Wall decoration of the bathroom with wallpaper, advantages, types and choice of material, pasting technology and coating care. Most of all, decorating the walls of the bathroom with wallpaper is liked by people who do not tolerate monotony in such a design. Wall cladding with tiles serves for at least ten years, and the wallpaper can be changed at least annually, creating new images of the room and changing the design.
Despite the advantages of moisture-resistant wallpaper, it is important not to overdo it: the walls of the shower enclosure should not be pasted over with such material. Tile is more suitable here, and its combination with beautiful wallpaper can look very good.
Types and selection of wallpaper for bathroom walls
When choosing wallpaper for the bathroom, it is recommended to immediately abandon the use of paper-based material. It must be moisture resistant, that is, either impregnated with an appropriate composition, or made from components that have water-repellent properties. These wallpapers are marked on the packaging with three "waves".
The glue for them must also be selected carefully. The list of its properties should include: moisture resistance, resistance to changes in air temperature, increased adhesion and the content of antifungal additives.
To decorate the walls of bathrooms, you can use wallpaper of the following types:
- Washable wallpaper … Thanks to a special coating that protects the material from internal moisture penetration, which leads to its swelling and delamination, these wallpapers are excellently resistant to water. Therefore, they can be easily cleaned from dirt with a damp sponge or cloth, keeping the room clean.
- Vinyl wallpapers … The most common type of material for bathrooms. A striking example of this is the "Superwash" wallpaper series. They have a polymer base and therefore are not afraid of not only steam and dampness, but also direct contact with water. Vinyl wallpaper is not a cheap product, but its service life without loss of decorative and operational properties is quite high. The material has a solid weight, therefore, a special glue must be included in the kit, capable of ensuring high adhesion of heavy wallpaper to the base base.
- The liquid wallpaper … This is an excellent option for the original design of a wet room. They are not a roll material, but a special plaster, which includes cotton and silk fibers, mineral additives, binders, and sometimes glitter. The material is marketed as a dry mix. During the preparation process, it is sealed with water, mixed well and applied to the wall, like a regular mortar. The coating can be distinguished by the uniqueness of the pattern, allowing for the most daring design decisions, especially for small rooms. Applying acrylic varnish to the surface of liquid wallpaper will make the material waterproof.
- Glass fiber … This wall material is made of fiberglass and then impregnated with a composition based on modified starch. Wallpaper is not cheap, but it is durable, strong, fire resistant, environmentally friendly and waterproof. They are distinguished by a wide variety of textures and the possibility of repainting surfaces up to twenty times during the period of their operation. In this case, water-based or latex paints are used. Fiberglass wallpapers do not accumulate static electricity, therefore they do not absorb dust and are easy to clean. To work with them, a special glue is used, designed for heavy wallpaper, which is applied only to the walls. The face side of the wallpaper web is turned inside the roll, as required by international standards. After gluing the coating on the walls, after a day, its front side can be painted.
- Self-adhesive wallpaper for bathroom walls … It is distinguished by the presence of an adhesive layer on the back side of the canvas. The facing surface of the material can be satin, PVC film or cork. When buying this wallpaper, it is important to pay attention to the pictogram located on the packaging, which indicates the permissibility of the coating to be used in high humidity conditions. Combinations of self-adhesive wallpaper in different colors can create unusual interior design solutions.
- Wallpaper … Usually they decorate one wall of the bathroom. This is a quick and inexpensive way to transform her. The color and pattern can be limited only by human imagination, but the moisture resistance of the material and adhesive composition remains the main condition.
Technology for installing wallpaper on the walls in the bathroom
This process is almost no different from wallpapering in any other room:
- The walls must first be prepared: leveled, saturate their top layer with an antifungal compound, and then prime. Ceresit CT99 concentrate is suitable as an anti-fungus agent; after using it, the surface of the walls must dry.
