Measuring for Wallpaper
 

There are some very elaborate formulas out there for measuring how much wallpaper you need for a room. There is no need to break out the old math book however. A double roll normally contains 33 running feet of paper. Just divide the height of the room into 33 feet and you will know how many 20 inch wide runs you can make per double roll. Then determine how many 20 inch runs there are in the room and that will tell you how many double rolls you need as a minimum. Don’t deduct for windows because more often than not, a sheet breaks somewhere in the middle of a window and cutting out the window area allows the paper to still be running true for a match above and below the window with the rest of the paper.

   The wallpaper you choose will also show how often the pattern matches and this can be important. A random match means there is no wasted paper. An 8 inch match means you might lose just short of 8 inches with every run of paper so you have to include that in your figures. Still, never get too caught up in being exact because wallpapers styles and patterns often change or are discontinued and you want extra just in case an area gets damaged.

Having to re-wallpaper an entire room because of one flaw and your pattern no longer being available can be disheartening. Always order more than you need and store the unused rolls in an area that isn’t subject to temperature extremes or moisture.  [Mike Fak]

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