How Much Wallpaper Do I Need?
Figure it Yourself or Get Help for Free
Before you begin wallpapering, you need to find out exactly how much wallpaper is needed. You can't eyeball the area and take a guess and hope for the best. Why? Because you want to ensure that you get enough wallpaper from the same dye lot, otherwise the color hues in the wallpaper may differ all over the room. Also, if you have to special order wallpaper, you don't want to have to go back to the store to reorder more in the middle of your project. Learn how to measure for wallpaper with the tips we've listed below, or use any of the links to the free wallpaper calculators we've provided.
How much wallpaper do I need? Here's how to figure it:
Calculate square footage - The first step in figuring out how much wallpaper you'll need is to determine how much square footage you'll be covering. It's important to get as accurate measurements as possible when working with wallpaper. To measure for wallpaper, measure the length of the wall area you will be covering and multiply it by the height of the walls. Do not deduct for windows or doors at this point.
For example, if you have 8' ceilings and will be covering 180' in length, you would say:
180 x 8 = 1440 square feet
Calculate deductions - Now you will need to make deductions for windows, doors, shower areas, sinks, built-ins, and so on. To do this, subtract 21 square feet for each door, 15 square feet for each window, and whatever the square footage is for any other object you will wallpapering around. Once you make your deductions, you will get your adjusted square footage. This is the total you need to have when you shop.
A rule of thumb - A standard roll of wallpaper is 20.5' in width and roughly 33' in length. When working with an 8' ceiling, you'll get about 3 wall-lengths of wallpaper from each roll. This is not exact, though, as some wallpaper patterns have wide repeats that will eat up much of the roll. On the other hand, if the wallpaper has no repeat, or a very small one, you may be able to get slightly more from one roll.
Exceptions - Keep in mind that some designer wallpaper rolls can be wider than a standard roll (up to 27"), which can change the way you measure. Always consult the packaging directions before purchasing.
How to measure for wallpaper border:
If you plan on adding a wallpaper border to your room, you won't need any special formula to figure out how much you'll need. Each roll of border contains 15 feet of wallpaper. Measure around the room to get your measurement and round up to the next whole number. It's better to have a bit too much than not enough!
Free Wallpaper Calculators
Once you've calculated your measurements, you can check your work with free wallpaper calculators available online. These handy tools let you enter your measurements, either by overall size or one wall at a time, to find out how much wallpaper is needed. If you are too intimidated to try to measure for wallpaper yourself, use the wallpaper calculators instead. Although not 100% accurate, you will get a close estimate on the amount of wallpaper required to finish your job.
Home Depot Wallpaper Calculator
Wallpaper - Inc. Wallpaper Calculator
Warner Wallpaper Calculator
More from Jennifer Wagner:
10 Ways to refresh your home for free
Unique uses for leftover wallpaper
12 uses for old wallpaper books
SOURCE:
Personal knowledge
Published by Jennifer Wagner - Featured Contributor in Lifestyle
Ever since I read my first Judy Blume book as a little girl, I have wanted to write. Whether it's giving my opinion, making someone smile, or reviewing a product, writing makes me happy. My primary are... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a Commentgreat article thanks
super
I'd rather paint than wall paper. cheers :)
Good info for those who want to buy wall paper
Good guide.