- Before pasting the walls, you need to turn off the power supply to the room and remove the covers from the sockets and switches. You can return them to their place after the finish has dried and the holes corresponding to them are cut in the canvas.
- After preparing the surface, it is necessary to dilute the glue suitable for the type of the selected wallpaper. Its dry mixture must be poured with water in accordance with the proportion indicated on the package. After stirring the solution with a mixer until homogeneous, it is necessary to withstand 30 minutes of time for it to swell.
- Then, markings should be made on the wallpaper and the rolls should be cut into canvases of the required length, corresponding to the height of the pasting of the walls. If there is a pattern on the wallpaper, the canvases must be positioned in such a way that its parts are combined, forming a single image.
- The glue, depending on the type of wallpaper, should be applied to the wall, and, if necessary, to the panel, using a brush or roller. Especially carefully glue the edges of the wallpaper.
- Then the prepared canvas is applied to the surface. Its edge should be aligned with a strictly vertical line drawn in advance on the wall. After sticking, the strip must be smoothed with a rubber roller from its middle to the edges, removing air and possible wrinkles. The following canvases are glued end-to-end.
- Joints need to be given special attention. During the operation of the coating, moisture entering its seams causes their divergence, resulting in the peeling of the wallpaper. Therefore, to prevent such a nuisance, the joints must be carefully glued with waterproof glue and rolled with a special roller. Another option is to install moldings on the seams. In this case, an original decorative effect can be obtained.
Liquid wallpaper is applied to the walls with a special gun or spatula at a room temperature of at least 10 degrees. Drying time is about 72 hours. They do not have seams, so moisture does not get under the coating. After drying, they are covered with a colorless varnish, which preserves and fixes their natural components, giving shine to the finishing coating.
Useful tips when decorating a bathroom with wallpaper
When combining wallpapering the bathroom walls with other types of coatings, for example, tiles, paint or panels, you should try to avoid piling up patterns, colors or textures of materials. Keeping the wall decoration in the same style will help to avoid the impression of chaos.
Wallpapers of different shades can create a mood: blue and white coatings give a feeling of freshness and cleanliness, orange - add activity, yellow - a feeling of joy, and green - peace. Bright and dark colors must be used with care. A bold solution can be a bathroom in dark blue, burgundy or black and white.
The use of wallpaper allows you to create a luxurious interior decoration with small means. If you buy a couple of rolls of expensive wallpaper at a discount from the leftovers, you can create a truly chic interior in the bathroom. They will help to emphasize the style of this room.
For "Provence" flower arrangements of light shades are perfect. A classic-style bathroom can be decorated with single-color canvases of white and beige colors, for "pop art" and "avant-garde" it will be a good combination of colors. The high-tech style will require a design in which glass wallpaper or liquid wallpaper will be more appropriate.
Caring for wallpaper in the bathroom
Vinyl wallpaper should be cleaned with a dry cloth or vacuum cleaner. To maintain cleanliness, you can periodically do wet cleaning. For this type of coating, the use of chemical cleaning agents and brushes is prohibited. If necessary, vinyl wallpaper can be wiped off with a cloth soaked in a soap solution and wrung out thoroughly. Cleaning is done with smooth movements, without leaving ugly stains on the surface.
The natural base of liquid wallpaper is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture, although only slightly. Therefore, it is not recommended to wash liquid wallpaper with water. If a layer of varnish is applied to the coating, it can be easily removed by frequent wiping with a damp cloth. Liquid wallpaper can be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
Fiberglass wallpaper can be cleaned in any way. They can be wiped clean, washed and even used with household detergents. The structure of the wallpaper is strong and resistant to mechanical stress. There is only one limitation on caring for them: the paint-and-lacquer coating of fiberglass wallpaper must be resistant to the "aggressive" activity of disinfectants or detergents.
How to glue wallpaper on the walls in the bathroom - watch the video:
As you can see, wallpaper for walls in a bathroom is an excellent option for decorating it with the right choice of material.
