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Wallpaper over shower - crazy idea?

18 years ago

Perhaps this properly belongs in the Bathrooms forum, but I thought old house owners were more likely to sympathize. We have a small bathroom with original subway tile to shoulder height, and I desperately want to put William-Morris-type wallpaper above that. Problem is, this bathroom also has a shower (retrofitted into clawfoot tub). This bathroom probably won't get heavy use - it's the guest bath - but still. Is this wallpaper going to just peel right off in 2 years? Will I be knocking on the door every time my guests shower, saying, "Be sure and open the window"?

I'm hoping someone can report that they've got wallpaper in their bathroom and it works just fine.

Why I'm worrying about this bathroom when the rest of the house has gone to rack and ruin, I can't say. Maybe it's the appeal of a small space that I can actually get my mind around.

Featured Answer

gluestickgirl

18 years ago

we have wallpaper in our bathroom and it sure isn't coming off.. even though we're TRYING to get it off!

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Comments (12)

Carol_from_ny
18 years ago
I've got wallpaper in two of my bathrooms. It holding up just fine.
As long as you do a good job prepping the walls and use a good quality adhesive you should have no problem.
aprilwhirlwind
18 years ago
I'll go along with Carol, I've seen bathrooms with wallpaper that lasted for years.
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Hi again, he is travelling so I just spoke to him in the phone. LMK if this doesn’t make sense. The silicone seal is the last step and primarily is to protect the wallpaper, not to prevent water infiltration, although of course it helps. First step is the cement board - wall and deco says you can install over regular drywall, probably okay but my contractor put in cement board appropriate for a wet space. Then waterproof Kerdi (Schluter?) membrane covering pretty much everywhere, overlapping appropriately. Wall and Deco have a water proof product that is applied to seams (and the whole wall I believe). This requires three coats over a number of days. Finally the silicone, which my contractor recommends be reapplied or touched up every year or so to provide additional protection the very bottom of the wallpaper. This video about Kerdi membrane and Kerdi band may help. We’ve been using the shower for a year now, still love it and no signs of wear or damage. Good luck.
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maddiemom6
18 years ago
Make sure to just wallpaper paste that is for bathrooms.. do good prep and it will be up there for the long haul.

Maddiemom
kzarina17
18 years ago
Me too, have wallpaper that isn't budging! Just a thought, have you seen the stencils that are an allover stencil? It's like wallpaper but you stencil it on, like this:

http://www.royaldesignstudio.com/dept.asp?a=&dept=1008&dept_name=Allover+Patterns

I'd love to use this technique, somewhere, someday...;)
housekeeping
18 years ago
Add a bathroom exhaust fan to move that moisture out. And *don't* have one of those fancy ultra-flow multi-nozzle shower heads. Install an undersized water heater for the room: that way guests will run out of hot water before the paper comes off!

Molly~
mwkbear
18 years ago
If you prep properly, and use sizing on the walls first, and a good quality vinyl wallpaper, you should have no trouble with it.
morgan88
18 years ago
"install an undersized water heater"

that's just mean. i love it.
randymeyer
18 years ago
As previously mentioned - make sure paper is 'vinyl'.
mpp798
18 years ago
My bathroom wallpaper lasted years before I took it down. The only problem was that mold accumulated on it over the shower area. Since your shower won't be used very often, this shouldn't be a problem. My wallpaper wasn't vinyl but the professional pasted it on.
User
18 years ago
In 1987, two friends (non-professionals) wallpapered our bathroom as a gift to us, while my family and I were out of the country. The only "venting" in the bathroom has been -- the window! And yes, the wallpaper began to peel-- about two years ago, after more than 15 years of lots of hard use as the only tub/shower in this 110-year-old house. I'd say--go for it!
chloecat
18 years ago
Wallpaper is EVIL!

LOL!

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