Different wallpapers, even within the same company, may have different yardage and different widths. You have to trust the paperhanger or check with the company yourself. If you do not, then you need another paperhanger, because you are paying him/her to do this job and if it is messed up, he/she is responsible for replacing, at least, the paper.

Are those paperhangers who are doubting yours privy to the paper you are hanging, the lot number, the serial number, etc., to know that the information is wrong.

Hi Patricia,

I agree, but if you see the (long, sorry) preamble you will see why I am trying to do this measurement double-check myself. I do know that yardage and width vary --that information for this wallpaper is also in my original post.

However, if you think i can contact the company itself, that may be an option.

This post was edited by mtnrdredux on Wed, Feb 26, 14 at 23:45

Well, there's not an easy way to do this. I'd figure how many widths of paper do you need for each wall. Divide length of wall by 54" (never seen paper that wide). Let's say, for example, that you need 3 widths for a 13 1/2" foot wall. Now, how high are the walls - if you say 10 feet, every piece you cut must be a multiple of 18" in order for the repeats to match. So you must cut every piece at 12 feet. 3 widths at 12 feet equals 36 feet. Every roll is 15 feet so divide 36 by 15 and you get 2 and 2/5 roll for that wall. I would then go on and calculate each wall this way and add them together. This is the only method I know of that will take into consideration the repeat of the pattern.

Thanks, ClT. I already have all the msmts in a spreadsheet so that will help. It's a little odd because it's only going above the panelling,and interruptions for doors and windows are significant.

I do it the way clt does it...I figure out, given the width of the wall paper, how many "drops" I need to cover the wall. If the paper is 24" wide and the wall is 56" wide, I need 3 drops to cover that wall. Do that for each wall. Then figure the length of each drop. If the wall is 45" high and the repeat is 10 inches then I need then next highest multiple of 10 for each drop, in this case it would be 50". So 50" high times 3 drops gives me my total length for that wall.

Counting doorways and windows only matters if the opening is wider than your paper. So in this case, if the paper is 24" but the window is 36", you can fit a short drop to cover above/below the window. But if the paper is wider, then you're going to want a continuous drop anyway, even if most of the doorway gets cut out.

With that width of paper, at least some and possibly all of your drops may need full length. Paperhangers typically start in a corner, so pick a corner and start there. You can tell where the next drop will fall as you go around the room and just count where you will need paper. When I last ordered paper, I did this long math version and used an online calculator to double check each other. You hate to pay for more than you need, but it is worse to not have enough and not be able to match it. It always seemed to work out for me that I would need half a roll and have to buy a double or triple roll -- at least its good insurance in case a future repair is needed.

DH an I hung all our paper in the last house but I hired someone my mom had used for the 2-1/2 baths where we have paper here and I learned a couple of tricks from her (not that I've used them since). One was that she would overlap in every corner. That makes a smoother corner and avoids paper lifting out of the corner a bit where it may not be square. Superior results, but that means another seam, so count drops for each wall to be sure you have enough.

If the paper has a strong pattern (floral, toile etc rather than a texture or stripe) she would cut the final edge of the paper to overlay the design so that even the final seam would not be obvious. Her seams were nearly invisible. With wallpaper having been nearly extinct for a decade or more, I wonder if those skills have been nearly lost.

ETA: I didn't mention the repeat, but you do add that in for the calculation. I think we're all saying the same thing in different words.

This post was edited by lascatx on Thu, Feb 27, 14 at 8:44

Make sure you know the difference between a single roll and double roll length. One of the idiocies of wallpaper is that they only sell it in double rolls, but quote prices in single rolls...so you want to make sure you know how many double rolls to order and that the length of a double roll is what you're using in your calculation of how many double rolls to order.

Thanks everyone.

For starters, I think the width is not 54". Even though I cut and pasted the info from the website, the salesperson thinks it is wrong (how unwieldy 54" would be).

It looks clear to me, however, that there is no short cut and I will just have to run through the numbers as though I were hanging it, piece by piece.

You need to measure your room, floor to ceiling, wall to wall; find the repeat; measure all the door and window openings. Deal with a reputable paper hanger. There is a lot of loss in hanging a paper with that much loss. I wish I could help you but today my MS is causing me brain fog. I hung paper for a number of years but I have not done that since my brain fog and fear of heights became prominent. Find someone you trust. Measure the walls. Account for loss at every door and window opening.

It is perhaps 54cm. That's about 21" which would be a typical paper width. That would raise the question as to whether the repeat is correct in inches or should also be centimeters.

Good papers are often strange measurements and therefore, much more expensive. Don't judge one paper by another person's lack of information.

"The walls of the LR in particular are tricky. I measured them myself and calculated the total area in sq ft. ''

How much sq ft was it ?

If you divide your sq ft by 25 does it come close to the amount of single rolls needed for the installation, or what was quoted as being needed...

I have hung a lot of of 54 inch paper, usually commercial grade paper. What's nice is more coverage less seams. I had 2 wall paper tables and had to put them together to accommodate the paper size, pasting it was fun...

