A–Z Terms
The Dictionary
A
Abrasion Resistance
The ability of a wallcovering surface to withstand rubbing without showing wear or color loss. Rated on a numerical scale; higher ratings suit high-traffic corridors, hotel lobbies, and commercial installations.
Acrylic Coating
A water-based protective layer applied to the face of a wallcovering that improves washability and UV resistance without compromising breathability.
Architectural Panel
An oversized wallcovering section, typically 54" or wider, designed to span an entire wall surface as a single seamless graphic or pattern.
Arte International "Agra" — an example of block-printed allover pattern, a foundational term in this dictionary.
B
Backing
The substrate layer of a wallcovering — typically paper, non-woven, or fabric — to which the decorative face material is laminated. Backing type determines installation method and strippability.
Block Print
A hand-printing technique using carved wooden or linoleum blocks inked individually and pressed to the substrate. Each impression is slightly unique, giving block-printed wallcovering its prized artisanal character.
Book Match
A hanging method where alternating strips are reversed ("flipped") before installation, mirroring the pattern at each seam like the facing pages of an open book. Required by many grasscloth, silk, and natural fiber wallcoverings to conceal shading differences between rolls.
Breathable Wallcovering
A product whose face and backing allow moisture vapor to pass through, reducing the risk of mold growth behind the wall. Non-woven and paper-backed grasscloth are inherently breathable; solid vinyl is not.
C
Chinoiserie
A decorative style evoking Chinese and East Asian art, featuring pagodas, flora, fauna, and fantastical landscapes. Arrived in European wallcovering via Jesuit trade routes in the early 16th century and remains perennially fashionable.
Colorway
A single color variation of a pattern. A design may be offered in multiple colorways — for example, "sage," "cream," and "charcoal" — each produced as a separate SKU.
Contract Grade
Wallcovering rated to meet the performance requirements of commercial installations: minimum Class A fire rating, tested abrasion and scrub resistance, and often Type I or Type II classification per ASTM standards.
Cork Wallcovering
Thin slices of natural cork laminated to a woven or paper backing. Provides acoustic dampening and distinctive organic texture. Available in natural buff tones or stained to a range of earth hues.
D
Digital Print
Wallcovering produced by large-format inkjet printers, enabling unlimited colorways and custom scale or sizing. Has largely replaced screen printing for short-run and custom mural work since the 2010s.
Double Cut
A seaming technique where two overlapping strips are cut simultaneously with a sharp blade, removing the overlap from both at once. Produces a tighter, near-invisible seam, especially on thick or embossed materials.
Drop Match
A pattern alignment method where the design motif drops by a fixed amount — typically half the vertical repeat — between adjacent strips. Requires more material than a straight match because each strip must be cut with the offset accounted for.
Dye Lot
A batch of wallcovering printed or woven in a single production run. Natural variations between dye lots are normal; always order all rolls from the same lot number to ensure color consistency across a room.
Arte International "Bouquet Emerald" — a classic example of drop-match pattern construction across a full-repeat floral design.
E
Embossing
A mechanical process that creates a raised or recessed surface texture on vinyl or paper wallcovering, simulating the look and feel of leather, grasscloth, linen, or fabric weaves.
Engineered Stripe
A vertical stripe pattern designed so that the seams between strips fall invisibly within the stripe cadence. Eliminates the need to match a seam and simplifies installation significantly.
F
Flock Wallpaper
Wallcovering with a velvety pile surface created by adhering fine fibers (originally wool, now often rayon or polyester) to a pattern printed in adhesive. A technique dating to 17th-century England; associated with formal Georgian and Victorian interiors.
Fire Rating
A standardized measure of a wallcovering's resistance to flame spread and smoke development. Class A (or Class 1) is the most stringent and is typically required for commercial, healthcare, and hospitality applications.
Flat Match
Also called straight match. A pattern alignment where the design motif aligns identically at the same height across every strip, requiring no drop offset between adjacent lengths.
