The match, report or joint of the wallpaper, is the measurement that must be added when cutting the strips of wallpaper to allow the figures of its design to fit during installation. It is always added starting from the second strip and provides an excess that must be removed once the wallpaper has been correctly installed.

It is essential to take the match into account when placing the wallpaper if you want to achieve good results. The label on the roll of wallpaper should include this indication when the pattern needs to match. The goal is to achieve an attractive continuity effect.

Before explaining how to place the wallpaper with match, it is necessary to make a clarification. The match causes that from each roll of paper, fewer strips can be used. Therefore, it is essential when determining how many units you need to purchase for your room.

The operation is as follows. The first strip is cut to the size of the wall. From the second one onwards, all cuts will be made by adding the height of the wall plus the match. That piece that seems to be leftover is what will help you during the installation. You can use it to cover specific areas like the top part of an area with a door.

For this reason, when you choose a wallpaper with match, you will need to buy more rolls to avoid leaving the job half done. Once done, you can place the wallpaper with match.

Steps to follow to install a wallpaper with match

Maintaining order is very important during the installation of the wallpaper with match. Once you have cut the strips, a good technique is to do a good dry planning. 

The best thing is that on a surface you first fit the design of the wallpaper before placing it, playing with the margin that the match gives you. Once you have it positioned securely, you can cut the excess with the help of a ruler and a cutter. You can leave a couple of centimeters of margin that you can remove once you have glued the strip to the wall. 

If you decide that you are going to prepare all the strips to be glued straight away, you can help yourself by arranging them according to how they are going to be placed. You can put indications (with pencil) with order aids such as strip 1, 2, 3, etc. Or signs such as “right side of the door” or “corner”. Another mark that can help you a lot is placing an arrow to know the position in which the paper goes.

In many explanations of how to apply the wallpaper with match, it is indicated that it should be done by eye after placing the first strip. Performing the operation this way can be quite dangerous, especially if you lack expertise when it comes to wall placement. That’s why it’s better to be prepared and not act on the fly.

Other considerations you should take into account when placing wallpaper with match.

The placement of the first strip is essential. It determines whether the entire wallpaper installation will be done correctly. Therefore, you must ensure that it is placed completely straight with the help of a level. Once this operation is finished, you can place the rest of the strips.

You must take various aspects into account. In most cases, the beginning of the drawing of the wallpaper with match is found at the start of the roll. This should be placed at the top of the wall and the successive strips will go in the same position.

But it may happen that the match is inverted. In this case, the placement of the wallpaper can become complicated. Each strip must be turned 180 degrees before placement (this is where the arrow indications will be very useful). This is necessary if you want to follow the pattern correctly.

If despite all these measures you still can't fit the drawing, it is most likely that you are using an glue or even that you are pulling on the paper and deforming it. Consult with the supplier or manufacturer if you have any doubts.

At Alf&Mabi we have wallpapers that only require you to apply glue to the wall. This makes installation much easier even for models with match. Visit our website now and discover everything we offer in our catalog.