Accent Wall
A wall in a room that has been given additional decorative treatment to draw attention.

Accordion Folding
A technique used to carefully deliver wallpaper from the workstation to the wall. The wallpaper is gently folded like an accordion, without creating creases, making it easier to manoeuvre with minimal mess.

Acrylic Coated / Vinyl Coated Paper
A type of wallpaper that has undergone an acrylic or vinyl coating process to enhance durability and ease of cleaning. Ideal for humid or high-traffic areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, and entryways.

Aeration of Adhesives
Tiny holes caused by air bubbles in the adhesive applied to wallpaper, often created during the mixing process. If not rectified, this can lead to blistering.

All-Over Design
A wallpaper pattern that is consistent throughout the room, ensuring that no one area is more visually dominant than another.

Architrave
The moulding that surrounds doors, windows, and other openings in a wall.

Baseboard (Skirting Board)
The moulding at the bottom of a wall, designed to protect against scuffs from furniture and shoes. Also known as skirting.

Blister
A small air bubble trapped beneath the wallpaper. Common causes include aerated adhesives, improper paste application, insufficient resting time, low room temperatures during installation, or unprimed porous walls.

Bolt
Another term for a double roll of wallpaper.

Booking
The process of gently folding a pasted wallpaper strip in on itself to allow the adhesive to activate before application.

Border
A narrow strip of wallpaper applied horizontally, often to conceal uneven vertical strips or to highlight certain areas of a room. Borders are typically placed at the ceiling, above the skirting board, or alongside chair rails.

Breathable
Refers to how well moisture can pass through the wallpaper. Some wallpapers, such as fibreglass, are breathable, while others are non-breathable.

Butted Seam / Butt Joint
The seam where two wallpaper strips meet without overlapping or leaving a gap.

Cellulose Paste
A natural, odourless wallpaper paste made from cotton, plant fibres, or wood pulp. Often used for natural wallpapers such as linen, bamboo, and grasscloth.

Centering
Positioning the most prominent part of a wallpaper pattern at a focal point, such as above a fireplace or behind a piano.

Chair Rail
A decorative moulding installed at chair height, originally intended to protect walls from scuffs. It can also be used to create a two-tone effect, such as paint above and wallpaper below.

Colour Change
A manufacturing change where a pattern remains the same, but the colours may vary slightly from a previous production run.

Colour Run
A batch of wallpaper produced using a specific colour mix. Each run can have slight variations due to differences in the mixing process.

Colour Wheel
A visual representation of the relationships between colours, showing warm colours (red, orange, yellow) and cool colours (green, blue, purple).

Colourway
The specific colour combination used in a wallpaper pattern. A single pattern may be available in multiple colourways.

Cornice / Crown Moulding
A decorative moulding located where the wall meets the ceiling. Similar in purpose to a skirting board but primarily ornamental.

Cross Seaming
A technique where wallpaper is installed horizontally instead of vertically to prevent underlying wall seams (such as panel joints) from showing through.

Dado
The section of wall between the skirting board and the chair rail.

Dead Corner / Kill Point
The point where the first and last strip of wallpaper meet, often in a discreet location to minimise pattern mismatching.

Double Cut
A method where overlapping wallpaper is cut through both layers, often used around doors and borders to create seamless joins.

Double Roll

In the UK, wallpaper is typically priced per roll but sold in double rolls (a continuous length that is twice the width of a single roll).

Drop Match
A pattern alignment that creates a diagonal effect. Every other strip is identical, with intermediate strips dropping the pattern by half its length.

Drop
The length of wallpaper needed to cover a section of wall, from ceiling to floor (full drop) or from chair rail to floor (partial drop).

Dry Hanging
Another term for paste-the-wall wallpaper application.

Dry Strippable
Wallpaper that can be removed without water or additional preparation.

Dye-Lot Number
A number assigned to each batch of wallpaper produced. Slight colour variations occur between different dye-lots, so it is important to use rolls from the same batch. Also known as a run number or batch number.

Easy Match
A feature where wallpapers include designated alignment points, making pattern matching easier during installation.

Easy Walls
A non-PVC, vinyl-free wallpaper material made with water-based inks. It is environmentally friendly, usually pre-pasted, and easy to remove.

Embossed
Wallpaper with a raised texture or the appearance of one.

Expanded Vinyl
Wallpaper printed with special inks that expand under heat to create a textured effect. Commonly used for faux finishes such as brick or stone.

Faux
A term meaning imitation, such as faux brick, faux grasscloth, or faux stone wallpaper.

Fill
The area of the wall between the chair rail and the ceiling.

Free Match
A wallpaper pattern that does not require alignment between strips. Also called a random match.

Fabric-Backed Vinyl
Wallpaper with a fabric backing, known for its durability, making it suitable for high-traffic areas.

Grasscloth
A natural, handcrafted wallpaper made from woven plant fibres. While it provides a unique texture, it is difficult to clean and not recommended for humid areas.

Half Drop
A variation of a drop match where the pattern is offset by half the repeat length. This results in more waste, requiring extra wallpaper for a project.

Header Strip
Wallpaper cut to fit the area above doors and windows.

Heavyweight Vinyl
A thick vinyl wallpaper, often embossed for a luxurious effect.

Linear Feet
A measurement used when discussing wallpaper lengths.

Liner Paper
A thick paper used to smooth walls before wallpapering, particularly useful over uneven surfaces like panelling or stone.

Match
The way a wallpaper pattern aligns between strips. Some matches require careful alignment, while others (like random match) are easier to install.

Memo
Another name for a wallpaper sample.

Moulding
Decorative wooden trim used on walls, such as skirting boards and chair rails.

Mural
A wallpaper design that forms a single large image rather than a repeating pattern.

Non-Breathable / Non-Porous
Wallpaper that does not allow moisture to pass through.

Non-Woven
A fibrous wallpaper material that is easy to install and remove.

Paste-the-Wall
A method of wallpapering where adhesive is applied to the wall rather than the paper.

Peelable
Wallpaper that can be removed by peeling, though some adhesive may remain on the wall.

Plumb Line / Chalk Line
A straight reference line used to ensure wallpaper is hung vertically.

Pre-Pasted
Wallpaper with pre-applied adhesive, activated with water.

Railroading
Applying wallpaper horizontally for a distinctive look.

Random Match
A pattern that does not require alignment.

Strippable
Wallpaper that can be fully removed without water or scraping.

Washable
Wallpaper that can be cleaned with a damp cloth but not scrubbed.