This type of wallpaper is known as ingrain or wood-chip wallpaper, and has wood fibres in it. This is a cheap kind of wallpaper that you can paint over.  There are big differences in the thickness and quality of the paper and the coarseness of the wood fibres.

This is wallpaper with a top layer made of vinyl and a paper backing. There are two kinds of vinyl wallpaper:

Foamed vinyl: foamed vinyl is a cheaper kind of vinyl with a thick foam layer. The disadvantage is that the foam is very sensitive to dirt. This wallpaper is not suitable for rooms that get very dirty, such as kitchens.

Flat or matt vinyl: these kinds of vinyl have a much more solid top layer and consequently are more durable as well as washable. Flat vinyl is glossier, so it shows a lot of colour nuances. These kinds of vinyl wallpaper are available in a wide variety of styles and colour variations.

This is wallpaper with a top layer made of paper or vinyl, and an under layer made of nonwoven membrane. When using this type of wallpaper, you apply the paste to the wall instead of the wallpaper, so you won’t need a wallpaper pasting table – which simplifies the process. Other advantages: it doesn’t shrink, it doesn’t form bubbles, and you don’t have to let the paste soak in.

Next steps:

• Removing old wallpaper
• Wallpapering instructions