Glossary

The words of wallpaper

35 terms explained in a few lines by WALLZAD©, the made-to-measure wallpaper brand of ZADITALY® (Grosseto): from non-woven fabric to reaction-to-fire class B-s1,d0, from overlap to focal point. Every entry has its own address and can be quoted.

A

§ Abstract

Style of design that composes forms, lines and fields of colour without representing a recognisable subject and without bringing the gesture of the brush to the fore. It is often signed by an artist.

See also: Painterly

§ Animalier

Style of design that depicts animals or their surfaces: coats, feathers, scales, wings, figures among branches. It can be a repeating motif close to textile design or an illustrated scene with large figures.

See also: Botanical

B

§ Botanical

Style of design with leaves, flowers, branches and gardens as its subject, from the scientific plate to the decorative interlace. It differs from panoramic wallpaper in that it isolates the plants without building a view with a horizon.

See also: Panoramic wallpaper, Chinoiserie

C

§ Chinoiserie

European decorative style of the eighteenth century inspired by Chinese art: flowering branches, birds, pagodas and garden scenes painted by hand on paper or silk. In contemporary wallpaper it survives in botanical designs and panoramic views.

See also: Panoramic wallpaper, Botanical

§ Class B-s1,d0

European reaction to fire classification under the standard EN 13501-1. B indicates a material that is barely flammable, with a limited contribution to fire; s1 the lowest production of smoke; d0 the absence of flaming droplets or particles. It is the class required in most public spaces, hotels and offices.

See also: Contract

§ Contract

The supply sector for non-residential spaces: hotels, restaurants, offices, shops. It calls for substrates certified B-s1,d0, guaranteed delivery times and the ability to print large areas with the same colour rendition.

See also: Class B-s1,d0

D

§ Damask

Symmetrical ornamental motif derived from the fabrics of Damascus: foliate scrolls, palmettes and medallions arranged in alternating rows. In wallpaper it is the classic decoration, often tone on tone.

See also: Neoclassical

§ Dominant colours

The three colours most present in a wallpaper, obtained by analysing the image and given on the wallpaper page. They help to match the wallpaper with paints, fabrics and furniture, and to compare different wallpapers at a glance.

See also: RAL

§ Drop

Each of the vertical strips into which a made-to-measure wallpaper is divided for hanging. The drops are numbered in the order they are hung and printed either with an overlap or to be butt-jointed, so that the design continues from one to the next without a break.

See also: Overlap, Pattern match

F

§ Flock

Finish in which short viscose or nylon fibres are fixed to the substrate with an adhesive, creating a relief that is velvety to the touch. Historically it imitated cut velvets; today it is used for damask or geometric motifs in which the design is flocked and the ground smooth.

See also: Weight (gsm)

§ Focal point

The point of the image that must stay visible when the photograph is cropped to different formats (4:5 on the narrow screens of a telephone, 3:2 on wide screens). It is saved in each wallpaper's data as a pair of coordinates and guides the automatic cropping of the views.

See also: In situ view

G

§ Geometric

Style of design built on a repeating module: lines, grids, lozenges, circles, stripes and optical weaves. It orders the space and, according to the direction of the motif, lengthens or widens a room.

See also: Pattern repeat, Neoclassical

I

§ In situ view

Photographic or rendered view of the wallpaper hung in a furnished room, at full size. It is the first of the four views on every WALLZAD wallpaper page, along with detail, render and texture, and it serves to judge the scale of the design.

See also: Texture, Render

L

§ Leather effect

Finish of the 255 gsm non-woven fabric with a grain that recalls leather: the most tactile of the three, suited to walls that are looked at close up and to textured designs.

See also: Wall effect, Weight (gsm)

M

§ Made to measure

Printing the wallpaper to the exact dimensions of the client's wall, rather than in standard rolls. The design is scaled and trimmed to the width and height given, deducting doors and windows and adding 3–5 cm of trim allowance. WALLZAD prints from 100×100 to 600×300 cm.

See also: Drop, Trim allowance

§ Measuring a wall

Measure the maximum width and height of the wall in centimetres, at two points at least for each, and take the larger figure. Doors and windows are not deducted: the quote does that. Measurements are given as width by height, for example 420×270 cm.

See also: Trim allowance, Made to measure

N

§ Neoclassical

Style of design that repeats ornament from the historical repertoire: damasks, Greek keys, medallions, panelling, stucco, columns. Reread with flat colours, enlarged scales or trompe-l'œil architectural relief.

See also: Damask, Trompe-l'œil

§ Non-woven fabric

A substrate of cellulose and polyester fibres bonded without weaving, used for modern wallpaper. It is dimensionally stable, breathable, does not shrink with the adhesive and is stripped dry without tearing. WALLZAD uses it in three weights: 180, 250 and 255 gsm. The adhesive goes on the wall, not on the drop.

