Can you go with a taller beadboard? I would do it so the shelf piece (the top-most piece of molding) is just below if the outlet the blowdryer is plugged into. Beadboard comes in 8' sheets, so you'd get two heights from each board. Or, you can use the short beadboard but add a very tall baseboard to boost it up. What we did was we mounted the beadboard on fill the same thickness as the beadboard and mounted it so the beadboard started about 1/2" below the top of the 7" baseboard. At the top we are adding a 3" board and then a shelf and cove.

Are you going to be replacing the backsplash on the counter?

I don't think I would run a small amount of bb above the counter, but instead take it to the height you want and trim it out. Here's an example from my bathroom.

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If I were in this sitch, I'd actually reduce the beadboard height by a couple of inches so that the top of the backsplash is being used as the reference line for the top of the beadboard. You can rest a piece of trim on top of the backsplash to see if that looks fine, if it does you can give the beadboard that extra inch or so. That will still bring the top of the beadboard above the top of the average toilet, which is an attractive thing to do. If you bulk up your baseboard a bit (wussy baseboards are a peeve of mine) and perhaps use a slightly larger top molding, you would probably be able to use the 32" length that will get you 3 pieces out of a 4x8' sheet or 8-foot plank of beadboard, and thus probably be able to save you enough to pay back the cost of the larger trims.

Oh, and I think it will look best by far if you do panel that little space next to the door, as well as the corner by the storage closet/cabinet thingy. They'll be narrow strips so you can likely eke those out of scraps. If you're not up to mitering that outside corner, corner molding will take care of the raw beadboard edges quite nicely.

Purely from a decorative standpoint, I've always been fond of the beadboard that goes 2/3 of the way up the wall in bathrooms. I agree with Marie -- hold a little beadboard scrap up there (your hw or lumber store may have a scrap) and see how it looks. If it's not okay, then go with the shorter stuff... or just don't beadboard that particular wall.

We ended up getting the vinyl beadboard, so we didn't have the choice of sizes. Our thinking was that this is a boy's bathroon and vinyl would be easier to clean up if you get my meaning. We noticed today that it scratches and dents really easily so I'm afraid we may have made a mistake by going that route. I think we will hold some trim above the countertop edge and see how it looks, since the countertop will be staying.

annz - That's some of the prettiest beadboard I've ever seen. Do you have a picture of the rest of the bathroom?

Laurie

I have to ask - as you taking off the old paper before putting on the new?

Laurie,

Most of my home has the bb but only the entrance to the bath has it. After it wraps around the walls you see in the pic, the rest is drywall.

We installed the vinyl/pvc beadbord this summer in a nursery for DIL. Did you buy it from HD? We added more finish nails and liquid nails than directions called for since we wanted it a little more stabilized and then filled all the nail holes with spackle. DIL wanted it to match her window trim so we primed it and then painted with acrylic paint. It's holding up really well!

kec01 - yes, we've already taken off the old paper, although in our kitchen we ended up wallpapering over the old because the original didn't not want to come off. Now I'm wanting to get rid of the wallpaper in the kitchen and texture the walls, so I'm going to have two layers of wallpaper to remove. I may hire someone to do that job :)

Laurie

No, no, Oceanna, I didn't mean to hold a piece of beadboard above the backsplash. I said to place a piece of the TRIM above it, thus using the top of the backsplash as the reference line - the top of the backsplash thus becomes the line of the bottom of the trim as it goes round the room. While I also like the look of beadboard going 2/3 up the wall, you do generally need to buy twice as much material and end up with quite a bit of waste (unless you have seriously low ceilings! LOL). I have a "thing" about waste. :-)

Laurie, if that's the Azek beadboard, it can be cut with conventional woodworking tools. Just wear a good dust mask, and if you're somewhere where you're not freezing your patoot off (I can't keep track of where everyone is :-( ) do it outside. However, if you haven't cut anything up yet, take it back and complain about the quality - it should not scratch and dent so easily! You can use regular beadboard paneling from one of the big box stores or large lumberyards as a good quality primer and enamel paint will make things nicely washable, as long as you don't a) use flat paint like my moron PO did on the trim here or b) use super-harsh cleaners that will dissolve paint. (Krud Kutter will peel latex paint right off a surface, we discovered when we tried to scrub a stain off vinyl flooring and it got on the baseboard - we had to repaint lying on my belly on the floor!).

