Vinyl & vinyl-coated
Vinyl wallpaper has a durable, washable plastic top layer, which makes it a common choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and kids' rooms where scuffs and moisture are a given. It's typically paste-the-paper (paste goes on the back of the strip), and its solid top layer means it's more forgiving of minor wall imperfections underneath than thinner papers, since it doesn't show through as much texture.
Non-woven
Non-woven wallpaper is made from a blend of natural and synthetic fibers, which makes it breathable, resistant to tearing, and — most importantly for DIYers — strippable in full sheets when it's time to redecorate. It's almost always paste-the-wall rather than paste-the-paper, which makes hanging noticeably less messy than older paper-backed styles. It has become the default choice for most modern printed wallpaper.
Traditional paper
Plain, uncoated paper wallpaper is thinner and less forgiving of wall imperfections or moisture than vinyl or non-woven options, and it's generally not washable. It's less common today outside of specific heritage or designer reproduction patterns, where authenticity to the original printing process matters more than durability.
Grasscloth & natural textiles
Grasscloth is woven from natural fibers like jute, sisal, or arrowroot and glued to a paper or fabric backing, giving it a distinctive woven texture with visible seams between strips — often treated as part of the design rather than something to hide. It's more porous than vinyl, so it uses more paste per roll (see our paste guide), and it isn't washable or well suited to high-moisture rooms.
Murals & photo panels
Murals print a single large image across a set of numbered panels rather than a repeating pattern — there's no pattern repeat or match type to account for, since each panel is unique and hung in sequence. Because they're sized to a specific wall, murals are usually ordered by exact wall dimensions rather than by roll count, which makes our roll-based calculator less applicable — check the mural supplier's own sizing tool instead.
How to choose
- Kitchens, bathrooms, kids' rooms: vinyl or vinyl-coated, for washability.
- Most living rooms and bedrooms: non-woven, for easy hanging and clean future removal.
- Statement or textured accent walls: grasscloth or another natural textile.
- A single oversized image or scene: a mural, ordered to your exact wall size.
Related guides
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