a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z


Abstract
A pattern or design not based on natural forms.

Acanthus
A motif derived from the large leaf of the low-growing acanthus plant. Used at an early date by the Greeks for architectural scrolls on the capitals of the Corinthian column.

Accent wall
The wall in a room which has been given special design emphasis to attract attention from the adjacent walls.

All-over pattern
The typical effect produced by a wallcovering. A pattern in which the units of design are evenly distributed over a surface, without undue emphasis.

American single roll
A quantity of wallpaper between 34 to 36 square feet. The width of the roll is usually 20.5 inches, however, it can be up to 36 inches wide. The length ranges from 4 to 7 yards. (Compare to metric single roll)

Applique
A design or ornament applied to another surface. In wallpaper, cut-outs applied to a plain, textured or figured background.

Baroque
A style of decoration, art and architecture that evolved in Italy during the late 16th century and spread to other parts of Europe in the 17th. The style is characterized by sweeping curves, dramatic scale, and a general effect of fantastic opulence.

Beidermeier
A neoclassic style which embodied simplicity and comfort. Developed in Germany and Austria in the early 10th century.

Bolt
A continuous roll of wallpaper, packaged as one unit. It contains a quantity of paper equivalent to two single rolls of paper.

Booking
Folding (without creasing) a continuous strip of wallpaper which has just been pasted, allowing time for the adhesive to soak into the paper, and keeping the adhesive tacky until ready to hang. The paper is folded over on itself, pasted sides together with the edges in alignment. The correct amount of booking time varies, and is noted on the directions that come with the paper.

Borders
A decorative strip of wallpaper which traditionally has been used as a chair rail or in combination with a chair rail. Because of the wide variety of designs and widths now available, borders are also used along ceiling lines, along the baseboard, around doors and windows, and in any manner that a trim could be used.

Butted seam
Two strips of wallpaper are laid with the edges just touching, and not overlapping.

Chalk line
Used to establish a vertical plumb line on a wall to get paper properly aligned on the wall.

Chinoisserie
Originally, European designs in the Chinese taste. Now, loosely applied to almost any oriental form of decoration.

Chintz
Papers resembling printed cotton material from India, featuring brightly colored flowers.

Colorway
The combination of colors in which a design is printed. Most designs will be made in from two to six colorways, and will all be shown in the same sample book.

Contemporary
A synonym for modern, frequently preferred because it suggests that which is distinctly of today rather than what belongs to the chrome and glass modernistic decorative art of the twenties.

Cornice
The decorative wood box affixed over a window which may be painted, wallpapered, or covered with fabric. Sometimes used around the top of a wall for indirect lighting.

Coordinating wallpaper
Wallpaper patterns which complement each other due to color and design. They are often used over and under each other as companions, or they visually tie together two different rooms.

Crown molding
The molding or trim that follows the ceiling line around the top of a room.

Diagonal pattern
A pattern that appears at a slant; an oblique pattern.

Directional print
A pattern on a wallpaper or border which must be installed in a particular direction to be aesthetically pleasing.

Double cutting
This technique is sometimes used by professionals to obtain a perfectly fitted seam when a pattern does not need to be matched. Strips are overlapped about three inches, and a very sharp blade is used to cut through both layers. The top strip is peeled back, the bottom strip is peeled off, and then the top is adhered again to the wall. This technique is also used when making repairs.

Double roll
A bolt of two single rolls of wallpaper, in a continuous strip. The double roll, or bolt, is priced as two single rolls but is packaged as one unit or length of paper to minimize waste.

Drop cloth
Recommended to use when preparing walls and installing wallpaper to protect floor and furniture.

Drop match
A pattern match in which every other strip will have the same pattern design along the ceiling line. There is waste with the drop matching of large scale patterns, therefore, when dealing with a drop match, professional paper hangers use the technique of measuring and cutting adjacent strips from different rolls of wallcovering and alternating them.

Dye lot
A particular batch of wallpaper rolls that are printed at the same time. All rolls should be from the same dye lot to insure uniformity. Also called a run.

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Embossed
Wallpaper that has a raised, textured effect. This is done during manufacture when a hot or cold embossing machine at the factory presses a design into the back of the paper. Generally, a seam roller is not used on this paper. In-register emboss is the technique whereby the ink colors are applied at the time the paper is being embossed, generally resulting in a pattern of embossing that duplicates the printed pattern.

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Fabric-backed wallcovering
An open weave fabric bonded to the back of vinyl wallcovering. It can be cotton, polyester or a blend.

Flocked
Wallcovering made by a machine that shakes very fine cotton, silk, rayon or nylon fibers from a hopper over wallpaper that has been printed with a slow-drying paint, to create a three dimensional effect.

