Wallpaper your bathroom you say? Well yes actually, since we
are covering the various different methods of redecorating a bathroom we
couldn’t leave out the oft ignored bathroom wallpaper!
There are definitely a lot of advantages to using bathroom
wallpaper. I think people tend not to consider it because it somehow doesn’t
seem like a ‘proper’ way to decorate your bathroom but the bathroom wallpaper
you can buy nowadays is very durable and can last for ten years or more.
Firstly it is a great choice for the DIY enthusiast because
unlike tiling, as long as you know a brush from a pasting table you should be
able to have a go yourself. Also unlike
tiling, it’s very cheap in comparison and it is perfectly possible to paper a
whole medium sized bathroom in a day or so.
Things to take into account
As with papering any room, you will need to plan a few
things in advance and select the colours and design of the wallpaper carefully.
You want to choose bathroom wallpaper that fits in nicely with the existing
decor but I also recommend finding paper that is neutral enough to work around
should you need to make any changes to the rest of the room.
Make sure you get good quality bathroom wallpaper. As a
bathroom is usually damp and humid for a good portion of the day, the wallpaper
needs to be able to stand up to this. Standard wallpaper would perish in such
conditions very quickly but some bathroom wallpaper is essentially just
ordinary wallpaper with a water resistant coating. Be sure to avoid this kind
and spend a bit extra on fabric based paper, that’s the stuff that will last
for years.
Even with the best quality bathroom wallpaper, it can
occasionally suffer at the hands of constant damp/humidity if you have a poorly
ventilated or particularly small bathroom. One way round this is to apply a
layer of clear varnish over the paper after it’s done. A word of warning
though, wait until you are certain the wallpaper is fully dry before applying
the varnish as if it’s not the weight of the varnish can pull the paper right
back off the wall! I actually recommend that everybody does this with their
bathroom wallpaper- it doesn’t take long and it’s a small price to pay for
peace of mind.
Different styles of bathroom wallpaper
There are a huge range of different designs available when
it comes to bathroom wallpaper, ranging from the garish and tacky to the more
subtle. Personally I tend to avoid the excessively embellished stuff like faux
marble or fake tiles in favour of a more plain design but it’s obviously up to
you.
Borders are also a nice addition to either a freshly
decorated bathroom or even a good way to spruce up your existing decor. Again,
just make sure you invest in decent quality ones.
So that’s about it I think. As always if you have any
questions, feel free to comment below.
Happy decorating!