of this would be a solid or vertical stripe pattern. In this case, this would not effect your calculation.

However a “straight match” means the pattern has to line up vertically from strip to strip. And a “drop match” means the pattern has to line up diagonally from strip to strip. Needless to say, you’re going to have some waste when you’re working with straight & drop matches…it’s just a matter of how much.

Pattern Repeat

If the pattern is a solid or stripe, there is no repeat to be concerned about. Otherwise the length of the repeat tells you how much you may possibly lose when trying to match the pattern from strip to strip.

If it’s a real small print, you’ll probably be okay if you don’t deduct for windows or doors when calculating your total square footage. But if the repeat is greater than 5-10″, you may have a sizeable amount of waste. It will also depend on the room you’re doing. You may be able to piece the “waste” in a smaller area (i.e. a kitchen soffit). But more than likely you won’t be able to use the excess on any of your walls.

Mistakes & Mishaps

Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. Sometimes a strip is cut wrong…it happens, and it’s a real pain when you’re working with “just enough” paper to do the project. Also, mishaps happen…something tears, or gets hung upside down, or any number of scenarios. Again, it’s no fun when you have no room to fudge. Expect to make a mistake or have a mishap…give yourself an allowance for this…order an extra roll.

Future Repairs

Although wallpaper is much more durable than paint, it’s not perfect. Someone takes a permanent marker and decides to create their own little masterpiece, a piece of heavy furniture rips into the wall when it gets moved haphazardly, somebody drops a bottle of red wine and it splashes all over the wall…you get the idea. Do you tear it all down, live with the blunder or repair it?

If you’ve got an extra roll tucked away somewhere, then there’s no problem (unless you’re a smoker or live with one…the paper on the wall is going to be yellowed over time and won’t match the unused portion from the original purchase). But if you need to order more, you may be hating life when you realize how hard that pattern may be to find.

The first concern is dye lots. Wallpaper is made in batches/runs. The mill prints out a whole bunch of a particular pattern in a batch. Then they change their rollers and colors to print out another pattern in a big batch. When they run out of the first batch of patterns, they use the same rollers and colors for the first pattern, however when they mix the colors it may not be exactly the same hue as the original batch. Sometimes, you can hardly tell a difference in different dye lots. But sometimes you can…especially if you are hanging it in the middle of a wall.

The next concern, which is the granddaddy of them all, is the paper being discontinued. This means the manufacturer isn’t making it anymore. If the pattern has only been recently discontinued, you still may find some supplier/warehouse who has some left in stock. However, if it’s more than a year old, the chances are slim of finding it again. It will be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. And it will be the most miserable search of your life, trust me.

So, when it comes down to it, my suggestion is to always order more than you think you need.

Financially speaking, you need to think of the big picture when decorating with wallpaper. Wall paper is made to last a long time…so rather than thinking how little to spend, think future worth. This is an investment that will last 5-7 years not merely an expense that needs to be redone in a year or two. Consider the savings in the long run when this project is done right and you are prepared for all the factors listed above. You’ll be glad you didn’t skimp.