How to Measure Your Walls
A wallpaper installation is a tailored finish. Precise measurements ensure your order fits your space beautifully, installs smoothly, and arrives without delays. Measuring incorrectly can turn an exciting project into an avoidable disruption.
This guide walks you through a simple, reliable method to measure with confidence.
What You'll Need
- A tape measure (laser measure is ideal, tape is perfectly fine)
- A pencil and paper (or your notes app)
- A step stool or ladder (if needed)
- A second person (optional, but helpful)
Step 1: Measure the Height
Measure the wall height in three places: left side, center, and right side. Walls are rarely perfectly even. Use the largest measurement.
Write it down as: Wall height = ____ inches
If you have crown molding or baseboards, measure the wallpaper area you intend to cover. If you want wallpaper behind trim, include that height.
Step 2: Measure the Width
Measure the wall width in three places: near the ceiling, mid-wall, and near the baseboard. Use the largest measurement.
Write it down as: Wall width = ____ inches
If the wall includes corners, measure corner to corner. If you are wrapping around an adjacent wall, measure each wall separately.
Step 3: Identify Any Openings and Obstacles
Do not subtract windows, doors, or outlets from your measurements. Wallpaper is installed as a continuous surface and trimmed on site.
Instead, simply note: doors and windows (location and approximate size), alcoves or returns, sloped ceilings, fireplaces, built-ins, and radiators or wall-mounted units.
These details help prevent surprises during installation.
Step 4: Decide Where the Wallpaper Will Start and End
If your wallpaper stops at a corner, a trim edge, a panel molding boundary, or cabinetry, make sure your measurements reflect those exact endpoints. "Close enough" is rarely close enough with wallpaper.
Step 5: Pattern Repeat
Every design has a pattern repeat, the vertical distance before the design repeats itself. Larger repeats require more wallpaper per drop, because each length must be cut to align the pattern correctly. You'll find the repeat measurement listed on each product page, and it's automatically factored into the calculator result in Step 6.
Step 6: Use the Calculator to Find Your Roll Quantity
Always use the calculator on the product page for the exact design you are ordering. Pattern sizes vary between products, so using a calculator from a different product page may produce an incorrect result.
Each Sckribbles paper type and product range has a different roll width and pattern repeat. The calculator on each product page is pre-configured for that specific design, so you don't need to look up or enter these details yourself. Simply enter your wall measurements and the calculator will tell you exactly how many rolls to order.
We also recommend ticking "Add one extra strip" in the calculator. This small precaution covers any minor measuring inaccuracies or installation errors, and helps you avoid the need to reorder later, since exact color consistency cannot be guaranteed across separate print runs.
Step 7: Add a Safety Allowance, Then Order the Full Amount in One Order
The calculator's result already accounts for standard waste, but professional installers typically recommend a small additional allowance for pattern matching, trimming, slight wall variation, and installation technique.
Once you've confirmed your total, order everything in a single order. Our wallpaper is custom printed to order, and each print run can have very slight, normal variation in shade between separate production batches. Ordering your full quantity at once ensures every roll comes from the same run and matches perfectly.
If you think you may need more in future, for a larger project, future renovation, or replacement panel, order extra now rather than later. We are not able to guarantee an identical match on a reorder placed after your original production run.
Why Accurate Measuring Matters
Wallpaper is not like paint. You cannot stretch it to cover a shortfall, and you cannot "make it work" without consequences.
When measurements are incorrect, it often leads to:
An Incomplete Installation
If the order is short, the project stops. Installers cannot finish, and your space remains mid-process.
Delays and Downtime
Wallpaper is custom printed to order. A reprint means additional production time and shipping time, and there is no guarantee the new batch will be visually identical to the first.
Wasted Materials and Added Costs
If too much wallpaper is ordered, it becomes unnecessary expense. If too little is ordered, the cost and delay of reordering can exceed the original savings.
Increased Stress for Everyone
Incorrect measurements don't just inconvenience your schedule. They can disrupt installer appointments, renovation timelines, move-in dates, business openings, travel plans, your peace of mind, and your budget.
Measuring correctly is the single most important step in this entire process, and it costs nothing but a few extra minutes. We strongly recommend measuring twice, on two separate occasions if possible, before placing your order. Sckribbles is not responsible for shortfalls resulting from incorrect measurements, so it is always worth the extra care upfront.
A Simple Way to Double-Check
Before you place your order, ask yourself:
- Did I measure height and width in three places and use the largest number?
- Did I note any unusual features (slopes, alcoves, built-ins)?
- Am I measuring the exact area I want wallpaper to cover?
- Did I use the calculator on the correct product page to find my roll quantity?
- Am I ordering my full quantity in one order?
If the answer is yes, you are in an excellent position to order with confidence.
Want Us to Review Your Measurements?
If you would like a second set of eyes, we are happy to help. Send your wall height and width (largest measurements), a few clear photos of the space, and any notes about obstacles or ceiling slopes.
Email us at hello@sckribbles.com.
Measure twice. Order once. Enjoy it for years.