Wasting a Lot to Get a Little. A Lesson in Pattern Repeat. AKA: Don’t Order Wallpaper Based on Square Feet DRAFT

This is the tail end of a roll, and is too short to use on a full-height wall . So I save these pieces for use over doors , under windows , etc. (I never throw scraps away until the job is finished.)
This piece is about 3′ long . I need a piece 8″ high to go over a door . In order to get the right pattern match , I have to cut my 8″ piece from about the center of this 3′ long scrap . As you can see, that leaves us with more than 2′ of length of wallpaper that cannot be used . It’s too short to fit most spaces , plus the pattern repeat is not in the right position.
Let’s see … roughly 2.5′ of length multiplied by the width of the paper (27″ but we’ll call it 2′ for ease of mathematics ) comes out to 5 square feet of wallpaper . That cannot be used anywhere. It just goes on the scrap pile.
This is another example of why you can’t order wallpaper based on square footage . Wallpaper isn’t like paint – you can’t use every square inch. You have to plan for the waste factor . And the waste factor changes, based on the length of pattern repeat juxtaposed against your wall’s height .Most websites that sell wallpaper mention the square footage of a roll / bolt . But they fail to give adequate information on how to factor in for accommodating that waste . Some say to add 1% or even 10%, but that’s not adequate . What to do? Contact the wallpaper hanger / installer before you order your paper!

This cheery pattern is by Rifle Paper , made by York . Rifle is very popular right now. And now wonder – those flowers and visual movement are mighty attractive !

Another Example of Why to Purchase Extra Wallpaper – Don’t Trust On-Line Calculators!

See that 3 1/2″ wide stripe of bare wall to the left of the strip of wallpaper? In order to cover this with wallpaper, I will need to take a full 9′ high strip of 27″ wide paper – that’s more than 20 square feet – and cut off just 4″ from the one side. The rest of that 9′ long strip of wallpaper will most likely go into the trash bin.

This is a good example of why you can’t calculate how many rolls you need to paper a room by figuring up square footage. You simply are not able to use every square foot of paper on that bolt!

On-line calculators don’t take into account the waste factor from matching the pattern, and the pattern repeat, nor trimming at floor and ceiling, or around objects (windows, doors, cabinets). Or situations like in the photo above, where most of the strip will go to waste.

Again – always best to have the wallpaper hanger measure first and calculate how much paper you need before you buy.