G
Grasscloth
A natural wallcovering woven from grasses — jute, seagrass, sisal, or abaca — on a paper or woven backing. Distinctive for its organic texture and inherent color variations. Not washable; a defining characteristic rather than a defect.
Grout Line
A hairline gap that can appear at the seam between two strips if the paste dries too quickly or the paper shrinks. Prevented by proper wall preparation, adequate soaking time, and correct paste viscosity.
H
Hand
The tactile quality of a wallcovering — how it feels to the touch. A soft hand suggests a supple, textile-like surface; a firm hand indicates a stiffer substrate more resistant to tearing or stretching during installation.
Horizontal Repeat
The width of a single complete pattern unit measured across the roll. Determines how the pattern lines up at vertical seams. A 27" repeat on a 27" roll width produces a seamless tile; a repeat wider than the roll creates more complex matching requirements.
I
Ingrain Paper
An uncoated, subtly textured wallpaper made with colored fibers mixed throughout the pulp rather than printed on the surface. Color runs through the entire thickness, making small tears less visible.
Arte International "Thebe Terra" — a geometric pattern with a consistent horizontal repeat, illustrating the flat-match alignment method.
J
Jute
A natural bast fiber woven into grasscloth or used as backing material. Jute-backed wallcoverings are prone to shrinkage if over-saturated with paste; they require careful handling during installation.
K
KD (Knock-Down) Finish
A wall surface treatment that creates a lightly textured, mottled appearance — often used as a base for plain or lightly textured wallcoverings. The surface must be smoothed or "skim-coated" before hanging most fine papers.
L
Linen Wallcovering
A woven textile wallcovering made from flax yarn on a paper or non-woven backing. Offers a refined, slightly irregular surface that reads as texture rather than pattern. Often used in board rooms, libraries, and upscale residences.
Lot Number
See Dye Lot. The production batch identifier printed on each roll's label. Always verify matching lot numbers before cutting.
M
Mural
A large-scale, non-repeating image designed to cover a single focal wall. Panels are numbered and hung in sequence. Unlike tiled wallcovering, a mural cannot be trimmed or rearranged without disrupting the composition.
Mylar
A metallic polyester film laminated to a paper or fabric backing to create a highly reflective wallcovering surface. Popularized in the 1970s; today's versions are more refined, with controlled sheens ranging from satin to mirror-bright.
N
Nondirectional Pattern
A pattern with no inherent top, bottom, or directional orientation. Any strip can be hung right-side up or inverted without disrupting the design — which reduces waste and simplifies installation around doors and windows.
Non-Woven
A substrate made from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers bonded together without weaving. Dimensionally stable, tear-resistant, and paste-the-wall compatible. Has largely replaced paper as the dominant wallcovering backing.
O
Overlap Seam
A seaming method where one strip slightly overlaps the adjacent strip. Common in commercial-grade vinyl applications where dimensional stability at the seam is critical. Not appropriate for fine paper or fragile textile wallcoverings.
Arte International "Poona Stone" — a non-directional botanical pattern that can be book-matched or straight-hung without pattern interruption.
P
Panoramic Wallpaper
A non-repeating scenic design that wraps continuously around a room, creating the illusion of a landscape, garden, or architectural interior. The French manufacturer Zuber popularized the format with hand-block-printed panoramics beginning in 1804.
Paste-the-Paper
A traditional installation method where adhesive is applied directly to the back of each strip before hanging. Required for many natural fiber and paper-backed wallcoverings. Strips typically need a "booking" period to absorb paste and relax.
Paste-the-Wall
An installation method where adhesive is applied to the prepared wall surface rather than the wallcovering strip. Suitable for non-woven backed wallcoverings. Faster and cleaner than paste-the-paper; the strip can be repositioned more easily.
Peelable
A wallcovering whose decorative face can be peeled away from its backing, which remains on the wall. The backing must then be soaked and removed separately before rehanging. Compare with strippable.
Pre-Pasted
Wallcovering with a factory-applied layer of dry adhesive on the backing. Activated by wetting — typically by running the strip through a water tray. Convenient for DIY applications; professional installers often supplement with additional paste for longer open time.