Floral print
Any pattern or arrangement of recognizable flowers printed as the decorative surface of wallpaper.

Focal point
The first wall you see upon entering a room, or the wall facing the room's dominant flow of traffic.

French Provincial
Furniture and decoration of the French provinces, particularly in the 18th century. Typical wallpaper designs are small in scale and rustic in character.

Fret
A geometric band or border motif, consisting of interlacing or interlocking lines. Also known as a key pattern.

Georgian
Period style encompassing the reigns of George I, II, III, in England in 1714-95.

Grasscloth
Originally a handcrafted product imported from Japan, usually made by glueing grasses or vines on to a paper backing. Also, printed or dimensional wallpapers simulating same.

Ground
Raw stock on which a coat of pigment has been applied before the top colors are put on.

Jute weave
Wallpaper made by using jute, a strong coarse fiber that is used in making burlap.

Lining paper
Plain paper applied to the wall prior to applying wallpaper. This assures a smoother surface and better adhesion. Common usages are over paneling and cinder block.

Lotus
One of the oldest of all decorative motifs, utilizing the water lilies of the Nile river in every degree of stylization.

Louis XV
The rococo style associated with the French King whose active reign covered the years 1723-74. The Chinoisserie designs of Jean Pillement set many of the fashions.

Louis XVI
The style associated with the last pre-revolutionary rule, 1774-92. Noted for its delicacy, luxury, and the combination of romantic and classical themes.

Medallion
A decorative element confined within a round, oval, square or rectangular outline.

Metric single roll
A metric roll contains 28 to 30 square feet per single roll. It is usually 21 inches wide and 16 feet long, or can be 27 inches wide and 13 feet long. Also known as a euro roll. (Compare to American single roll)

Moire
A watered silk or wood grain effect printed or embossed on the decorative surface of wallpaper.

Monochromatic
Having only one color or the various tonal values of one color.

Motif
The recurring design or subject matter of a wallpaper pattern.

Mural
A machine-printed or hand-painted picture or scene which usually comes packaged in panels or strips of wallpaper which when joined form the scene. Photo murals simulate photography and are usually divided into quarter panels for installation purposes.

Mylar
Often mistaken for foil, it is similar in nature. A brand of polyester film from Dupont that is applied to decorative print of wallpapers.

Peelable
Usually a paper-backed vinyl. To remove from the wall, the decorative or top layer can be dry-stripped away easily, leaving a solid layer of backing paper on the wall. This backing paper can easily be removed by wetting it. Often referred to as solid sheet vinyl.

Pigment
Dye colors used in the manufacture of durable vinyl wallcoverings. Quality pigments are the most costly item in a vinyl compound. Many of the pigments used in the coloring of paints and leathers will not withstand the high processing temperatures used in vinyl.

Plaid
Designs consisting of crossed stripes, many of them originating in Scottish tartans.

Prepasted
Wallpaper with paste already on the backing, which can be activated by soaking it in a filled water tray. The directions for each individual paper must be followed to determine proper soaking and booking time.

Pretrimmed
Paper which has had the selvage edges removed during the manufacturing process. Almost all wallpaper is pretrimmed.

Primer
An acrylic or other product applied to the wall prior to wallcovering installation. A better slip and thus a better positioning of the wallcovering is achieved. Use of a primer also improves the initial bond, and it improves the removability.

Print roller
In machine printing, the cylinders on which a design is cut. A different cylinder is used for each color in the design.

Prints
Any decorative or textural effect added over the base sheet. Each print adds one other color.

Provincial
Refers to designs inspired by the native arts and crafts of Europe and America in colonial days.

Random match
The wallpaper looks beautiful no matter how one panel is placed in position in relation to the next one. Stripes, all-over textures, and grasscloths are usually random matches.

Reedcloth
A handcrafted wallcovering in which every individual reed is inserted into the cotton warp threads of a hand made loom.

Regency
An English period, about 1793-1820. Coincides with the French Directoire and Empire periods and is characterized by adaptations of Greek and Roman classical themes.

Renaissance
Meaning revival or rebirth. This period began in Italy in the 14th century and spread gradually throughout Europe, marking the transition from medieval to relatively modern times.

Repeat
The distance from the center of one motif of a pattern to the center of the next.

Rococco
An 18th century decorative style marked by artificiality and excessive ornamentation although it is expressed lightly and delicately with an abundance of foliage, curves and scrollwork. The name is derived from the French word rocaille (rock) and coquille (shell), both motifs that figure prominently in this style.

