There’s nothing worse than over-ordering or not ordering enough wallpaper. It’s important to plan and calculate the number of rolls required; consider the size of each room, accounting for the angles of walls, wall fixtures, windows, doors, and the pattern of the wallpaper print.
If you’re not sure how to calculate how much wallpaper is needed, here’s a detailed guide on successfully measuring each space.
How To Measure Spaces for Wallpaper
Measure each wall, recording both height and length. Treat curved or slanted surfaces as part of the same wall until you reach a hard edge.
Do not subtract the measurements for windows, doors, and other wall fixtures from the recorded total. This is a mistake DIY homeowners often make in an effort to save money and maximise the wallpaper material. Subtracting these areas from the total will lead to shortages and mismatched sections of wallpaper.
For homes with slanted or sloped walls, measure from the highest point of the wall to get the height – no trigonometry application is necessary.
Compare your wall measurements against the roll dimensions of your chosen wallpaper – roll sizes are not standard and often vary by design and brand, so confirm with your supplier before calculating.
Here’s how to calculate based on an average sized living room with 5 walls.
Wall | Length | Height | Area |
1 | 4 m | 2.8 m | 11.2 m2 |
2 | 4 m | 2.8 m | 11.2 m2 |
3 | 4 m | 2.8 m | 11.2 m2 |
4 | 5 m | 2.8 m | 14 m2 |
5 | 5 m | 2.8 m | 14 m2 |
Total area | 61.6 m² |
A wallpaper drop is measured as an individual strip of wallpaper cut to the height of the wall, to be applied top to bottom.
For a wallpaper sold in rolls of 1.37m x 27.43m, the number of drops per wallpaper roll is 27.43 ÷ 2.8 (height of the wall) = 9 drops
| Wall | Length | Drops required (rounded up) |
| 1 | 4 m | 4 ÷ 1.37 (width of the roll) ≈ 3 |
| 2 | 4 m | 3 |
| 3 | 4 m | 3 |
| 4 | 5 m | 4 |
| 5 | 5 m | 4 |
| Total number of drops | 17 |
As 17 drops are needed, 2 rolls of wallpaper would be sufficient to provide 18 drops.
However, this calculation has not taken into account potential mistakes from a DIY application; in which case, it may be more appropriate to purchase 3 rolls to be safe.
The example above also assumes that the wallpaper pattern freely matches at all points. Calculating the amount of wallpaper for more detailed patterns is considerably more complex.
Pattern Matching
Wallpapers with repeating patterns come in three types:
- Free pattern repeat wallpapers can be cut at any length and still match seamlessly with the installed sections of wallpaper.
- Straight matching wallpaper patterns match up horizontally with the next drop of wallpaper.
- Offset matching wallpaper has a set distance between repeats, resulting in a diagonal match between sections of wallpaper.
When cutting wallpaper for drops and around wall fixtures, windows and doors, it’s important to account for the distances between pattern repeats to ensure a seamless visual outcome.
Naturally, this means measuring the specific pattern repeat distance on the wallpaper roll before cutting. This is where DIY jobs usually end up wasting a lot of wallpaper.
The best way to ensure a stunning outcome for wallpaper installation is to leave it to professionals. Craft Axis are wallpaper specialists in Singapore, handling supply and installation for homes and commercial spaces. Our wallpaper experts can accurately measure your space and order the right number of wallpaper rolls on your behalf.