Q
Quarter Drop
A pattern offset where each adjacent strip drops by one quarter of the vertical repeat. Less common than half-drop; used in diamond and diagonal lattice patterns where equal distribution creates a continuous geometric field.
R
Random Match
A pattern — often a texture, solid, or natural material simulation — that requires no deliberate alignment at seams. Any point on one strip can butt against any point on the adjacent strip.
Repeat
The vertical distance after which a pattern motif begins again, measured from any identifiable point on the design. A 24" repeat means every 24 inches of length is one complete pattern unit. Larger repeats increase material waste.
Roll Length
The length of wallcovering in a single roll, typically expressed in yards (US) or meters (European). Standard single rolls are approximately 11 yards (10 meters); double rolls provide approximately 22 yards (20.5 meters). Always verify before calculating coverage.
S
Scenic Wallpaper
A pictorial wallcovering depicting a landscape, garden, urban scene, or narrative composition. Distinguished from murals by their traditional, repeating character; distinguished from block prints by their pictorial rather than decorative intent.
Screen Print
A printing technique using woven mesh screens — one per color — through which ink is forced onto the substrate. Screen printing delivers rich, opaque color and is used for the most precise, craft-quality wallcovering production.
Strippable
A wallcovering designed to be removed cleanly in a single dry strip, leaving the wall surface ready for repainting or rehanging without soaking or scraping. The gold standard for renovation-friendly installations.
Arte International "Horus Bone" — strippable non-woven construction; a practical choice for clients who renovate on a regular cycle.
T
Toile de Jouy
An 18th-century French print tradition featuring pastoral, romantic, or historical scenes rendered in a single color on a contrasting ground. Named for the town of Jouy-en-Josas, where Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf established his factory in 1760.
Trompe-l'Oeil
Meaning "deceives the eye" in French. Wallcovering designs that create convincing three-dimensional illusions — faux windows, stone arches, draped fabric, or architectural molding — on a flat surface.
Type I / Type II
Commercial performance classifications per ASTM F793. Type I (7 oz/sq yd face weight) is suitable for light commercial use; Type II (13 oz/sq yd) withstands heavier traffic and more rigorous maintenance protocols.
U
Unbacked Paper
Traditional wallpaper without a separate backing layer — the decorative print or coating is applied directly to the paper substrate. More fragile than backed alternatives; requires a skilled installer experienced in handling delicate paper goods.
V
Vertical Repeat
See Repeat. The standard term for the measurement of one complete pattern unit along the length of a roll. Printed on the product label as "V.R." followed by the dimension.
Vinyl
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) applied as a face material to a fabric or paper backing. Ranges from lightweight residential grades to heavy Type II commercial specification. Washable, scrubbable, and highly durable; widely used in hospitality and healthcare settings.
W
Wainscoting
The lower portion of a wall — typically the bottom third — finished differently from the upper portion. Wallcovering is often applied above a wainscot chair rail, with painted board-and-batten or paneling below.
Washable
A wallcovering whose surface can be gently cleaned with a damp cloth and mild detergent without damage. Distinguished from "scrubbable," which withstands more vigorous cleaning. Both terms refer to the face; the seams are always more vulnerable.
Width
The horizontal measurement of a wallcovering roll in its flat, trimmed state. Standard US residential widths run 20.5" to 27"; European widths are typically 20.5" (52 cm). Wide-width commercial goods may be 48", 54", or broader.
X
Xuan Paper
A traditional Chinese paper made from paper mulberry bark, prized for its longevity and absorbency. Used as a substrate for hand-painted silk wallcovering panels in high-end bespoke installations.
Y
Yardage
The total length of wallcovering required for a project, calculated by dividing wall area by usable yield per roll (accounting for repeat waste). Standard practice adds 10–15% overage for cuts, pattern matching, and repairs.
Z
Zinc White Ground
A historically significant base coat for fine paper wallcovering production — zinc oxide mixed with linseed oil provided a bright, non-yellowing ground for printing. Largely replaced by titanium dioxide formulations in modern production.