If you are considering wallpaper for your home, one of the first questions is usually simple: how much is this actually going to cost?
The answer depends on much more than the price of the wallpaper itself.
Wall size, wallpaper material, design type, wall preparation and whether you install it yourself or use a professional wallpaper installer can all affect the final cost.
This guide explains the main costs involved so you can plan your wallpaper project with fewer surprises.
What Determines the Cost of Wallpaper?
Two walls with exactly the same dimensions can have very different project costs.
A simple repeating pattern, for example, may be priced differently from a large custom wall mural. A removable peel and stick wallpaper may also involve different installation requirements from a paste-the-wall non-woven wallpaper.
The main factors are the size of the wall, wallpaper material, design format, surface condition, installation method and complexity of the room.
Doors, windows, unusually high ceilings, staircases and difficult corners can also increase installation time.
Wallpaper Cost Starts With the Size of Your Wall
The simplest way to understand the scale of your project is to calculate the wall area.
For example, a wall measuring 3.6 metres wide by 2.7 metres high has an area of:
3.6 m × 2.7 m = 9.72 m²
That measurement gives you a useful starting point when comparing wallpaper options.
With custom printed wallpaper, the actual dimensions of the wall are particularly important because the artwork or pattern can be prepared specifically for the installation.
Kaleon recommends measuring the maximum width and maximum height of the wall, including a small allowance to accommodate uneven walls and trimming.
Custom Wallpaper vs Traditional Rolls
Traditional wallpaper is usually purchased by the roll.
With repeating patterns, this can mean ordering additional material to allow the pattern to match correctly between drops.
Custom printed wallpaper works differently. It can be prepared according to the dimensions of the wall, which makes the ordering process easier to understand, particularly for murals and large feature walls.
At Kaleon Wallpaper, designs are custom printed in Sydney and supplied as panels prepared for installation.
For customers, this means it is better to think about the complete wall rather than simply asking how much one roll costs.
Do Not Forget Wall Preparation
One of the most overlooked wallpaper costs is wall preparation.
Wallpaper performs best on a wall that is smooth, clean, dry and properly prepared.
Cracks, holes, loose paint, old wallpaper and heavy texture may need to be repaired before installation.
Spending money on beautiful wallpaper and then installing it onto a poorly prepared wall is usually false economy. Preparation affects adhesion, panel alignment and the quality of the finished result.
Is DIY Wallpaper Cheaper?
Potentially, yes.
A confident DIY installer can remove professional labour from the budget, particularly when working with a straightforward wall.
Peel and stick wallpaper requires no separate paste and is specifically intended to provide a more DIY-friendly option. Paste-the-wall wallpaper allows the adhesive to be applied directly to the wall rather than to the back of the wallpaper.
However, the difficulty of installation increases with large walls, detailed patterns, corners, doors, high ceilings and murals where alignment is particularly important.
For these projects, professional installation may be worth including in the budget from the beginning.
How to Keep Your Wallpaper Project Within Budget
The best way to control costs is to make your decisions before ordering.
Measure the wall carefully. Check its surface condition. Decide whether you want a long-term paste-the-wall installation or a more flexible removable option. Order a sample before committing to the full wall.
A sample can be particularly useful because wallpaper colour, scale and texture can appear different in your own lighting compared with a computer screen.
It is considerably easier to change your decision at the sample stage than after the full wallpaper has been printed.
Is Wallpaper Worth the Investment?
Wallpaper is not simply another wall colour.
Pattern, illustration, texture and large-scale artwork can create an effect that would be difficult to reproduce with paint alone.
The question therefore should not always be “Is wallpaper cheaper than paint?”
A better question is whether wallpaper creates the result you want for that particular space.
For a bedroom, powder room, dining area, living room or commercial interior where the wall is a major element of the design, wallpaper can become one of the features that defines the entire room.
Planning Your Wallpaper Project
Before ordering, start with three things: your wall dimensions, a clear photo of the space and an idea of the atmosphere you want to create.
From there you can compare wallpaper designs, materials and installation options much more confidently.
Kaleon Wallpaper custom prints wallpapers and wall murals in Sydney, Australia, with both paste-the-wall non-woven and removable peel and stick options available across many designs.
Explore Kaleon Wallpaper designs or order samples before choosing your final wall covering.
