Our Guide to Buying Wallpaper

Choosing to decorate with wallpaper is a great way of enhancing the style of a room with maximum impact. With such a vast range of wallpaper to choose from right here at Leader Stores we’re sure you’ll be able to find the right one for you – but to help you along with the decision making process, we’ve put together a quick and easy guide to buying wallpaper.

Points to Consider

When choosing the right wallpaper, there are a few considerations before you buy to make sure you get the best in practicality and style…

How Much Do You Buy

Finding the correct amount of rolls to buy can save you from wasting wallpaper and can make the job much easier. Standard roll size is around 10m x 52cm so measure around the room to find out how many you need. Buy an extra roll or two just in case!

Which Wallpaper Suits Your Room Size

While you might like a particular pattern or style of wallpaper, it doesn’t always mean that it’ll suit the size of your room. Wallpaper can be great for creating illusions of space, whether you’re making the room feel bigger with a light paper or taller with vertical stripes. Consider the effect you want the wallpaper to have you in your room and choose accordingly.

Papering a Kitchen or Bathroom

You can paper both your kitchen and bathroom, but because of the steam and condensation in these rooms you are limited to using a washable, vinyl wallpaper so you don’t damage the longevity and look of the walls.

Types of Wallpaper

The first step you need to take is to decide which type of wallpaper you want to use. For beginners, we recommend you choose heavy, good-quality paper to make sure the paper doesn’t easily tear or stretch when wet. Lighter, cheaper wallpaper should only be tackled by an expert decorator as these types of paper are much easier to damage.

Measuring Up

While a necessary part of the wallpaper buying process, unfortunately this part involves some maths!

1. Measure the total perimeter of the room in metres (including doors and windows)
2. Divide this by the width of the paper
3. Then, multiply the height of the room (in metres) by the number of widths you need
4. Divide this total by the length of one roll

Finishing Touches

If you’ve chosen a plain wallpaper, consider breaking up the block colour with a wallpaper border. A fantastic choice for those looking to add a simple decorative accent to their room. Wallpaper borders are versatile, suited to many different colours and styles of wallpaper and afford you a touch of pattern that may have otherwise been too heavy if used as a feature wall or full coverage.