Related Sponsors

Wallpaper Terms

Home » Home Improvement » Wallpaper » Wallpaper Terms

The following are just some of the terms you may run across when working with wallpaper:

• Allowance - The extra amount of wallpaper allowed at the top, bottom and/or sides of a strip that you trim off after applying the strip on the wall.
• Blister – A small pocket of air that forms behind the wallpaper while you are applying it to the wall. Typically, not soaking or booking the paper long enough causes blisters.
• Bolt – A double roll of wallpaper packaged together.
• Booking - A process of folding, without creasing, wallpaper that has been pasted or wet with the wet sides together.
• Cellulose Paste – A non-staining and odorless adhesive used when hanging wallpaper made from natural materials such as grass cloth.
• Dado – The area from the baseboard to the chair rail on a wall. Normally, this is 1/3 of the height of the wall.
• Double Cut Seam –The overlapping of one strip of wallpaper over the other until you have all patterns matched. You then use a sharp blade to cut through both layers and remove the excess.
• Drop Match – A pattern that does not match straight across the wallpaper but instead drops a certain distance on the opposite side of the paper. Once you have decided on pattern placement on your wall, every other piece will generally be the same.
• Dye Lot Number - A set of numbers and/or letters given to a particular batch of wallpaper rolls printed at the same time. Each time a new ink or different batch is printed, the dye lot number changes. It is important that all rolls have the same dye lot.
• Level - A tool with liquid in a small glass cylinder that moves to indicate when it is positioned perfectly vertical.
• Plumb Line - A vertical guideline used when hanging wallpaper. A length of string is usually coated with chalk to which a weight is attached. When the string is snapped, the chalk leaves a straight line on the wall.
• Pre-pasted – Wallpaper that has an adhesive backing. Pulling the wallpaper through a tray of water activates the dry adhesive.
• Pre-trimmed – Wallpaper that has had the selvage edges trimmed before it was packaged.
• Primer/Sealer - An alkyd or acrylic-based coating designed for use under wallpaper. It seals porous wall surfaces prior to hanging. It is always recommended to prime before hanging wallpaper with a primer specifically for wallpaper.
• Railroading – Hanging wallpaper horizontally instead of vertically.
• Scoring - Perforating or cutting thin lines into old wallpaper so that wallpaper removal solutions can penetrate the paper for easier removal.
• Sizing - A liquid mixture applied to the wall before installing the wallpaper to aid in smoothing and working the paper.
• Stripper - A liquid applied to walls to help remove old wallpaper.
• Usable Yield - The amount of actual wallpaper per double roll that can be hung after taking into consideration the waste due to pattern match.

Next Page: Estimating Wallpaper Needed

Related Wallpaper Articles