Decorating
Pattern Repeat Can Add a Third to Your Wallpaper Order
A 64 cm drop-match repeat on a 2.4 m wall can waste half a metre per strip — enough to change the roll count entirely.
Each strip must start at the right point in the pattern, so the usable length of a roll is not its full length but the number of whole repeats that fit into the wall height, multiplied by the repeat. The remainder is offcut.
Straight match wastes less than drop match, and free match — a random pattern such as grasscloth — wastes almost nothing. Always buy every roll from the same batch number, because dye lots differ visibly.
Put this into practice
- Wallpaper CalculatorHow many rolls of wallpaper do I need?
More facts like this
- The Second Coat of Paint Uses Less Than the FirstBuying 'two coats worth' at the first-coat rate routinely overshoots — the second coat stretches 10-25% further on most surfaces.
- The Most Common Decorating Mistake Is a Rug That Is Too SmallIf the front legs of your sofa and chairs are not on the rug, the rug is one size too small.