Rolling Through: Your Complete Guide to Wallpaper Rolls and Buying The Right Amount

Choosing the wallpaper pattern, and thinking of colors, prints, and the overall design is fun! But when it comes to ordering the actual wallpaper, it can get tricky with the different types of rolls, wall measurements, and other technical details. In this blog post, we will explain wallpaper roll sizes, give tips on how to buy the right amount of wallpaper, how to measure walls correctly, and store wallpaper rolls. Let’s dig in!

Wallpaper roll sizes

Wallpaper rolls come in a lot of different sizes. The width and length of the rolls can considerably fluctuate. You can find wallpaper that is 21 inches wide and 11 feet long alongside wallpaper that is 54 inches wide and 33 feet long. And there can be different rolls anywhere in between these numbers.

Why there are so many wallpaper roll sizes?

 The size of the wallpaper roll depends on several things:

• The pattern. If the pattern is wide or it is a mural, some manufacturers choose to create wider rolls instead of narrow rolls to avoid pattern adjustments.
• The manufacturer. Manufacturers decide what size wallpaper rolls they will produce and they choose a size that works for them and their wallpaper patterns and materials best.
• Design choice. Some designers prefer fewer wallpaper sheet connection lines, and that is achievable with wider sheets.
• Size of the room. On the other hand, if the room has lots of little details that the wallpaper needs to work around, a narrow wallpaper will work better.
• Ceiling height. Ceiling height influences the lengths of a roll. Different ceiling heights need different wallpaper roll lengths.

What are some common wallpaper roll sizes?

A common wallpaper roll size is 27 inches in width and 16.5 feet or 33 feet long. However, when purchasing wallpaper always make sure you know the exact wallpaper roll measurements of the manufacturer. They can vary from company to company.

Types of Wallpaper Rolls

Let’s start with the wallpaper roll types. There are single roll, double roll, euro (or European) roll, and triple roll. What you need to keep in mind is that a single roll can vary in width AND length. So, these terms are more for guidance not for actual measurements. Nevertheless, lots of manufacturers still use them, so let’s decode them!

Single or standard roll wallpaper?

The single wallpaper roll is usually the shortest. It can be from 13.5 or 16.5 feet long, or as specified by the manufacturer. The width of the single wallpaper roll usually is 21 inches or 27 inches, but it can also differ.

The term “single roll” is often used as a measurement scale, and companies do not always sell single rolls.

Euro (European) roll wallpaper

Euro roll is a single roll that is 21 inches wide. This type of wallpaper width is often used in Europe, hence the name. Some companies won’t call it a euro roll but just a single roll, so make sure you always check the actual measurements not just rely on terms.

Double roll wallpaper 

As expected, a double roll wallpaper has double the length of a single roll. So often it is 27 or 33 feet long. The width of a double roll can be the same as a single roll – 21, 27 inches, or other width specified by the manufacturer.

Triple roll wallpaper 

The triple wallpaper roll has even more length than the double roll. Triple roll is useful for rooms with very high ceilings.

Deccoprint’s approach to wallpaper rolls

Here at Deccoprint, we have chosen to be as flexible as possible and keep the wallpaper-buying process extremely simple. How do we do that? We sell wallpaper by sheets, not rolls!

Benefits of buying wallpaper in sheets:

It is easy to align large-scale prints. You need to engage in less wallpaper cutting (just trimming to fit your wall size perfectly). Easy to understand how many sheets you need for your project (especially, when you use our wallpaper calculator).

The sizes of Deccoprint’s wallpaper sheetsh 

For easy wallpaper installation, we have chosen to create only one width for our wallpaper, and it is 28 inches. However, the length can vary. The shortest one is 59”, while the longest one is almost the size of a single roll – 196”.

Calculating Wallpaper Quantity

Calculating wallpaper quantity can get tricky, but this is where we introduce you to the easiest way to calculate how much wallpaper you will need. And it is our wallpaper calculator!

How to measure your walls correctly 

Before we get into the calculator, you will need to measure your walls. Here are some tips on how to do that:

• Measure only the area where you want to hang the wallpaper. For example, if you are going to hang wallpaper 4 inches from the ceiling, measure from there, not the actual ceiling.
• Keep doors and windows in the calculation. Even if the area you want to cover with wallpaper has some areas that won’t get wallpapered, keep them in the calculation. It is better to have some extra wallpaper than miss a few inches.
• Make sure you are measuring in a straight line. Try to make as precise measurements as you can. It will ensure you get the right amount of wallpaper for our needs.
• Ask for help. If you are not confident in your measuring skills, ask a contractor to come in or consult with our specialists remotely.

Deccoprint wallpaper calculator

• To use the calculator first you will have to choose the unit of measure: inches or centimeters.
• Then you choose what kind of wallpaper you want – peel and stick or traditional.
• Lastly, you add the measurements of your walls – the width and height.
• And voila! The calculator gives you the exact sheet size and quantity you will need to cover that area.

For non-standard walls (or if you feel confused) feel free to contact our specialists to help you find the right measurements.

Extra tip for calculating wallpaper quantity 

Make sure you add some extra inches to your initial calculations. There can be some hanging accidents, miscalculations, or anything else and it is always wise to have a little bit more extra wallpaper.

If you are extra cautious, you can even order some extra sheets or rolls for future repairs. Some manufacturers make wallpaper in collections, and if the collections you have used are sold out, you might not get the same print or color later.

However, with Deccoprint you have nothing to worry about – we print our wallpaper on demand and offer custom prints. So, even if you want a wallpaper pattern from 5 years ago in that specific color, we will make it happen.

Patterns and wallpaper rolls

 When buying wallpaper rolls, it is very important to keep the wallpaper pattern in mind. Some patterns will add up perfectly without any extra calculations and adjustments. Those are patterns that repeat very often and don’t make a bigger picture. For example, vertical lines, small, detailed prints, and others.

Other patterns will need a little bit of calculation and adjustments. Those are patterns that have bigger elements or a print that covers a bigger area than one wallpaper sheet. For example, this Elegant Birds wallpaper or Spring Cocktail. That means you will need to cut and see how the patterns go over from one sheet to the other.

And then there are murals. Murals are wallpapers that create a wall-size image. It means that it will be put together from several wallpaper sheets. With mural wallpapers be extra careful with the measurements, so you get the picture you wanted on the wall. Examples, of mural wallpapers, are these kids' wallpapers: Solar System and King in the Castle. Both of them are created of 4 wallpaper sheets.

Storage and Handling of Wallpaper Rolls

Your wallpaper arrived a few days early before the installation? Or do you have some leftovers? These tips will be useful in both cases.

• Keep the wallpaper in a dry place. Humidity can ruin the wallpaper pattern and make it hard to hang.
• Keep the wallpaper in a cool place. Hot temperatures can make the paper fragile for traditional wallpaper or change the properties of the adhesive of peel and stick wallpaper.
• Keep the wallpaper in a dark place. Direct sunlight on wallpaper can discolor it. To keep the wallpaper even more protected you can keep the rolls in their original packaging or wrap them in acid-free tissue paper to protect them from dust and moisture.
• Make sure you also label the rolls with the pattern name, brand, and batch number for easy identification if you need to order more later.

Conclusion

At first, the world of wallpaper rolls can feel a little bit confusing, but once you get all the measurements right, it is an easy game. Just remember to always check the exact measurements and recommendations from the manufacturer. It will make your wallpaper buying and hanging process much easier!