Wallpaper Properties

Acrylic Coated (Vinyl Coated Paper)

Acrylic Coated/Vinyl Coated wallpapers are printed on paper and treated with a coating for durability and washability/scrubbability. These wallpapers are easily maintained and are unaffected by long term exposure to humidity making them ideal for kitchens and baths.

Easy-Walls

Easy-Walls is an environmentally friendly wallpaper substrate. It is vinyl free, with no PVC or VOC and is printed with water based inks. Wallpaper made with this eco-chic material is pre-pasted and easy to install and easy to remove without harsh chemicals, making wallpaper décor projects a pleasure! The revolutionary Easy-Walls wallpapers are also washable and breathable, inhibiting mold and mildew.

Expanded Vinyl

Expanded Vinyl wallpapers are printed with a special ink that expands with heat giving them a raised surface effect known as "blown" creating a soft but dimensionally textured wallpaper. Most "Paintable" wallpapers are examples of an expanded vinyl wallpaper, but also is a common printing technique used to create faux effects like bricks, woods and stones.

Fabric-Backed Vinyl

Fabric-Backed Vinyl wallpapers have a fabric backing which makes them highly durable. Because of their ability to be bumped and scratched without being damaged, these are most commonly used for commercial jobs where high levels of durability are a must.

Grasscloth

Grasscloth wallpapers are hand crafted and unique; made of natural and exotic materials harvested throughout Asia. Grasscloths create a natural and highly textural look on walls that is understated and timeless. Most grasscloth wallpapers are made of 100% natural materials making them environmentally friendly. It is recommended that stains on grasscloth wallpaper be attended to with clean water and a damp white cloth/sponge. Professional cleaning may be necessary.

Heavy-Weight Vinyl

Heavy-weight Vinyl wallpapers are deeply embossed using a thick vinyl material. These wallpapers offer a very luxurious look and feel and are commonly used in Italian wallpaper manufacturing.

Molded Linoleum

Molded Linoleum wallpapers are used primarily in the Lincrusta Collection. Lincrusta wallpapers are a highly durable and dimensional wallcovering that replicates the feeling of custom molding or paneling which can be top-coated with any paint or stain for desired effects.

Non-Woven

Non-Woven wallpapers are an advanced technically improved wallpaper material that was introduced to the market over eight years ago and is fast becoming the preferred substrate for wallpaper. Made of a fibrous material, non-woven wallpapers are easier to install and even easier to remove! They will dry-strip from the wall, usually leaving the wall smooth and abrasion free. Many Non-Wovens are vinyl free making them an environmentally friendly wallpaper option.

Paper

Wallpapers printed on paper are not as common as in previous years, but are still present in the marketplace. Paper wallpapers are environmentally friendly and showcase flat inks and designs very nicely, but due to the delicate nature of paper, these wallpapers have proven to tear easily during the removal process.

Solid Sheet Vinyl

Solid Sheet Vinyl wallpapers are printed on a 100% vinyl material and are commonly embossed to give them a luxurious textural effect. These wallpapers are quite durable and are usually scrubbable, making them easy to clean and maintain. They are also peelable which means the wallpaper will peel off the wall easily, leaving some of the backing on the wall, which can typically be removed with soap and water or in some cases a wallpaper removal solution may be necessary.

Peel & Stick

Peel and stick wallpaper is printed on a premium substrate that is completely removable and will not damage walls. To hang the wallpaper, simply peel off the backing and smooth to your wall or any flat surface. To remove, pull up a corner and peel off. An excellent solution to decorate apartments, dorms, and homes.

Prepasted

Prepasted wallpapers have a cured adhesive applied to the backing, which is activated with water. These wallpapers must be booked before hanging. For detailed hanging instructions for prepasted wallpaper see our How to Hang Prepasted Wallpaper guide.

Unpasted

Unpasted wallpapers have no paste applied to the backing so paste will be needed. Unless specifically mentioned in the instructions that come with the wallpaper, these can be hung with standard wallpaper pastes available at your nearest paint and wallpaper store. We recommend hanging these using the paste-the-wall method, but you should check the instructions to see if the manufacturer recommends pasting the backing, in which case you will need to book the wallpaper. For detailed instructions about hanging unpasted wallpaper, see our How to Hang Wallpaper guide.

Drop Match

Wallpaper patterns with a drop match do not repeat across the width from strip to strip. The next strip will need to be dropped either a quarter or half of the repeat on the next strip to match the pattern from strip to strip. If you need to drop half of the repeat it is called a Half Drop and if you need to drop a quarter of the repeat it is a Quarter drop.

Random Match (Free Match)

Wallpaper with a random match has no design repeat, this means it does not matter where you match the next strip of wallpaper, it will always continue the design. Textures, grasscloths, and stripes are all examples of patterns with a random match.

Straight Match

Wallpapers with a straight match have a pattern that is continued across the width of the wallpaper. This means that the pattern continues across the seam and matched to the same point of the pattern on the next strip.

Scrubbable

Scrubbable wallpapers can be scrubbed with a sponge, scrubbale wallpaper has a higher level of durability than washable wallpapers. You can use soap or mild detergent on scrubbable wallpaper.

Washable

Washable wallpapers can be lightly cleaned with a sponge or a damp cloth. You should take care when cleaning washable wallpapers, but if you are gentle, they should clean easily.

Wipe with a damp cloth

These wallpapers should be washed gently with great care, they are more fragile than others and you should be careful cleaning.

Peel & Stick

Peel and stick wallpaper is printed on a premium substrate that is completely removable and will not damage walls. To hang the wallpaper, simply peel off the backing and smooth to your wall or any flat surface. To remove, pull up a corner and peel off. An excellent solution to decorate apartments, dorms, and homes.

Peelable

Peelable wallpapers will peel off the wall, leaving some of the backing behind. The backing can be often removed with soap and water, but sometimes a wallpaper removal solution may be necessary.

Strippable

Strippable wallpapers can be dry stripped from the wall without leaving any backing behind. These are the most removable traditional papers in the market and usually are printed on a Non-Woven substrate.

Repeat

The design repeat of a wallpaper tells you how many inches the pattern is vertically, until it repeats itself again. Patterns with no repeats (like textures) will have little waste, but larger designs (with repeats above 21") may require more wallpaper. Because there is more waste since you need to match the pattern from strip to strip and can lose up to the pattern repeat on each strip to match them properly.

Single Roll Coverage

This is the square footage that you will get from a single roll of the wallpaper (or spool of border). This is simply a calculation of the width times the single roll lengths. Sidewalls are usually priced in single roll increments, but must be purchased as double rolls or bolts since this is how they are packaged. To get the bolt (or double roll) coverage simply multiply this number by 2.

When calculating the amount needed for a job see our Wallpaper Calculator page, or use this square footage to determine how many single rolls you need. Be sure to deduct for doors and windows and add more if you have a large design repeat.

Width

This is the width of the wallpaper (or the border), the most common width is 20.5", but there are also many wallpapers that are 21", 27" and 36". 20.5" and 21" wallpapers are usually 33' long per bolt (or 16.5' per single roll), 27" wallpapers are usually 27' long per bolt (or 13.5' per single roll), and 36" wallpapers (usually grasscloths) are 24' per bolt (or 12' per single roll).