What are the main types of wallpaper?
Wallpaper is grouped by material and by how it installs. Traditional wallpaper needs a separate adhesive and comes as unpasted (you apply the paste), pre-pasted (a water-activated paste), or non-woven (a tear-resistant substrate that can be pasted on the wall or the paper); it is the long-lasting choice for a room you plan to keep. Peel-and-stick is self-adhesive and removable, the renter-friendly option, and it is PVC-free. Vinyl and vinyl-coated papers add a scrubbable surface that suits kitchens and baths, and faux grasscloth is a vinyl embossed to mimic woven texture. Natural grasscloth is woven from real plant fibers, and murals are single scenes printed across several panels.
Mayflower makes many patterns in both unpasted paper and peel-and-stick, designed in Rhode Island and printed in Pennsylvania, with free shipping on samples so you can feel the material before you choose. The glossary below defines every term in full.
Adhesive - a type of glue or paste for installing wallpaper (unnecessary for peel and stick designs).
Batch Number - the individual number for to different color runs. When reordering extra rolls be sure to refer to the number on the packing slip to guarantee perfect color match as they do vary slightly from run to run.
Booking - a relaxing period where a wet, freshly pasted strip of wallpaper is allowed to rest in a gently folded position. The wallpaper strip is laid on a clean work surface, pattern facing down. The top edge and bottom edge are both folded in to meet at the centre point. During this time, the adhesive will be activated.
Color Way - when a wallpaper design is available in a variety of colors, each variation is a color way.
Double Roll - the standard size of wallpaper, also referred to as a bolt. All of our wallpaper, except MD peel and stick designs, are packaged and sold as a double roll.
MFW peel and stick designs are double rolls.
Double Roll Bolt Sizes:
20 ½ “Width X 33 Feet = 56 Sq. Feet
27” Width X 27 Feet = 60 Sq. Feet
36” Width X 24 Feet = 72 Sq. Feet (grasscloth)
Embossed - a pattern or design which is raised up from the paper. All of the vinyl designs in the Sanctuary collection are embossed.
Flock Wallpaper - flock wallpaper has a fuzzy or a velvet like texture.
Half Drop Match - half-drop patterns repeat at the ceiling line on every other strip and the design runs diagonally. It requires three strips of wallpaper to repeat the vertical design. A half-drop match is a straight match that has been split in half.
Matte Wallpaper - wallpaper that has a flat finish.
Murals - wallpaper designed as an image, pattern or scene. A mural is created in several large panels to show the full design and typically used on only one wall.
Non-woven - a type of wallpaper made from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers that allows the paper to be washable and breathable. Non-woven wallpapers are great for bathrooms and kitchens because the paper is breathable, which helps resist mold and mildew. They are also tear resistant.
Pattern Repeat - the number of inches or centimeters between identical points in a pattern design.
Peel and Stick - a self-adhesive material that can be applied straight from the roll. It can be applied to most smooth, flat surfaces. When properly applied and removed from a suitable surface, it comes away cleanly without damaging the wall beneath, and we recommend testing an inconspicuous area first.
It cannot be applied to: textured popcorn walls covered in non-stick paint, sheetrock, brick, cinderblock, over existing wallpaper, non-stick painted walls, unpainted dry wall, or plaster, dusty walls and in rooms with high humidity.
Random Match - a type of wallpaper with no matching seams, also known as a free match. It can be cut and installed in any order.
Run - a batch of wallpaper rolls printed at the same time using the same inks. Colors may vary from run to run, thus each batch is assigned a run number. A color run is also referred to as dye lot number or run number.
Straight Match - the pattern matches across the width of the wallpaper. Our packing list label and product description will tell you how often the pattern repeats.
Unpasted - wallpaper that ships without adhesive. You apply a separate paste during installation, to the wall or to the paper. Unpasted describes how the paste is handled, not the substrate, so it differs from pre-pasted (a water-activated adhesive) and from non-woven (a substrate type).
Vinyl Coated - a wallpaper with a pattern printed onto a thin layer of vinyl on a paper background, making them quite tough and washable.
Vinyl Wallpaper - similar to vinyl coated wallpaper but with a thicker vinyl top sheet which increases their durability.
