Type I 15oz and Type II 20oz both refer to commercial grade wallcovering. This is not the same material you would put in your kitchen or living room. Type I and Type II wallcoverings are specially made for high traffic commercial spaces. Some examples would be hotel lobbies, patient waiting rooms, and office meeting rooms. You can’t use regular wallpaper in these spaces because it’s to... [more]
It may not be something that you think about you when you are picking wallpaper, but wallpaper has the ability to help dampen the sound. This is where acoustical wallpaper can really help. You can’t expect wallpaper to entirely deaden the sound, but it can work as a way to reduce the level of noise. If you don’t understand why you need a wallpaper that helps to reduce the noise, then y... [more]
Wallpaper has come a very long way over the centuries. Today, you can choose a covering that is stylish without having to sacrifice durability. The problem is that you may not know where to start choosing the right paper because there are so many different types, including specialized covering. It can seem overwhelming, but ultimately there are three things you need to consider to get the optimal ... [more]
The National Sanitation Foundation, or NSF, strives to create standards that make the production and purchase of different aspects of various industries predictable, including wallcovering. The NSF/ANSI 324: Sustainability Assessment for Wallcovering creates the standards by which manufacturers must gauge their products to sell them with certain labeling. It is not required to get certification to... [more]
When the NSF created the wallcovering standard, they set requirements for different types of durability and sustainability of each of the classifications. A point system was created to detail how well a wallcovering performed during testing. Six key areas were established: Corporate governance End-of-life management Innovation Long-term value Product design Product manufacturing. Certificat... [more]
The decision of selecting a Type I or a Type II wallcovering for your project should be based on two factors: amount of foot traffic and the type of wear-and-tear that traffic will produce. For instance, a hotel’s elevator lobby should always be a Type II because it will always experience a lot of heavy hard-hitting foot traffic. Furniture, machinery, food carts and suitcases will be incess... [more]
The terms sustainable wallcoverings and recycled wallcoverings are not exactly interchangeable. Sustainable wallcoverings may or may not be recycled, but recycled wallcoverings are always considered sustainable. The difference is relatively small, but they both point to the same trend – an increasing demand for a more sustainable product. Sustainable Wallcoverings The broader of the ... [more]
NSF 342 (or NSF/ANSI 342) is a set of requirements set by the NSF and any product that has the NSF 342 certification has been through testing to ensure that it meets these certifications. It is a newer type of certification, having been implemented in 2009. Its full name is Sustainability Assessment for Wallcovering Products. As the name says, the focus of the certification is on the process and m... [more]
As the name states, this rating pertains to how well a particular wallcovering performs in the event of smoke or fire. While a wallcovering will certainly burn, if it has a rating of Class A, that means that it reduces how quickly the fire spreads. There are three classifications, A through C. Brief Origin of the Rating The different fire classifications are actually based on the ratings that ar... [more]
One of the many types of tests that are applied to the different wallcovering types is the NFPA 286 test. Like the Class A fire rating, NFPA 286 applies specifically to the testing of materials with fire. Unlike the Class A designation that can apply to most kinds of building materials, this one is specific to walls and ceilings. Origin of the Test The National Fire Protection Association, or NF... [more]