Wallpaper Primer

Have you decided to wallpaper your room, but don't know which type of wallpaper to choose? This wallpaper primer can help. Information and advice on the different types of wallpaper available...

Before you get down to the actual job of wallpapering your room, your very first job is to decide what sort of wallpaper you want for your room.

Alright, so you can just nip down to the shop, and just pick up the color and pattern you like best…

You will get better results though, if you take a little time, check out a wallpaper primer like this one, and actually find out some information about the types of wallpaper available, and think about which one would be right for you and your home.

So, look at this easy wallpaper primer now, and find your perfect paper…

Wallpaper Primer

Ordinary Printed Wallpaper
Washable Wallpapers
Vinyl Wallpapers
Relief Wallapers
Paste-the-Wall Papers
Flock Wallpapers
Wallpaper Murals
Fabric Wallpapers
Grass Cloth Wallpapers
Woodchip Paper
Lining Paper

Wallpaper Trends

Where to Buy Wallpaper

Ordinary Printed Wallpapers

• This is the most widely available wallpaper, which means that you get the best choice of colors and patterns.
• Machine printed wallpaper is cheap, very widely available, and is easier to pattern match (because of the accuracy of the machines, in printing the pattern).
• Hand printed wallpapers can be very beautiful, with more unusual designs and a real air of luxury. But:
  • they can tear if they get damp
  • the inks may smear if you get paste on the patterned surface
  • they aren’t suitable for rooms where they might get knocked or scraped, or where there is a chance of damp of any kind
  • pattern matching can be much more difficult

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Washable Wallpapers

• These are ideal for kitchens and bathrooms, and other areas of wear and tear, or if you have kids.
• They are printed papers, which have a P.V.A. surface, which means they can be lightly sponged. Don’t scrub hard, or scour the wallpaper.

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Vinyl Wallpaper

• Vinyl wallpaper is perfect for kitchens and bathrooms.
• It is water resistant, so can be wiped down easily.
• Look out for ready-pasted versions, which mean you can just soak it in a little water to activate the paste.

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Relief Wallpaper

• Relief wallpapers are a very popular choice, as well as giving added interest to your room, it is good for covering up imperfections and slight unevenness in the wall.
• Some are already colored, but some you will need to paint over yourself with emulsion paint.
• Choose from:
  • Embossed paper patterns
  • Blown vinyl wallpaper
  • Lincrusta – This is a historical wallpaper – a popular choice for traditional homes and heritage projects. It is made from paper, fillers and linseed oil.

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Paste-the-wall Paper

• These are usually a lightweight, foamed-polythene wallpaper.
• They are quite widely available and come in a wide range of colors and patterns.
• The big advantage is, of course, that you paste the wall and not the paper – much easier!
• Keep these wallpapers for walls that don’t get too much traffic, or wear and tear.

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Flock Wallpapers

• Flock wallpapers are flat wallpapers with a pattern made from a raised, velvet-like texture. This is made by simply gluing fibers to the backing paper.
• Normal flock papers can be quite delicate, and if you get any paste on the flocking, it will damage the surface.
• Vinyl flock wallpapers can be a more practical choice. They aren’t nearly so delicate and may be washed down.
• Some vinyl flock papers can come ready pasted.
• Normal flock wallpaper should not be washed, but may be lightly sponged and brushed.
• Flock papers can make your home feel cosy, but can make rooms feel smaller, busy or dark.

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Wallpaper Murals

• These are a great way of getting a frieze effect in your room from wallpaper.
• Most murals are around 55 inches tall (a bit over 4 ft) and around 12ft long.
• They fit nicely under most dado rails/chair rails for added interest, but could be positioned anywhere on the wall for your own preferred effect.
• These are ideal for children’s bedrooms, but also any room where you want a bit of added interest and a frieze effect (rather than just wallpaper).
• There are many beautiful and unusual designs available. This is my favorite place to shop for Wallpaper Murals - the selection is phenomenal – I want them all!!

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Fabric Wallpapers

• These are usually a luxury purchase which can give a very sumptuous look to your room.
• You can use unbacked fabric which can be attached straight to the wall, or pinned on panels and then attached to the wall.
• Paper backed fabric wallpapers are also available, but are difficult to hang, especially as they ruin if you get any paste or adhesive on the front, fabric surface.
• If you can get plastic-coated fabric wallpaper, it is a lot more durable.
• All these fabric wallpapers are quite expensive.

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Grass Cloth Wallpaper

• These are expensive and delicate wall coverings.
• They are made up of natural grasses woven and glued onto a paper backing.
• They can be tricky to hang.

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Woodchip Wallpaper

• Woodchip paper seems to have lost a lot of favour over recent years, but it can still come in very handy in certain situations:
  • It is easy to hang
  • It covers up all kinds of imperfections in the wall
  • It can be repainted in any color
  • It is very inexpensive
• It is, however, a nightmare to remove.

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Lining Paper

• Lining paper is just a simple, plain wallpaper. Not the most exciting wallpaper in this wallpaper primer, but still very important!
• Use it as a base for hanging more the more expensive papers in this wallpaper primer, on top, or painting over.
• It helps disguise imperfections in the wall.
• Expanded-polystyrene sheet is also available as a lining paper. This is quite thick, and really covers imperfections and cracks in the wall, well. It is also very good to use in rooms where condensation is a problem.

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Where to Buy Wallpaper

My favorite place for choosing wallpaper online is American Blinds, Wallpaper and More. They have as many as 300,000 Wallpaper Patterns Online, so have a huge choice, ranging from very high quality, luxury ranges, through specialist historical wallpapers and retro wallpapers to the more inexpensive wallpapers: Super Value Wallpaper! Only $4.99 per single roll while supplies last! .

If you need a little help they even have a very handy Free Wallpaper Personal Shopper. Just supply a little information on your requirements and preferences, and let them do the hard work for you!

Take a quick look at this short video clip all about choosing wallpaper for your home...

Simply click on the picture to start the video player...

Now all you need to concentrate on is choosing the color and the pattern…

…oh, and doing the rest of the work too, of course…

Start your wallpapering project, by finding out how to get the measurements, wallpaper sizing and calculations right.

Discover how to remove wallpaper the easy way.

Get instructions for how to wallpaper, here...

Find out about special techniques for hanging wallpapers of all these different kinds

Return from this Wallpaper Primer to the main How to Wallpaper Guide

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