Rosette
A motif formed by a series of petals or leaves arranged around a central point. These are conventionalized to form a circle, eclipse or square.

Rotary Gravure
A method of printing wallpaper using copper rollers which are chrome plated and engraved with the image to be printed. Each separate color requires a separate print cylinder.

Rotary screen
A method of printing wallpaper using 36 inch screens in which ink is forced from the inside onto a vinyl substrate.

Run
Same as dye lot. A particular batch of wallpaper rolls that are printed or run at the same time. All rolls should be from the same dye lot or run to insure uniformity. Each time the same wallpaper is printed again, it receives a different dye lot or run number.

Seam roller
Small tool used to used to secure the seams of wallpaper to make them adhere to the wall when dry. This is done by rolling or pressing the seams after the paper has been applied to the wall and the air bubbles, if any, are smoothed away. This should be used on most papers as part of the installation process. Stringcloth, grasscloth, flocks and heavily embossed wallpaper are examples of product which would be damaged by the use of a seam roller.

Shade
A color produced by adding a percentage of black to a pigment.

Shading
Inconsistency of tonal value usually from left to the right side of the strip of wallpaper. Reverse hanging (hanging every other strip upside down) can often solve this problem.

Sidewall
Sheets of wallpaper, as opposed to borders or murals.

Silk screen
A method of printing wallpaper whereby a silk screen is used during the printing process to develop unique design effects not usually available through other manufacturing processes. The process can be carried out entirely by hand, partly by hand and partly by machine, or entirely by machine.

Sizing
A powder mixed with water and applied to a painted or otherwise sealed surface to give better slip and thus make installation easier.

Slip
The characteristic of an adhesive that allow sliding and repositioning of the wallcovering while it is being installed.

Small scale pattern
Patterns that have small design repeats and are usually spaced close together. Sometimes referred to as mini-prints.

Smoothing brush
Used to smooth out wrinkles or air from behind wallpaper during installation.

Soffit
A structural part of a wall, the area often found in kitchens extending from the top of cabinets to the ceiling, or the underside of a beam.

Solid sheet vinyl
Wallpaper with a solid vinyl decorated surface which is laminated to a woven or non-woven backing.

Sponge
Used for cleaning wet adhesive from the surface of wallpaper itself during installation, and from the molding and other surfaces in the room.

Straight edge
Ruler or other tool used as a guide for the blade when trimming wallpaper during installation.

Straight match
A pattern match from one strip to the other by a direct straight a across sequence. The pattern design at the top of each strip is always the same.

String
Wallcovering featuring yarns or string bonded to paper backing, creating a very textural product. The newest technology allows string cloth to be repasted and washable.

Strippable
Wallpaper manufactured with a special formulation which permits a release of the wallpaper from the adhesive when it is later to be removed from the wall. This makes it easy to tear off an entire strip without wetting it. Also referred to as dry strippable.

Substrate
The backing or portion of wallpaper that goes against the wall. The backing can be of a wide variety of materials ranging from woven and non-woven fabrics to light weight paper products.

Surface printing
Conventional machine printing in which the design is raised or routed on the roller, and this is transferred to the paper.

Swag
A looped or swinging design or decoration usually consisting of garlands, leaves, ribbons or drapery.

Swatch
A sample.

Top colors
Those forming the design against the ground color.

Trimming
Using a straight edge and a blade to remove excess paper from around door, windows, ceilings and at the baseboard.

Tromp l'oeil
Meaning "fool the eye". A design that creates a three-dimensional illusion by means of shadow and graphic walls.

Type I
A light duty commercial grade wallcovering weighing between 7 and 13 ounces per square yard. Generally produced on a scrim or non-woven backing.

Type II
A medium grade commercial wallcovering weighing between 13 and 22 ounces per yard. It is produced on an osnaburg, drill, or non-woven fabric backing.

Type III
A heavy duty commercial grade wallcovering, weighing in excess of 22 ounces per square yard. Usually produced on drill fabric backing.

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Unpasted wallpaper
Wallpaper to which paste must be rolled or brushed on during the installation process. Directions provided with each individual wallpaper must be followed.

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Value
Lightness or darkness of a color.

Vertical repeat
The vertical distance from one point on the design to the identical point again. Almost all wallpaper has a vertical repeat, except for those papers with a random match.

Vinyl
A manmade material, which in the manufacture of wallcoverings is a flexible film. Wallpaper is often vinyl coated, or it is vinyl laminated to a backing. This helps to give the product washability.

Washable
Wallcovering that can withstand occasional scrubbing with a detergent solution. Same as scrubbable.

Wet hanging
A method of hanging wallcoverings in which the adhesive is applied to the back of the wallcovering.