Wallpaper Inspiration & Design Ideas
Wallpaper Buying Tips
Consider these four factors when choosing wallpaper for your space.
Material
Areas prone to high humidity or heavy traffic, such as kitchens, bathrooms and hallways, are best suited to vinyl-coated or solid vinyl wallpaper. These types of wallpaper are non-breathable and therefore more stain-resistant and easier to clean (look for products labelled “washable” or “scrubbable”).
For areas with lower moisture levels, both breathable and non-breathable wall coverings are an option. Fabric wallpaper is great for bedrooms and living rooms, but keep in mind these varieties are generally non-pasted, making them more difficult to apply than other types. Innovative new varieties of non-vinyl wallpaper (made from paper fibre) are both washable and easy to apply and remove.
Application
In terms of application, there are three main categories of wallpaper:
Pre-pasted has an easy-to-apply adhesive backing. The term “booking” refers to activating the pre-pasted wallpaper, which is usually done by wetting the strips with a sponge.
Self-adhesive (or peel-and-stick) has a sticker-like backing for convenient removal. To apply, take off the backing and smooth carefully over walls. (This type of wallpaper can usually be lifted and applied a couple of times to get the positioning right).
Non-pasted (or paste-the-wall) requires a separate paste to be applied to the wallpaper (or sometimes the wall itself). Follow manufacturer’s instructions on what type of adhesive to use. Application is more intensive as it requires every area of the wallpaper backing to be covered evenly with paste.
TIP: Look for wallpaper labelled “strippable” if you want something that’s easy to remove. This is convenient for when you change your mind or are expecting the wallpaper to be a shorter-term décor commitment.
Colour and Texture
As with paint, choosing a wallpaper colour depends on the room where you’re applying it. Look to your floors, furniture and accent pieces for guidance and remember light colours make rooms look bigger, whereas dark colours are more dramatic and often make a room feel cozier.
When you want to give your room a more tactile dimension, choose wallpaper with interesting textural elements. Textured wallpaper, such as embossed varieties or those made with natural fibres, can also disguise uneven walls or other surface flaws.
Pattern
Wallpaper comes in a huge variety of patterns, from floral to striped to damask. If you’re new to wallpapering, it’s recommended you start with a pattern that’s easy to line up. Here are some guidelines:
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| Floral or repeated patterns can be a good choice for smaller areas and can be used to hide bumps, nicks and other wall imperfections. Vertical stripes make walls and ceilings look higher, so they’re a good choice for tight spaces. |
Inspiration Gallery
Whether your taste is traditional or modern — or somewhere in between — The Home Depot has a wallpaper to suit your taste and budget. Get inspired by looking at how wallpaper can add character to any room in your home. Along with what’s available in-store, we have several online-only wallpaper styles and collections.
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| Be sure to choose wallpaper from the same dye lot number indicated on the label (this number is also called the batch or run number). This ensures that rolls bearing the same number were made from the same batch for an exact colour match. Mixing wallpaper from other lot numbers can result in irregularities because the ink colours may vary slightly. |
Shop Wallpaper by Pattern
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| Old wallpaper must be removed before applying new wallpaper because the tension exerted by the new layer on the old can cause the original bond to fail and the paper could come off the wall or bubble dramatically. |