FAQ: Wallpaper - Your Questions Answered!

A - A standard UK/European roll of Wallpaper usually measures 10.05m x 53cm (33' x 20.5'').

All roll sizes are stated in the specifications area of our individual product pages.

Less common roll sizes in the store are:

10.05m x 70cm - Versace Wallpapers

6.0m x 53cm - Sequin Sparkle Wallpapers

A - Wallpaper is a printed product and as such, it is produced in specific quantities at a time based on the volume of materials prepared/available and the demand of the product, each production run of wallpaper is noted by using the term batch or shade.

It is essential to have the same batch number for each unique wallpaper pattern to ensure colour, relief and pattern trim match precisely.

The batch number is usually located on the wallpaper label close to the pattern number.

At Home Flair Decor we will always supply rolls from single batch for your order. Should you need to place a subsequent order, please add your request for a batch including the batch details from your roll label within the checkout. Repeat purchases cannot be guaranteed however we will contact you if this is no longer available.

Click here to download a PDF with definitions for all the symbols on your wallpaper.

A - Wallpaper is printed using rollers/cylinders and therefore every wallpaper has a repeat but sometimes on a plain or striped wallpaper, the pattern print repeat does not matter. The label included within the packaging of the wallpaper will tell you how often the pattern repeats itself eg 64cm along with the type of matching needed.

Some common pattern repeats are:

Straight Match

The pattern matches across the width of the wallpaper, usually with half a motif matching on the join or the same motif appearing regimentally over your wall. Be sure to allow yourself sufficient trimming wastage with your first drop/length and you will reduce waste overall.

An Offset Match or Half Drop Match

The match is obtained by halving the pattern repeat measurement, for every subsequent drop or length needed next to the previous piece hung, you will move the pattern up or down by half the pattern repeat measurement.

For example, a label might state a 53cm, 26.5cm or 53/26cm offset match. This means the design repeats every 53cm in total (the diameter of the print roller/cylinder), this figure is then halved to 26.5cm which is how much additional wallpaper is needed to allow the pattern to match and flow correctly over your wall. 

Free Match or Random Match

No matching required.

It is the easiest product to hang, as no matter how many strips of wallpaper are hung, you do not need to match any patterns. Just ensure all lengths are hung the same way (unless reverse hang is specified on the roll label) no visible join or seams will need to be worried about here.

Free match also reduces the amount of wastage as this is reduced to just trimming waste.

See our blog for more information: Learn More About Wallpaper Pattern Repeats

A - Yes we offer a full sample service, this includes multiple size options for most patterns and is charged on a per sample basis.

A flat rate sample delivery charge is applicable per order, this is charged at £1.50 with an estimated 5 working day delivery time. (Priority Delivery upgrades are available in the checkout for a flat rate of £2.50).

SMALL SAMPLES - A4 SIZE (LETTER SIZED) - £1.25 PER SAMPLE

LARGE SAMPLES - 50CM SIZE (FULL ROLL WIDTH LENGTH) - £2.50 PER SAMPLE

For more info, see our Sample Page

European/International sample orders will incur additional delivery charges.

A - This varies depending on the ventilation in the room and the temperature at the time of year.

Usually, the wallpaper will dry within a week but has it been known to be a few weeks, various factors will affect the drying time including the adhesive, wallpaper material properties and wall surface.

Wallpaper should only be allowed to dry naturally, without any additional heat sources or drafts, should this not be allowed to happen you may experience contraction of the wallpaper and the opening of butt joints.

A - The short answer is no.

Modern manufacturing techniques mean that wallpapers can be rolled either way and in turn may not come off the roll as they should be hung.

There is no right or wrong way that wallpaper will have been rolled during packing.

Please ensure that you have checked the direction of the pattern prior to hanging.

A - The difference is in the base layer or "substrate" and how they react with moisture from your paste or adhesive.

Traditional / Paste The Wallpaper has a base made from a pulp of natural paper fibres, this substrate absorbs moisture from wallpaper paste and adhesives and swells over a short period of a few minutes. Once swollen, this is hung and should be allowed to slowly dry in a taught state on the wall.

For removal, the same applies, moisture needs to be added to the wall surface to soften the existing adhesive and natural pulp wallpaper base.

See our guide for more info on How To Hang Traditional Wallpapers

Paste The Wall Wallpaper has a base made from synthetic, man-made fibres mixed into a pulp blend that act like a mesh (non woven). This synthetic base does not react with moisture and as such does not need time to swell and can be hung in the dry state onto a pasted wall. 

For removal, non woven wallpaper is easy to strip when you want to redecorate, it peels off in complete drops/lengths.

See our guide for more info on How To Hang Paste The Wall Wallpapers

A - Preparation should be carried out in the same way as you would for a traditional wallpaper, stripping, filling and sanding etc with one final and important step! Your walls need to be of one even and solid colour prior to hanging a paste the wall wallpaper.

This is due to the synthetic substrate produced of man-made fibres being slightly opaque, this may allow any surface colour to be seen through the final hung and dry wallcovering.

You must ensure all bare plastered walls, patched or filled walls, partly painted walls (especially noticed at the ceiling or skirting where paint may have been overlayed onto the walls), walls where a picture rail or dado rail have been removed leaving paint, woodstain or other difference in surface colour. 

A - When using dark, deep or rich coloured wallpapers, it is good decorating practice to darken the ends of your rolls prior to hanging if the manufacturer has not already done this, otherwise you may see the colour of the wallpapers substrate where the joins meet.

A secondary step of painting the walls in a similar colour where the joins will land is also a good solution to avoid any wall colour showing through should the wallcoverings shrink or move during the drying process.

A - We have an industry-standard wallpaper roll calculator guide available here, this uses two measurements to give you an estimate. Please have your wall width measurement and your skirting to ceiling height measurements to hand to complete this process.

Include (ignore) your doors and windows within the measurements for a standard room layout, this will give you the majority of your wastage allowance for pattern matching. 

Should you be decorating a room with a wall of patio glass doors, a hallway full of doors or a stairway then this guide is not suitable. We can help you over the phone or via email when you share your measurements with us.

Please use our online wallpaper calculator or download our printable guide here.  This will give an estimation based on your measurements. It will not allow for large pattern matches / errors during hanging but will give a good guide.

A - Using lining paper helps to provide a good base to wallpaper onto, resulting in a much better finish and so we do recommend always using lining paper prior to hanging. Cross lining is also recommended.

This is where the lining paper is hung horizontally instead of vertically. This is to avoid the possibility of a wallpaper seam being hung on top of another.