Wallpaper Samples: What to Check Before You Order Panels
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A wallpaper sample is the cheapest way to find out how a design will look on your own wall, in your own light, before you order full panels. Every Sophestia wallpaper and mural has a sample option: a 15 × 20 in (38.1 × 50.8 cm) piece, printed in the material you choose, for $17.50. This guide covers which samples to order, how to test them over a week and what to do with what you learn.
The short answer
- Order a sample of each design you are seriously considering, in the material you expect to use.
- Not sure about the material? Order the same design in two materials and compare them side by side.
- Test on the wall you plan to cover, not on a spare board, and leave it there for several days.
- Check three things: the color in daylight and lamplight, the surface, and, for the self-adhesive materials, how it holds and how it comes off.
What a Sophestia sample is
| Size | 15 × 20 in (38.1 × 50.8 cm) |
| Price | $17.50 each |
| Material | The one you select: Smooth Vinyl, Peel & Stick Texture or Traditional Texture |
| Designs | Every wallpaper and wall mural in the shop, including ceiling murals |
| What it is not | Not a full-size panel, and not a set of all three materials |
How to order a sample
- Open the design you like.
- In the size options, select Sample.
- Choose the material.
- Add it to your cart, then repeat for each design or material you want to compare.
Shipping cost and the delivery estimate are shown at checkout.
Which samples to order
If you are choosing between designs
Order your top two or three in the material you are leaning towards. Seeing them side by side on the wall usually settles the question quickly. Ordering every design you liked online tends to make the choice harder, not easier.
If you are choosing between materials
Order the same design in each material you are considering. The printed design is the same; what changes is the surface and how it goes on the wall.
| Material | What the sample shows you | How to test it on the wall |
|---|---|---|
| Smooth Vinyl | A smooth surface, so the printed design takes the focus | It is self-adhesive: stick it on and watch how it holds and how it comes off |
| Peel & Stick Texture | A textured, woven-look surface | It is self-adhesive: stick it on and watch how it holds and how it comes off |
| Traditional Texture | A textured, woven-look surface | It needs wallpaper paste. To judge color and surface only, hold it up with low-tack painter's tape |
The two textured materials are both textured, but do not assume they feel identical. If you are torn between them, a sample of each is the only reliable way to compare. Our peel and stick vs traditional wallpaper guide explains how the two installation methods differ.
If you are considering a mural or a large pattern
A sample cannot show the whole composition of a mural or every element of a large pattern. Use it to judge color and surface. To judge scale and layout, use the room photos on the product page and, for repeating patterns, the pattern repeat size where it is listed. Our wall mural sizes guide explains how a mural's scene is scaled to your wall.
How to test a sample: a one-week plan
| When | What to do | What you learn |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Put the sample on the wall you plan to cover, at eye level | How the design reads in the room, not on a screen |
| Days 1–2 | Look at it in morning daylight, at midday and in the evening with your lamps on | How the colors shift in the light you actually live with |
| Days 2–3 | Hold the room's paint chips, fabrics, wood and metal finishes against it | Whether the palette works with what you already have |
| Days 3–7 | Leave a self-adhesive sample in place and check its edges every day or two | Whether it holds on your paint and surface |
| Day 7 | Peel a self-adhesive sample off slowly and look at the paint underneath | What taking it down is likely to be like on this wall |
Two exceptions. If the wall was painted recently, check how long the paint maker recommends waiting before you apply anything adhesive. In a bathroom, leave the sample through a couple of weeks of normal use, away from any spot where water reaches the wall, before you decide.
What to look for
Color
Screen colors can differ from the printed result, and every room's light is different. Judge the color in the light you use most, and in the evening as well as the daytime. Gold-look details in our designs are printed colors, with no metallic foil, glitter or reflective ink, so check that they read the way you expect in your room.
Surface
Run your hand over it. Smooth Vinyl is smooth; the two textured materials have a woven-look texture of their own. Printed plaster, marble, stone and limewash effects are part of the artwork, with no physical relief. Our limewash wallpaper guide explains what those printed effects can and cannot do.
Hold and removal
A self-adhesive sample that lifts at the edges is telling you something about the wall: it may need cleaning or smoothing, or it may be the wrong wall for adhesive wallpaper. A sample that leaves marks when you peel it off tells you how removal is likely to go later. Wall paint, surface condition and preparation all affect how wallpaper sticks and how it comes away, which is why we do not guarantee clean removal and why the test is worth doing.
After the sample: ordering panels
When the sample has passed, work out your panels. Each panel ships 24 in (60.96 cm) wide and covers 23 in (58.42 cm) of wall, allowing a 1 in (2.54 cm) overlap at the side join. Divide your wall width in inches by 23 and round up: a 100 in wide wall needs 5 panels. Heights run from 40 to 150 in in 10 in steps; choose one taller than your wall so there is room to trim. Our wallpaper panel calculator works this out for your wall, with an estimated cost, and our installation guide walks through hanging the panels. Panels are printed to order in Houston, Texas.
Still unsure after testing? Send us a photo of the sample on the wall through our contact page and we will help you choose.
Quick answers
How big is a wallpaper sample?
15 × 20 in (38.1 × 50.8 cm).
How much does a wallpaper sample cost?
$17.50 per sample.
Can I get all three materials in one sample?
No. Each sample is printed in the one material you select. Order one sample per material you want to compare.
Can I order a sample of a wall mural?
Yes. Every mural, including the ceiling murals, has a sample option. Use it to judge color and surface; it does not show the whole composition.
Why test on the actual wall?
Because the wall matters more than the wallpaper. Paint, texture and preparation affect how a wallpaper holds and how it comes off, and a sample on a spare board cannot tell you that.
How long should I leave a sample up?
About a week is enough to see it in every kind of light and to learn how a self-adhesive sample holds. In a bathroom, give it a couple of weeks.
Find a design to sample
Browse the full wallpaper and wall mural collection, or start with striped wallpaper, kids and nursery designs or ceiling murals. Every design is available as a sample in all three materials. Our materials and panel guide compares the three materials side by side.