Which wallpaper is right? Non-woven, paper, woodchip and vinyl compared

Comparing the main types of wallpaper

Non-woven wallpapers (Vliestapeten) and smooth painter's fleece (lining fleece / Renoviervlies) are today's standard for modern wallpapering. They are dimensionally stable (do not expand when wet), are hung without soaking time using the paste-the-wall technique, bridge hairline plaster cracks and can usually be stripped completely dry later. Traditional paper wallpapers are inexpensive to buy, but require a fixed soaking time after pasting, expand in the process and are much more labour-intensive to strip later.

Woodchip wallpaper (Raufaser, available on a paper or non-woven backing in fine, medium and coarse grain) contains embedded wood fibres. It disguises minor Q2 substrate imperfections, is painted over with emulsion paint and can be repainted several times — making it very common in German rental flats. Vinyl wallpapers have a washable plastic coating on a paper or non-woven backing, but are less vapour-permeable. Glass fibre wallpaper is extremely impact- and scrub-resistant and is used mainly in stairwells, medical practices and commercial premises.

Which wallpaper suits which room?

Breathable non-woven wallpapers, smooth painter's fleece or classic woodchip are ideal for living rooms, bedrooms and home offices. In heavily used hallways, landings and children's rooms, impact-resistant, wipeable wall coverings pay off — such as non-woven woodchip or painter's fleece finished with wet scrub class 1 or 2 paint.

In kitchens and guest WCs outside direct splash zones, the wallpaper surface should be highly washable or scrub-resistant. In rooms with higher humidity or cool external walls, we advise against vapour-tight vinyl wallpapers; breathable non-woven or paper wallpapers with vapour-permeable paint are the safer choice there.

• Living room and bedroom: non-woven wallpaper, painter's fleece or woodchip (Raufaser)
• Hallway and children's room: tough non-woven woodchip or painter's fleece with scrub-resistant paint
• Kitchen: highly washable surface outside direct splash zones
• Office, practice and stairwell: heavy-duty painter's fleece or glass fibre wallpaper

Understanding wallpaper symbols, pattern repeat and batch numbers

Standardised symbols on every roll label explain hanging and care: they show whether specialist paste is applied to the wall (paste-the-wall) or to the wallpaper strip, whether the surface is spongeable, washable or scrubbable, how lightfast the colours are, and whether the wallpaper is strippable dry without residue or must be soaked off.

For patterned wallpapers, the label states the pattern match and repeat (pattern repeat height in centimetres): free match (no pattern alignment), straight match (pattern at the same height across strips) or offset/drop match (pattern shifted by half a repeat). A large repeat significantly increases cutting waste. When buying, also check that every roll carries the exact same batch number (lot number) to prevent shade variations on the wall.

Calculating wallpaper rolls: how many rolls does a room need?

A standard European roll (Eurorolle) measures 10.05 metres long by 0.53 metres wide (around 5.3 m²). Divide the total room perimeter by 0.53 metres to find the required number of drops (strips). The cut length per strip equals the room height plus about 10 centimetres trimming allowance top and bottom (plus pattern repeat for patterned papers). Divide 10.05 metres by this cut length to see how many full drops you get from one roll.

Worked example: a room with an 18-metre perimeter needs 34 drops. At a ceiling height of 2.50 metres (cut length approx. 2.60 metres), one standard roll yields 3 full drops — so you need 12 rolls (or fewer with large commercial woodchip rolls or 1.06-metre wide rolls). Always keep one spare roll from the same batch.

What we need for your wallpapering quote

For a quote, state the number of rooms, approximate floor or wall area, desired wallpaper type (e.g. woodchip, patterned non-woven or smooth painter's fleece) and current wall condition. Let us know whether old wallpaper needs stripping first and whether a topcoat of paint is wanted afterwards.

TF Clean carries out wallpapering work in flats, houses and commercial premises in Riesa and the surrounding area — including stripping old wallpaper, filling, priming, hanging and painting. Send us your enquiry easily via the contact form.