How much wallpaper do you need?
I’ve had a couple of people ask me how to calculate how much wallpaper you need. There are a lot of online ‘calculators’ but they all vary.
I’ve simplified the calculation below, but bare in mind this is only a guide.
Essentially, you need to ignore windows and doors (unless they take up the whole height of the room) and you calculate like so:
If you feel hesitant about the calculator above, use this old school calculation from a decorator I know for more accuracy:
Work out the Wall Size: This is Wall Width x Wall Height.
For e.g: I’m calculating one feature wall that is 8m wide x 2.4m high = 19.2m squared.
Work out Roll Size: Roll Width x length of paper roll.
For e.g: 0.52m x 10 = 5.2 (this is for our Woodland Floor paper)
Work out the Pattern Repeat: For a Half Drop this is the height of the repeat divided by 2.
For e.g: 0.60m / 2 = 0.30m
2. Determine how many drops are needed to cover your wall (from ceiling to floor):
Divide the wall width by the width of your wallpaper and round up.
For e.g: Wall Width: 8 / 0.52 = 15.38 Rounded Up: 16
3. Determine your finished height (the length you need to determine a pattern match on the wall):
Divide the wall height by the vertical pattern repeat, round up by 1.
For e.g: 2.40m / 0.30m = 8 Rounded Up: 9
4. Determine how many drops you can get out of each roll of wallpaper:
Divide the roll length by the finished height and round down.
For e.g: 10 /2.4 = 4.16 Rounded Down: 4
5. Finally, now we can figure out how many rolls you need:
Divide your total drops needed (from step 2) by the drops per roll (from step 4), then round up.
For e.g: 16 / 4 = 4 Rolls
A sketch showing how a half drop repeat works.