johnmari - Unfortunately, we've already cut the BB, so we'll be keeping it. I guess if it doesn't hold up well, we'll replace it when it looks bad. Like I'm always telling my kids, these aren't mistakes, they're learning experiences :)

Laurie

I just joined and this is my first post, I've looked here for about three months and look at it every day, so many beautiful homes. I just finished my small powder room, 4 x 7. Husband put a off white tile floor, we have a white vanity with black granite, he put off white beadboard 36" high and white molding. I put off white and black toile wallpaper all around except the one 4' wall which is painted black above the beadboard. There is a window on the black wall which I have gathered a white lace curtain on a tension rod top and bottom, then made a valance with toile fabric I found at the fabric store, it is on a rod that goes on the outside of the window. I plan on putting a picture over the toilet and ordered a buffet lamp with a small black shade to go on the vanity. It turned out nice and if I can get my son over here to help me put it on the computer I will send it.

levelyn42 - I can't wait to see pictures! I'm going with a toile wallpaper also. I was wondering if I should put pictures in there. In a way I think it would look good, but in a way I hate to cover the toile.

Laurie

First time posting a picture so will see if it works.

Oh, Levelyn that's beautiful!

I agree! I love all the contrast with the balck and white.

love it! Great job!

I'm so glad you posted pictures. I love it! DH asked me last night if we could cancel the wallpaper order because he really likes the newspaper wallpaper better than the toile. After seeing yours, there's no way I'm canceling it. I eventually want to replace our countertop, but I had no idea what color to replace it with. I'm not crazy about the white, but I didn't think I had any other choice. Do y'all think it would be too much black in one place if I had the black cabinets and a black granite or corian countertop?

Laurie

evelyn, that is gorgeous!! Did you post it on the bathroom forum? I know some folks over there would love to see the photo's.

Laurie, the black vanity with black countertop sounds okay. Got one in mind you could picture here? I do like Evelyn's white with black.

Just for fun...

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Hi Laurie
Love the idea of black/ white & toile.. Can't wait to see pictures when it's finished. If you are not crazy about a white counter top , maybe re paint the cabinet white and leave the top black ?? levelyn42's bathroom is beautiful... and the sink cabinet looks great. (just a thought) what did you ever decide to do with your paneling? (I am so far behind on here..lots of catching up to do)
Ree

Thank you, I'm glad you liked the black and white, it was fun to do, when I get the decorations I would like to post again. I was just so happy my son could show me how to post a picture, and it was by mclarke post we went by for directions. I haven't posted to the bath site, think I will have to have a second lesson to post a picture and write it down. Laurie I think your white counter top will look great with the black vanity. I'm thinking about making small stool with toile top and black and white check little skirt. Once you start working on your bath I know it will come together and look great.
Evelyn

Ree - We've just finished painting the cabinets black :)
I got kind of confused on the paneling again, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Woodstock Tan, which is the one most people liked. I haven't picked the color for the hallway yet, but I'm looking for something close to the color of the paneling so that I don't have 3 different colors. I started my new job this week, so I'm not sure when I'm going to finish everything.

oceanna - You always seem to come up with the neatest things. I wish I could find a shower curtain that matches the wallpaper.

Laurie

Just wanted to update y'all on what we did. I was afraid it would look too short if we stopped it at the backsplash.

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Laurie

Oh! perfect.

Laurie, I think that looks great! I can't wait to see the room as you progress. I love looking at the pictures of everyone's pretties.

Oh I'm so happy that you enjoyed my pictures! I just googled "black toile bath" and "black toile bathroom" and then snooped the Images. So if you want to find any of that stuff that's how you can do it. Not sure about a shower curtain matching your wallpaper, but if you find a paper with matching fabric you can sew one. Another idea is to find the fabric you like, make a shower curtain from it, then use more of that fabric as wallpaper putting it up with wallpaper paste (but your walls won't be so scrubbable that way).

Other options would be to shop for a different b&w shower cutrain. This one is a nice classic that will never go out of style -- White with Black Trim

Or here is a Solid Black Curtain.

Or, I really like this one. I have a weakness for pintuck satin. It's so classy. Black Pintuck Curtain.

Here it is in a White Pintuck Curtain. I'd be very tempted to pick that one, but I'd put the bath together before I decided which.

Thanks, Oceanna. I actually picked up a black one from Walmart, but I'm undecided about what would look best, the black or the white. I looked at the white ones at Target this weekend and I think they had a pintuck one. Of course, the black/white one would be a good compromise :)

Laurie