Matching patterned wallpaper

[182Dan]

Hello all

Newbie to the forum & wondering if anyone can help?
I'm currently redecorating my daughters bedroom & I'm pretty much finished. anyway, we picked a patterned paper that has different coloured horizontal & vertical lines (looks nice & both girls are happy). I noticed that yet again the patterns are slightly out! (All batch numbers were the same) I'd start lining up from the top as usual & as I'm working down the paper the pattern is getting further out of line. Every time I hang patterned paper it never matches up perfect.

is it something I'm doing wrong or does patterned paper never match up perfect?

 

[emilybronte]

Patterns on wallpaper should match up perfectly.

Possible reasons for their not doing so:

1. Cheap wallpaper which is incorrectly printed.

2. Walls not flat, so paper has to fill hollows/go over slight bumps which skews the pattern matching

3. Over-handling of paper when wet (e.g. during soaking time and when applying to wall), which can stretch it in places.

If you want to reduce the risk next time, buy a decent quality, paste-the-wall paper, crossline the wall first with 1000 grade lining paper, allow to dry for 24 hours then hang the top paper using the same adhesive as for the lining.

I allowed someone to persuade me to hang a cheapo paper recently (£4 per roll from B & M!)...what a nightmare. The pattern matched (just about) but the black ink on the pattern came off on the smoothing-out brush.

I quite like Zoffany £85 per roll papers, personally... but you don't have to pay that much to get something that will behave itself.