6 Things You Should Know About Wallpaper

We just had wallpaper installed in our powder bath (see the full makeover here) and I learned SO MUCH. I went into that project with zero knowledge about wallpaper, and look at me now! I love the result of our wallpaper and I highly recommend that you choose wallpaper in your home too! Here are six things you should know about wallpaper.

1 – Hire a Professional To Install and Shop around

Get estimates from a few different people to make sure you’re getting a good price. Make sure they show you photos of their work. The woman that did ours installed wallpaper in the Parade of Homes. I thought was a good sign! She showed me photos of those rooms in addition to other jobs she had done. I specifically asked to see powder bathrooms as well because those are typically more difficult.

2 – Have The Same Professional measure the space

Do not attempt to do this yourself. When you have a paper hanger come for an estimate, they will typically measure the space for free as part of the estimate. With the measurements, they will recommend how many rolls of paper to order. You need to do this weeks (or even months) ahead of time! Wallpaper can take awhile to arrive. 

3 – Understand how paper is sized, packaged, and priced

How wallpaper is sized, packaged, and priced is confusing! Wallpaper is priced by the single roll (say $50 a single roll) but packaged as a double roll (say $100 a double roll). You typically have to purchase double rolls. If your paper hanger says you need 7 rolls, you will likely have to buy 4 double rolls (equaling 8 single rolls). A single roll is typically 20.5 inches wide and 16.5 foot long, so a double roll would then be 20.5 inches wide and 33 feet long. Look at the measurements for the paper you are selecting carefully so you know how many to order! Now it gets more confusing! In my case, I wanted to get this wallpaper. The price listed is $98 but that’s the price for a double roll. I ruled this paper out originally thinking it was $98 a single roll (expensive!) when that was for a double. Measurements are important! 

4 – Serena & Lily is the best bang for your buck!

I highly recommend Serena & Lily paper! I think it’s the best bang for your buck, meaning the best quality paper for the price. There is a wide range of prices for wallpaper, from $30 a roll at a Home Depot to $500 a roll for designer. At $50 a roll, Serena & Lily is on the upper end of average, but GREAT quality. The paper hanger highly recommended Serena & Lily paper, and I’m a huge fan of their brand, so I knew that was the way to go. In her opinion, it’s not a good idea to cut corners on the paper because you will be able tell. Good quality paper is easier to hang and will look better. That being said, spend thousands and thousands of dollars on the wallpaper probably isn’t necessary.

5 – A Powder Bath is a Great Room to Wallpaper

We just did wallpaper in our powder bath, and I think that’s a great room to do if you are thinking about it! Here are a few reasons to choose a powder bath. First, Ii’s self-contained so it doesn’t really have to “go” with the other spaces. You can do something kind of edgy or bold that you maybe wouldn’t do in other spaces. I kind of chickened out on doing a really bold print, but floor to ceiling floral is still pretty bold, right? Second, wallpaper (and hanging it) is pricey and powder baths are small! If you do an entire room, it could end up being thousands for the paper alone. 

6 – Know the Rest of The Design Before Installing

Based on what you are doing with the rest of the room, the wallpaper hanger can then patch (or not) the walls based on what is going where. I got everything new for the powder bath (fixtures, mirror, light) and I showed her everything and where it was going in advance. The new light fixture is smaller than the old one (for example) so she knew to patch the walls from the old mount. If you are changing your faucet (or other plumbing), change that first! I waited until after the wallpaper was hung to look into plumbing, and the plumber said that changing the faucet on a pedestal sink would damage the wallpaper.