Wallpaper math:
Your room is 27.5' by 19.5', so the perimeter of the room is 94' or 1128". The wallpaper is 54" wide, so you need 1128/54 drops, rounded up to the next integer, which is 21 drops. The wall area looks to me like 4', so with a pattern repeat of 18", you need 54" for each drop (if the wall area is no more than 3', you would need only 36" for each drop). It's possible that you could save some wallpaper from the door and window areas, but it's not likely, so I'm figuring that the door and window areas will be wasted material.
So, 21 drops x 54" = 1134" of wallpaper.
The wallpaper has 5 yards per roll, so I'm assuming that it comes in double rolls, which means that each double roll is 360" long. Dividing 1134 by 360 give 3.15 double rolls, which rounds up to 4 double rolls. If the wallpaper comes in single rolls, you'll need 7 single rolls.
I think this is correct. 8-)

Wow, Suero, thanks. I feel a little bit like the "math is hard" Barbie ...

Zep,
247 sq ft if one calculates the actual surfaces that will be papered. 326 sq ft if one just just measures the entire perimeter and assumes a constant height of 41" (the wall space from the panelling to the ceiling. So I assume we will be well north of 326, given pattern repeat and overage. There may have been no purpose to the first measurement, unless I had a solid paper!

Patricia, of course I will find out before ordering. Just trying to be an educated customer. And you have helped, thanks.

I sent a whole spreadsheet worth of msmts to the salesperson, who told me she would sent it to the company. We will see! I haven't bought wallpaper before that I recall, so it's all a bit new.

Gee, now I hope it is 54" wide!

I've been wallpapering for the last 30+ years, and have never 'formally' measured, just more of a guessing game~I miscalculated only once, too little. With that said, don't follow my 'rule', since it will put you on edge the whole time the paper is being installed, worrying about not having enough.

Here's a website with precise instructions instead!

Here is a link that might be useful: how to

Suero, you are a wonder! I have always don't a quick and dirty calc to estimate by figuring the total square footage of the wall area, the total square footage of a double room, and dividing, then adding 30% more paper for repeats, cutouts and mistakes. Usually it is too much, but leaves me with plenty for repairs. We have a fantastic wallpaper guy who can walk into a room and estimate with eerie accuracy how many rolls are needed for a job.

The wallpaper salesperson will be dining out on your spreadsheet for years, Mtnrdredux, :-)

Most of the other wallpapers on the Quadrille site are 27" wide. There is another that is listed at 54" wide, one that's 50" wide, so I would double check the width to make sure that it really is 54" wide. The Shop Maddie G site lists the wallpaper as 27" wide, so I'd bet that is the correct width. With 27" wide rolls, you won't have as much wastage over the windows and doors. I don't know how wide the windows and doors are, so I can't tell if you'll be able to get by with only 3 double rolls (i.e., 6 single rolls)

Here is a link that might be useful: Island Ikat at Maddie G

Suero , thank you.
If my salesperson were half as helpful as you are , it would have saved me a lot of trouble. The site you linked to indicates a five role minimum and if that's true I didn't need to do any measuring at all.... I don't need more than five rolls

it is best to know yourself exactly how much wallpaper you need and it surprises me how some 'wallpaper professionals' overestimate the # of rolls needed by so much!
i have done quite a bit of wallpapering in our past houses... but did hire someone (2 different people) twice because scalfolding would be needed... both times the wallpaperer overestimated the amt needed- one time grossly! it's pretty simple math really, so i am not sure if they just leave ALOT of room for mistakes. the first time i let the paperer order, the 2nd time i ordered a lesser amt but still abit more than i would have and not surprisingly had left overs!
you save alot of paper from doors and windows, so definitely figure them in, but know who is hanging your paper... not everyone lives by waste not want not!!

More math:
I took your floor plan and measured it in pixels with my hand dandy old version of Fireworks. Then counted the number of 27" drops needed to go around the room. That came up to 40 drops, with 33 at 54", including the staircase and upper landing (I don't recall whether you were planning to paper the upper landing) and 7 at 18" (over the windows and doors). You can get 3 54" sections and 1 18" section from a 5 yard single roll, or 6 54" sections and 2 18" sections from a double roll. If the wallpaper comes in double rolls, you'll need 6 double rolls. although the price is given in single rolls. If the paper comes in single rolls, you'll need 11 rolls.

i might be too late, but it can be 54" wide. I know York has this width for commercial use usually. Most paperhangers don't like to do it, but there are those that specialize in the wider widths. They use it because in a commercial setting you want less seams due to higher traffic. The paper can be cut in half by the factory.

I'd call the manufacturer to ask how much you need of that pattern. They will answer you quickly.

Just an fyi;

I found this site, and i really liked the way they explain measuring; i also like the link with the visualization.
Lastly, my wallpaper guy okayed the calculations.

I thought i'd post for others seeking similar info.

Here is a link that might be useful: Measuring for wallpaper ordering