Kinds of Wallpapers and their Quality

1. Textile wallpaper (fabric wallpaper)

With textile or fabric wallpapers, the base, either a paper or fleece backing, is glued with synthetic or natural fibers (e.g., wool, cotton, sisal, hemp, jute, felt or silk). In the case of knitted or woven wallpapers, these fibers are intertwined or interwoven; in the case of the somewhat cheaper warp thread variants, they are arranged next to one another in one direction (usually lengthways).

Textile wallpaper for walls is often offered under the name of the laminated material, for example as

  • Silk wallpaper,
  • Cotton wallpaper or
  • Linen wallpaper.

If the material is dense enough, it can also be printed. So, there are Z.B. Textile wallpapers with baroque patterns, floral patterns or stripes. Fabric wallpapers score with their pleasant feel; many are pronounced hand flatterers who like to touch and caress. Thick textile wallpapers also have a heat and sound insulation effect.

Because textile wallpapers are usually very sensitive to moisture, they must not be wiped off with a damp cloth, but rather carefully cleaned with a feather duster or vacuum cleaner.

2. Mural wallpaper

Mural wallpapers and wall pictures that can be wallpapered differ from other types of printed wallpaper in the large area of ​​the motifs. Motifs that visually dissolve, expand or change the space in a surprising way are particularly popular. When attaching photo and 3-D wallpapers on wallpaper murals, it is therefore particularly important to make the approaches and transitions as invisible as possible, so that a coherent overall picture or a perfect illusion is created.

Living room mural wallpaper is simply understood to mean large motifs that fill the wall with photographic or painterly representations. Images that are composed of several parts in the tradition of panorama wallpaper. Up to now, such small series were the domain of flat screen printing or photo printing. But now digital printing, with its flexibility and individual production, creates new freedoms.

Photo wallpaper is available as paper wallpapers, with a fleece backing and as plastic films with a self-adhesive back. Depending on the size, type and manufacturer, it is offered rolled or folded as sheet (s) or sheets. You can order Mural wallpapers from Wallmur.

3. Natural wallpaper

With natural or natural material wallpapers, natural materials such as grass, leaves, cork, sand, raffia, wood fibers or wood veneer are glued or laminated to a paper or fleece backing. In some variants, the paper base is partially or completely colored beforehand. Like textile wallpapers, natural wallpapers are often named after the materials used and offered under their names, e.g.;

  • Cork wallpaper,
  • Bamboo wallpaper or
  • Wood wallpaper.

The same precautionary measures and rules must be observed during processing and care as with textile wallpapers. Natural wallpapers should neither be painted over nor wallpapered over.

4. Metal wallpaper

Impressive effects can be achieved with shiny metallic wallpapers. For a real metal wallpaper, the carrier material is pasted with thin metal or metal foil. There are also fake metal wallpapers, the so-called metal effect wallpapers, the metal look of which is achieved by plastics or printed metal effect pigments (bronzes).

Because metals are electrically conductive, special care is required when processing metal wallpapers. In addition, metal wallpapers are not vapor-permeable or waterproof, so that they are not suitable for wallpapering the entire apartment, but rather as a glossy wall decoration for selected visible areas.

 5. Vinyl Wallpaper

Vinyl wallpapers consist of a paper or fleece backing to which a thin or thick, smooth or structured vinyl layer (polyvinyl chloride, PVC) is applied. Vinyl wallpapers are offered under different names, e.g.;

  • Plastic wallpaper
  • Foam wallpaper

Foam wallpapers with foamed vinyl (PVC foam) can have quite thick, soft and elastic structures and reliefs, e.g., in wood or stone optics, while the vinyl layer of lacquer wallpapers is thin, smooth and shimmering or shiny. Self-adhesive wallpapers and wall foils are also often made of vinyl.

Vinyl wallpapers are not breathable; many variants are waterproof, abrasion-resistant and easy to care for. Because plastic wallpapers contain plasticizers, which pose various health risks, they should generally be treated with caution. Vinyl wallpapers and wall coverings containing PVC continuously release plasticizers into the air over a long period of time and should therefore not be used by allergy sufferers and sensitive people as well as in children’s rooms and bedrooms. They are also unsuitable for ecological renovation.

6. Valor Wallpaper

Valor wallpapers can be seen as a subtype of textile wallpapers or paper wallpapers, depending on the design. They have a velvety-soft, often colored patterned surface. In some variants, only some places or areas are coated with valor, so that tangible wallpaper patterns or reliefs are created. The typical look and feel of valor wallpapers are created by fine textile cut fibers or paper fibers that are flocked or electrostatically dusted with the help of special processes. So that the fibers hold, the carrier material is treated with glue in the appropriate places.

These types require a very careful and experienced hand in processing. During production, the later pattern is printed onto the fleece or paper with glue and then flocked using fine natural or synthetic fibers and electrostatic charging. After the glue has dried, the excess fibers are removed. This type of wallpaper is very high quality due to its fine, soft surface in the flocked areas and looks exclusive.

7. Pearl decor wallpapers

In this type, natural materials such as cork, leaves, grass or bark, which are applied as a surface on a paper carrier, are used. Cork wallpaper are cork bark panels laminated to paper (flatly glued), which regulate the humidity very well and also have a sound-absorbing effect. However, they are no longer in great demand.

The RAL quality mark stands for quality wallpapers

With the RAL symbol (orange letters on a white background), even laypeople can recognize good quality wallpaper at first glance. The seal is awarded by the United States Institute for Quality Assurance and Labeling e. V. awards and guarantees, among other things, that the wallpaper is harmless to health.

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