How to Measure Your Walls
for Wallpaper
Getting your measurements right is the most important step before you order. Too small and you run short mid-project. Too large and you waste money on rolls you will never use.
Step Zero
What You Need Before You Start
Before you start, grab these essentials. No special tools required — measuring for wallpaper takes under 10 minutes for most rooms.
How to measure
Step-by-Step: How to Measure Your Wall
Follow these five steps in order for every room, regardless of wall type.
Step 1 — Measure the Height
Using a metal tape measure, measure from floor to ceiling. Take the measurement at two points — left side and right side of the wall — and use the larger number. Floors and ceilings are rarely perfectly level.
Do not include baseboards or crown molding unless you plan to wallpaper over them.
Step 2 — Measure the Width
Measure from one end of the wall to the other at its widest point. For multiple walls, measure each one individually and note them down separately — add them together afterwards. Do not subtract doors, windows, or built-ins at this stage.
Step 3 — Calculate Your Square Footage
Multiply height by width for each wall to get its square footage. For multiple walls, repeat and add the totals together.
Step 4 — Account for Pattern Repeat
If your wallpaper has a pattern repeat, you will need more material than the raw square footage suggests. Each strip must be cut longer so the pattern aligns across strips — the offcut is waste. The larger the repeat, the more waste to factor in.
The pattern repeat is listed on every product page. Use the Wallpaper Calculator on the product page to factor it in automatically.
Step 5 — Add Your Overage Buffer
Always add a minimum of 10% to your total quantity before ordering. For large pattern repeats or complex rooms, increase this to 15%. Wallpaper is printed in batches — if you run short, the same batch may no longer be available and colour can vary between batches.
Wall types
Measuring Different Wall Types
Not every wall is a simple rectangle. Here is how to handle each scenario.
Standard Rectangular Walls
- Measure height floor to ceiling — take two points, use the larger
- Measure width corner to corner at its widest point
- Add 4 in (10 cm) to both dimensions
- Do not include baseboards or crown molding
Walls with Windows and Doors
- Measure the full wall as if the opening does not exist
- Do not subtract doors or windows from your measurements
- Wallpaper is trimmed around openings during installation
- Subtracting openings risks running short on pattern-matched strips
Multiple Walls (Full Room)
- Measure each wall width individually — note them separately
- Add all widths together for a combined total
- Use the height of the tallest wall as your single height
- Add 4 in (10 cm) to combined width and to height
Accent Walls (Single Feature Wall)
- Measure only the single wall you plan to cover — width and height
- Add 4 in (10 cm) to both dimensions
- For a mural, enter your exact wall dimensions on the product page — printed to fit
- For wallpaper rolls, use the Calculator with just that one wall's measurements
Sloped and Attic Walls
- Measure at the tallest point (height) and widest point (width)
- Ignore the slope — measure as a full rectangle
- The slope is trimmed away during installation
- Add 4 in (10 cm) to both dimensions
Staircase Walls
- Height: vertical drop — highest ceiling point to lowest floor point
- Width: horizontal span of the wall, not the diagonal staircase length
- Measurements should form a rectangle — the diagonal is trimmed on-site
- Add 4 in (10 cm) to both dimensions
Key difference
Mural Measuring vs. Wallpaper Roll Measuring
The most important thing to confirm before you measure is which product type you are ordering. The two methods are completely different.
Ordering a mural
Submit your exact wall dimensions
Walls Republic prints every mural to the precise dimensions you specify. Simply enter your wall width and height — plus the 4-inch buffer — directly on the product page. No roll count. No pattern repeat calculation.
The mural is produced as a single custom print, sized exactly to your wall.
Measure once. Submit width + height.Ordering wallpaper rolls
Calculate how many rolls you need
Rolls are a fixed width and length. You need to calculate how many rolls cover your total wall area, accounting for pattern repeat and overage. The larger the pattern repeat, the more material is wasted per strip.
Use the Wallpaper Calculator on the product page — enter your dimensions and it handles the maths automatically.
The calculator
How to Use the Walls Republic Wallpaper Calculator
Once you have your measurements, the Calculator converts them into an exact order quantity in seconds.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Measure the full wall width and height as if the door or window does not exist. Wallpaper is trimmed around openings during installation. Subtracting openings upfront risks ordering too little — especially when pattern matching is required across the gap above a door or below a window sill.
Add a minimum of 10% to your calculated quantity. For large pattern repeats (18 inches or more), increase to 15%. Order one extra roll beyond your estimate where possible — wallpaper is printed in batches, and colour can vary slightly between different print runs.
A pattern repeat is the vertical distance between one point in a design and the next point where it repeats exactly. When hanging wallpaper, each strip must be cut so the pattern lines up horizontally — meaning each strip is cut longer than the wall height, and the offcut is waste. The larger the repeat, the more rolls you need. The pattern repeat value is listed on every product page.
Very few walls are perfectly straight or square — this is exactly why the 4-inch buffer exists. It absorbs small irregularities and gives the installer room to trim precisely. For rooms with more significant issues (bowing walls, uneven ceiling lines, corners well out of square), contact our team before ordering and we will advise on the right quantity.
Next steps
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