Home Wallpaper & pattern matching
How many wallpaper rolls does one feature wall need?
Published by Roll & Repeat
Divide wall width by the usable roll width and round up for the strip count. For plain paper, budget the wall height plus trimming at both ends per strip. For a straight match, round that length up to the next whole repeat. Count complete strips in each physical roll before dividing the strip count by that yield.
Read the roll before measuring the room
Write down usable width, actual length, repeat and match type from the product label. A store may price paper by a single-roll equivalent while shipping a longer bolt. Do the arithmetic with the length of the unbroken piece you will actually cut. Measure height in several places and keep the tallest figure.
A seven-strip wall, worked through
Take a wall 325 cm wide and 240 cm tall. Six 53 cm strips cover 318 cm, leaving a final 7 cm. Count seven strips even if you move the seams to make the two edges more balanced. Add a total of 10 cm for trimming in this example, bringing each blank to 250 cm.
With a 64 cm straight repeat, four repeats span 256 cm. Three such lengths take 768 cm of a 1,000 cm roll, leaving 232 cm. That remainder cannot supply another 250 cm blank. Seven strips therefore need three rolls under this cutting plan. Lay out the top motif before cutting, since choosing a particular starting point consumes extra paper.
The measurement worth taking twice
A change in wall height can cost a complete strip per roll. With plain paper on the same 1,000 cm roll, a 249 cm blank fits four times. A 251 cm blank fits only three times. If your room sits close to a threshold, take another measurement and inspect the actual roll length. Record the run number on the order so the supplier can check that the rolls match.