Buying wallpaper can be very frustrating. There are hundreds of thousands of designs available, each with their own unique color, print, and pattern. While you could flip through wallpaper sample pages one-by-one, it's likely that you'll spend hours leafing through wallpaper books and not find a sample you like. Here are a few tips to make your wallpaper shopping experience more enjoyable.
Picking out the Perfect Wallpaper
One of the biggest tips we can offer you is to bring samples of all other colors with you. This could mean color swatches of paint, a sample of your flooring, and even developed photos of your furniture, accents, and appliances. Remember when bringing color swatches that the color of your baseboard, chair rail, crown moulding, and ceiling are also important. Many people believe that these pieces are "pure white", only to be surprised that an undesirable color tone is highlighted by their wallpaper selection.
Don't be afraid to ask a salesperson for help. Wallpaper shoppers rarely find a wallpaper they like on the first trip, so there won't be a lot of pressure to make a purchase immediately. The salesperson knows exactly how the sample books are organized, and which manufacturers are producing the most popular designs. If your dream wallpaper involves a print of a white Shetland pony on a mauve background, let the salesperson know! They might have that exact concoction nestled in one of their sample books...
What You Should Know about Buying Wallpaper
Once you find a wallpaper you like, be sure to find out the particulars about the wallpaper's match and paste requirements. A drop match wallpaper will be considerably more difficult to hang than straight match wallpaper. You are also going to have to bring a semi-professional room diagram to the store. See our special feature on drawing a room diagram for help. Once you have your room diagram figured out, calculating your square footage should be a simple step. Your salesperson should be able to help you calculate the appropriate number of rolls needed.
Pro Tip: Check the return policy of your wallpaper store prior to ordering. If the store allows for the return of unopened rolls, consider buying additional materials to make up for any waste, especially if the pattern is difficult to match. Remember that drop match wallpaper wastes a considerable section of the wallpaper per row and buy extra if funds permit. Remember that a roll of wallpaper in your particular dye plot may never become available again, so make provisions to have extras.
Something that you may notice is that wallpaper is priced per roll, but usually sold in quantities no smaller than a double roll. This is part marketing gimmick, and also partially due to changing building standards. A single roll has just enough length to cover a 7' high wall twice if you are using a tall baseboard and crown moulding and you are an expert wallpaper installer. If you don't fall inside this narrow criteria, then a single roll of wallpaper will give you enough paper to lay down a single 27" strip and 5' worth of waste. For this reason, most stores sell double rolls only.
At this point, you should be ready to buy your wallpaper! Remember to check the dye lots on your wallpaper prior to opening any of the rolls, and to read the instructions (even the pros do) before starting any kind of hanging. Your wallpaper salesperson may be able to recommend an installer for you if you're determined to get a magazine quality look. Happy hanging!
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