Can Wallpaper Be Installed on Every Wall?

Not every wall is immediately ready for wallpaper installation. Drywall, plaster, and previously painted surfaces can all support wallpaper when they're clean, smooth, and properly prepared. However, textured walls often require skim coating or sanding to create a suitable surface, while damaged drywall, loose paint, or moisture issues should be addressed before installation begins. Existing imperfections may become more noticeable once wallpaper is applied, making proper preparation one of the most important parts of the process.

Before installation, our team evaluates your walls and performs any necessary repairs to help create a durable, attractive finish that lasts for years to come.

Why Choose Sarasota Wallpaper To Be Your Preferred Wallpaper Company?

Beautiful wallpaper deserves equally skilled installation. Sarasota Wallpaper combines technical expertise, careful preparation, and dependable service to help homeowners, business owners, designers, and contractors achieve exceptional finished results.

Our wallpaper company offers:

• More than 15 years of professional wallpapering experience
• European specialty wallpaper training
• Residential and commercial wallpaper installation
• Experience installing luxury wallcoverings
• Thorough wall preparation before installation
• Family-owned and operated service
• Trusted by homeowners, interior designers, and contractors
• Clean, organized job sites with dependable scheduling

We take pride in delivering craftsmanship that complements your investment and helps every room look its very best.

How Do You Figure Out How Much Wallpaper You Need?

To figure out how much wallpaper you need, start by measuring the height and length of the walls you plan to cover. These measurements establish the total wall area, but square footage alone doesn’t always tell you how many rolls to order. The wallpaper’s roll dimensions and pattern repeat also affect how much usable material you’ll have.

Patterned wallpaper can require more material because each strip may need to be positioned at a specific point in the design to line up with the next one. A random-match pattern generally produces less waste, while straight-match and drop-match patterns require additional material for proper alignment. Larger pattern repeats can further reduce the usable coverage you get from each roll.

Doors, windows, ceiling height, corners, and other architectural features can also affect the estimate. Before you order, our installers can review your measurements and the specifications for your chosen wallpaper to help determine how much material your project is likely to require.

Why Should All Your Wallpaper Come From the Same Dye Lot?

Wallpaper rolls for the same design should generally come from the same dye lot, also called a run number, because separate production runs can have subtle differences in color, coating, or embossing. Those variations may be difficult to notice when looking at individual rolls, but become more apparent when strips from different runs are installed side by side.

Check the run or dye-lot number printed on each roll before installation begins. If your project requires additional wallpaper, finding more material from the original run may be difficult. Having the necessary material from a consistent dye lot before our installers begin helps reduce the risk of visible variations across the finished walls.

Should Existing Wallpaper Always Be Removed Before New Installation?

In many cases, existing wallpaper should be removed before new wallpaper is installed, but every situation is different. Older adhesives, multiple layers of wallpaper, moisture damage, or deteriorating drywall can all affect the removal process and influence how the new installation should proceed. Some wallpapers release cleanly, while others require specialized removal techniques using steam, scoring, or adhesive-removal solutions to protect the underlying surface.

Once the wallpaper has been removed, the wall is carefully inspected for adhesive residue, damaged drywall, or other imperfections that should be repaired before hanging new material. Taking the time to prepare the surface properly helps create better adhesion, smoother seams, and a longer-lasting installation.

Can Small Wall Imperfections Show Through Wallpaper?

Wallpaper shouldn’t automatically be treated as a way to conceal an uneven or damaged wall. Wallpaper follows the contours of the surface beneath it, which means dents, ridges, poorly finished patches, uneven texture, or other imperfections may remain noticeable after installation.

How noticeable an imperfection becomes can depend on both the wall and the particular wallpaper being installed. Even relatively small surface irregularities can affect how consistently the material lies against the wall or how the finished surface appears under the room’s lighting. Problems with the underlying surface can also become more distracting once a clean pattern or finish draws attention across the wall.

Taking care of these details beforehand helps give the wallpaper a more suitable surface and keeps preventable flaws from competing with the finished design.

When Should Wallpaper Be Installed During Construction or Remodeling?

Wallpaper should generally be installed toward the end of a remodel, after work that could damage, dirty, or alter the walls is complete. Wall repairs, painting, and other surface preparation should also be finished before installation begins.

Your contractor should account for wallpaper when sequencing the project so our installers have clean, dry, properly prepared walls to work with. Planning the timing in advance also helps protect the finished wallpaper from damage caused by other trades.