Consider the size and shape of your room before buying patterned wallpaper as the design may appear to alter the room’s shape; height is increased by vertical stripes, while horizontal lines make the ceiling seem lower.
Certain designs will emphasize structural faults in the room, so choose patterned paper carefully.
When it comes to choosing wallpaper, go for better quality, medium or heavyweight papers rather than thin, cheap ones which tear and stretch easily when pasted and need very careful handling. Cheaper wallpapers have the design printed directly onto the paper; better quality papers are usually given a protective coating before the pattern is printed. Top quality ones also have a clear coating over the pattern to protect the surface.
Basic types
The following run-down on the various types available will help you to select the right wallpaper for specific areas. Washable The paper is covered with a clear water-resistant coating of matt or gloss PVA (polyvinyl acetate) making it ideal for use in the kitchen or bathroom.
Vinyl
A layer of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is fused onto a paper backing to produce a really tough vinyl-faced covering that is steam and water resistant and can even be scrubbed clean.
Ready-pasted
Dried fungicidal adhesive on the back does away with the traditional pasting operation. To activate the paste you draw each length of paper through a water-filled trough (usually supplied with the paper) immediately before hanging.
Polyethylene
This type is lighter than ordinary wallpaper and warm to the touch. It is easier and quicker to hang than other wall coverings because you paste the wall rather than the paper and you do not have to cut the paper into lengths, but use it straight from the ro1l. Work with the special adhesive recommended for this type of wall covering.
Dry-strip
Washable and ready-pasted papers already described are not easily removed using the conventional soak-and-strip method since the water cannot penetrate the water-resistant coating to act on the adhesive. But dry-strip papers and vinyls are available; you peel away the decorative face to leave a paper backing on the wall. If this backing is firmly fixed, use it as a base for re-papering or strip it off in the usual way.
Lining paper
Thin paper used under the decorative wall covering to give a high quality finish. It is available in several weights: use light papers on smooth wall surfaces and heavier papers to help conceal uneven surfaces. Hang lining paper horizontally on the walls so the joins between lengths will not coincide with the vertical joins of the decorative wall covering.
Selecting a pattern
If you decide you would like a patterned paper, remember different types of pattern demand varying degrees of skill to apply. Complicated patterns are not easy to match and often mistakes only show when the lengths have been hung.
Free match paper
The simplest type to apply since it has random motifs that do not require matching. It is also the most economical as there is no wastage.
Set patterns
Demand more skill since you have to match the design horizontally across adjoining lengths. There will be some wastage (especially if the repeat does not fit in with your room height) but this can sometimes be minimized by cutting lengths from two or more rolls at a time.
Drop patterns
Can be difficult to match as the design runs diagonally across adjacent lengths – the first length aligns with the third, the second with the fourth, the fifth with the seventh, and so on. Wastage is inevitable, but again this can be minimized by working from more than one roll.
Effects of patterns
Before choosing a design consider the size and shape of your room as the pattern on the wallpaper may appear to alter its dimensions. Vertical lines will seem to increase the room’s height, while horizontal stripes will give the opposite effect. However attractive large motifs or bright colours look when you are flicking through a pattern book, remember these can be overbearing in small rooms. Certain designs will show up faults in the structure of the room. If the ceiling slopes, the motifs in a set or drop pattern will gradually disappear along the ceiling line. This also applies to papering ceilings : if they are not perfect squares or rectangles the pattern will run out of true. Unfortunately it is not easy to check ceiling line irregularities; they usually become apparent only when the wallpaper is hung.
Vertical stripes will emphasize corners that are out of square, so you should always check these before buying this type of pattern. Suspend a plumb bob and string line from a small nail fixed as high up the wall as possible the string line will hang down at a true vertical and you will be able to see if the corner is square. Check the condition of your wall surface. If it is undulating or pitted, don’t buy a striped paper as this will only emphasize the defects; go for a busy, colourful pattern that will hide the faults. There is obviously a lot to recommend a free match paper. It is the simplest to hang, there is no wastage and it can disguise many structural defects.