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When you purchase wallpaper products, you'll see that each bundle has a dye lot number or batch number. This number is one of the most important pieces of information that you'll need when hanging wallpaper. It may look like just a number to you, like a model or design number, but that batch number or dye lot number is critical if you want your wallpaper to look good after installation. When you have mismatched dye numbers, you risk making the finished wall look cheap and off-putting.

Coloring Can Have Subtle Variations

When wallpaper is colored, each batch of dye can have very subtle variations. Two different batches of light teal might look the same at first, but place them side by side, and you might see a very subtle distinction. Maybe one looks a little more turquoise than the other. It's enough to create visual noise that may distract anyone trying to look at your walls once the paper has been added. If you're wondering why manufacturers don't just make more wallpaper in one batch, well, that's the problem. Eventually, a batch of dye runs out, and the company has to mix more. That's where the subtle difference in shading can appear. It doesn't always happen, but it is common.

Mismatched Hues Mean Visible Seams

If the hues are off, the seams where you match up two columns of wallpaper will be visible even if the edges of the wallpaper are perfectly aligned. And that can be so disorienting because your brain will want to see the same color all along the wall, but your eyes will provide information that shows the color isn't the same. That can gnaw at you every time you look at the wall. Using wallpaper with a busy pattern won't help as the dye differences will show up there, too, just in more colors. The only way to avoid having a mismatch like this is to make sure all the wallpaper you get is from the same batch number or dye lot. And you should order extra to make sure you don't run out.

Companies Can Pull or Discontinue Designs

One more issue with batch numbers is that, when you have a huge pile of wallpaper bundles in front of you that are all the same batch number, you don't know if the manufacturer has decided to discontinue the pattern or color that you want. Scoop up all the wallpaper you need now to avoid finding out that you can't get any more to fill in that last strip in the corner.

For more information on wallpaper products, contact a seller in your area.