See also: Weight (gsm), Paste the wall hanging

O

§ Overlap

An overlap of a few centimetres between two adjacent drops. It compensates for imperfections in the wall and keeps the design continuous; once the drops are hung, a double cut is made through the middle of the overlap and the two surplus strips are removed, giving an invisible joint.

See also: Drop, Pattern match

P

§ Painterly

Style of design that reproduces the gesture of painting: brushstrokes, glazes, impasto. It differs from the abstract in that the hand of the author stays legible in the substance of the colour.

See also: Abstract

§ Panoramic wallpaper

Wallpaper that depicts a continuous scene, a landscape or a view, with no repeating motif, drawn to cover a whole wall. It descends from the French papiers peints panoramiques of the nineteenth century; today it is printed to measure, with the composition adapted to the wall.

See also: Made to measure, Chinoiserie

§ Paste the wall hanging

The way non-woven fabric is hung: the adhesive is spread directly on the wall, the dry drop is applied to it and smoothed out from the centre. No soaking time is needed and there is no shrinkage. The adhesive is included in the WALLZAD pack.

See also: Non-woven fabric, Drop

§ Pattern match

The way the design corresponds from one drop to the next. On a wallpaper with a repeating motif the match is calculated on the size of the repeat; on a panoramic or made-to-measure wallpaper the design is continuous and the match coincides with the cut of the print file.

See also: Drop, Pattern repeat

§ Pattern repeat

The smallest portion of the design that repeats horizontally and vertically on a patterned wallpaper. On WALLZAD wallpaper pages the size of the original design (600×300 cm, for example) shows how far the wallpaper runs before it repeats.

See also: Pattern match, Geometric

R

§ RAL

European colour coding system for paints and enamels, with a four-figure number for each shade. Every WALLZAD wallpaper gives the RAL recommended for painting the adjoining walls in keeping with the dominant colours of the design.

See also: Dominant colours

§ Render

Computer-generated image simulating the wallpaper hung in a room, used when no real photograph exists. It allows the same wallpaper to be shown in different rooms and different light while keeping colours and proportions faithful.

See also: In situ view

§ Roll wallpaper

The standard product, sold in rolls of fixed size (usually 53 cm by 10 m), to be cut and matched in place. Compared with made-to-measure wallpaper it produces more waste, does not adapt the scale of the design to the wall and allows no colour variants.

See also: Made to measure

S

§ Sample

A piece of wallpaper printed on the chosen substrate, usually A4, sent free of charge in 3–5 days so that colours, grain and behaviour in real light can be judged before the quote. WALLZAD sends up to three samples per request.

See also: Made to measure

§ Smooth plaster

Finish of the 180 gsm non-woven fabric, smooth and matt, which reproduces the look of a plastered and painted wall. It is the base substrate, suited to painterly and illustrated designs where the grain must not interfere with the line.

See also: Weight (gsm)

T

§ Texture

Flat, front-on view of the design, without perspective, showing the repeat or the portion of wallpaper as it will be printed. On WALLZAD wallpaper pages it can be enlarged to full screen.

See also: In situ view, Pattern repeat

§ Textured

Style of design that reproduces a real surface: concrete, stone, marble, wood, fabric, metal. The realism depends on the resolution of the artwork and on the substrate: wall effect and leather effect add the relief.

See also: Wall effect, Trompe-l'œil

§ Trim allowance

A margin of 3–5 cm added to the width and the height of the wall in made-to-measure printing, to compensate for walls that are out of square and to allow trimming in place. The WALLZAD quote includes it; measurements should be taken without adding it.

See also: Made to measure, Measuring a wall

§ Trompe-l'œil

Painting technique that deceives the eye by simulating depth, relief or materials: panelling, columns, marble, drapery. In wallpaper, trompe-l'œil gives a flat wall the appearance of an architecture or of a material.

See also: Textured, Neoclassical

W

§ Wall effect

Finish of the 250 gsm non-woven fabric with a plaster grain: the surface has a fine relief that adds substance to the print and masks irregularities in the wall. It is the substrate recommended for textured designs.

See also: Weight (gsm), Leather effect

§ Weight (gsm)

The weight of the substrate per square metre, expressed in gsm. A higher weight means a thicker drop, which covers imperfections in the wall better and gives a more pronounced tactile relief. WALLZAD wallpapers come in 180 gsm (smooth plaster), 250 gsm (wall effect) and 255 gsm (leather effect).

See also: Non-woven fabric, Wall effect

Is a term missing? Write to us. For substrates and certifications, see Material and made to measure.