WA is pleased to present standards the technical and joint committee have been working hard on for your convenience. Below you may find a list of these documents along with a brief description of each.

W-101 Standard

The W-101 WA Quality Standard for Polymer Coated Fabric Wallcovering is designed to ensure a consistent performance and quality for all polymer coated fabric wallcoverings in a wide variety of settings.

W-101 replaces a previous industry standard, CFFA-W-101D, maintained by the Chemical Fabrics and Film Association (CFFA). This older CFFA standard was limited to commercial wallcoverings. The WA standard applies to a broader range of polymer coatings, including vinyl alternatives. The Technical Committee of the WA, whose members have extensive experience in the performance and use of wallcovering products, drove the update of this standard.

The new WA standard covers such attributes as weight, physical strength, tear properties, flammability, UV fade resistance, stain resistance, and scrubbability. W-101 will be incorporated into the upcoming WA sustainability standard for wallcoverings, NSF 342.

Click here to access the W-101 standard.

W-102 Standard

The W-102 WA Quality Standard is designed to extend consistent performance and quality to a wide variety of materials, beyond only polymer coated fabric.

W-102 creates a pathway for alternative materials (such as plastics, stone surfaces, or textiles) to undergo the same scrutiny as wallcoverings that pass the W-101 standard. The same tests are performed as with W-101, and the results are provided to specifiers, designers, and purchasers. This empowers them to make informed decisions about new materials. It is impossible to know which tests will be relevant and what results are ideal for materials that have not yet been invented, but W-102 ensures rigorous analysis, transparency, and informed choice. The Technical Committee of the WA, whose members have extensive experience in the performance and use of wallcovering products, drove the creation of this standard.

As with W-101, the W-102 standard covers such attributes as weight, physical strength, tear properties, flammability, UV fade resistance, stain resistance, and scrubbability.

Click here to access the W-102 standard.

WA Standard NSF-342

In 2008, WA began the journey towards sustainability. Recognizing the ever changing business climate that environmental issues raise, the wallcovering industry set out on a proactive path to address the multitude of issues brought up by its customers through organizations like the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) with the development of a truly unique and comprehensive Sustainability Standard for wallcovering products.

The Sustainability Standard addresses the major concerns typical of an industry program in several ways:

1. This product standard is being developed through a third party (ANSI) process with industry, customers/user groups, and public health representatives involved in the standard writing process. WA has also partnered with NSF to complete the project.
2. The standard is tiered and evergreen. It allows for a basic entry level that motivates manufacturers to apply for the standard but also rewards those companies that have made prior commitments to improving their product environmental performance.
3. The standard allows for greater transparency into the performance of individual products in that individual product analyses are available for review.

The standard covers product design, product manufacturing, long term usage, and value, corporate responsibility, as well as innovation. While there are several similar standards regarding the issue sustainability of building products, no other standard has attempted to bring in the full distribution chain in the evaluation of a product.

To read more information about the standard, please click here.

Wallcovering Sustainability

To make obtaining a proposal easier for WA members, NSF has appointed Business Development Specialist, Vanessa Fantich, to handle requests. Vanessa may be reached at vfantich@nsf.org or at (734) 769-5192.

For further additional information on other wallcoverings standards, please contact WA Headquarters at (312) 224-2574 or info@wallcoverings.org.