Measure the wall at its widest and tallest points, not just through the center. Write down every reading and use the largest width and height as your starting dimensions. Then open the exact product page and check how that design is sold. Wallpaper rolls, panel sets, and murals do not always follow the same ordering rules.
Keep doors and windows in your sketch, but do not subtract them yet. Material may still be needed around an opening for full-height panels or pattern matching. The product instructions should tell you whether an opening changes the quantity.
What to bring
Use a rigid tape measure or a laser measure you already trust. Make a rough sketch of the wall and take one photo from straight in front of it. You will also need the link to the design you are considering.
Choose inches or centimeters before you start and stick with that unit. A note such as 8.5 can mean 8 feet 6 inches or 8 feet 5 inches, depending on how it was recorded. Write feet and inches separately if that is how you measure.
Step 1: Draw the wall
Start with a rectangle. Add each door, window, slope, column, alcove, and built-in that touches the area you want to cover. Label separate sections instead of squeezing an irregular wall into one width-and-height pair.
The drawing can be rough. It only needs to show where the wall changes shape and where the openings sit.
Step 2: Measure the width
Take one width near the top and another near the bottom. Add a third reading through the middle if the wall or trim looks uneven. Circle the largest number.
Older rooms are rarely perfectly square. Even a small difference matters when a panel must reach both edges.
Working on more than one wall? Call them Wall A, Wall B, and Wall C on the sketch. Keep their measurements separate until the product instructions confirm how the pattern or mural continues around a corner.
Step 3: Measure the height
Measure from the point where the wallcovering will begin to where it will end. Take readings on the left and right, then check the center. Keep the tallest one.
Mark any baseboard, crown molding, or chair rail that will remain uncovered. For a mural, note how much of the wall a headboard, sofa, or console will hide. A straight-on photo makes this much easier to see.
Step 4: Mark doors and windows
Measure every opening and write down its distance from the closest wall edges. This gives you the information needed to position a mural or choose where a repeating pattern should begin.
Subtracting every opening from the total square footage is tempting. It can leave you short when a product uses fixed-width panels or when full-height material is needed on both sides of a window. Record the opening first. Adjust the quantity only when the product's ordering method allows it.
Step 5: Check how the design is sold
The wall dimensions alone do not tell you how much to order. On the product page, look for the format and available size options. Check whether the design comes as a roll, a panel set, a fixed-size mural, or another configuration.
Read the instructions for repeat, overlap, trimming, and any recommended allowance. Confirm the material option as well. If the page leaves one of these points unclear, contact the store before ordering instead of making your own conversion rule.
Step 6: Place the focal point
Repeating wallpaper gives you some freedom to choose where the pattern starts. A mural needs more planning because its composition has a focal area.
Mark the center of the wall and the spot you see first when entering the room. Then add the outline of furniture that will stay in front of the wall. On a bedroom wall, for example, check where the main part of the artwork will sit above the headboard. In a living room, account for the television or tall furniture before choosing the crop.
Step 7: Check the measurements again
Remeasure the widest and tallest points. If someone else is available, ask them to take the same two readings without looking at yours. Compare the results before placing the order.
Save the sketch, wall photo, and product link together. If a question comes up, the whole project can be reviewed without measuring the room again.
Measurement checklist
- Largest width recorded
- Largest height recorded
- Each wall section labeled
- Doors and windows placed on the sketch
- Trim and slopes noted
- Product format confirmed
- Material option confirmed
- Mural focal point or pattern start considered
- Final quantity checked against the selected product's instructions
Frequently asked questions
Should I subtract doors and windows?
Record them first. Whether they reduce the order depends on the panel layout, pattern match, trimming method, and the way the product is sold.
What if the wall is not square?
Use the largest width and height as your starting dimensions. Keep the smaller readings on the sketch so the irregularity is visible when you review the layout.
Can I use square footage for every product?
Square footage is useful for early planning, but it is not a universal ordering formula. A fixed panel set or mural may use its own size and layout rules.
Should I measure before choosing a design?
Yes. Your measurements help narrow the available sizes and show how the pattern scale or mural composition will fit the room.
Next step
With the measurement sheet ready, compare wallpaper with wall murals. Open the exact product you like and verify its size, material, and installation details before adding it to your cart.
Sources
- Miami Walls and Decor wallpaper collection, checked 2026-09-01.
- Miami Walls and Decor wall murals collection, checked 2026-09-01.
- Peel-and-stick installation guide, checked 2026-09-01.