I had tin tiles in a bathroom in my old house. They were ugly and rusted, but I painted them anyway. Made a HUGE difference and lasted several years! I think we used epoxy paint, but it was a long time ago. I'm sure a paint dealer would sell you the right stuff. It was not hard at all...just like ordinary painting, looked flawless and there were no brushmarks at all...had a high gloss, mirror finish! Easy to keep clean, too. As for wallpaper, I love the stuff. I have it everywhere! I have vinyl type in my kitchen, where I do a LOT of cooking, and it washes easily and well. I have it in my main bathroom, too, and despite all the steam four of us could put it through every day for the past 9 years, it still looks terrific. And those walls were (still are) awful underneath the paper. I think paintable wallpaper is a good suggestion, but why not just use wallpaper and eliminate one process? You will always see the seams on wallpaper, paintable or not, but done correctly, printed wallpaper seams are almost invisible - IMO, they are far less visible on printed than they are on paintable wallpaper. If you didn't notice the bad walls under the old paper, you probably won't be able to see the bad walls under new paper, either. I also think 5 years is not long enough for such an expensive investment as good wallpaper. But, then, I'm not much for change in my house. And whatever paper you use, be sure you size it first!

Under $30 roll is not difficult to find. There are some very nice papers available in that price range. Have a small space? Try eBay. Many times you can get high-end wallpapers in small quantities for only a little $$. I did that with a Thibault paper not too long ago (although I don't have it hung yet...LOL). If I were trying to stay in the under $30 camp, I'd go with traditional designs--damasks, toile, stripes...things that don't go out of style. Anaglypta and lincrusta papers are always interesting and not necessarily expensive--although hanging them can be a challenge! I am a HUGE fan of Bradbury papers. There's absolutely nothing more beautiful that a room full of their wallpaper. I have several friends who have used it and it's FABULOUS although pricey. They are now starting to manufacture some mid-century design papers that are way cool, too... Most notably, I love some of their new kitchen designs: They're just fantastic. I used a less expensive paper in my laundry/mud room. It's a toile and I only used it on one wall. It's much more fun that just a painted wall and adds so MUCH character to this old house (which originally had EVERY room papered). Wallpaper is great stuff. There's nothing like it for adding texture or interest to a room.

nutmegxo- I have the embroidered coverlet and a duvet cover whiched I alternate using for my main covering and the euro shams also in the embroidered pattern. My dust ruffle is the satin in champagne, but I will honestly tell you, I did not like the way the dust ruffles are attached. They are attached by a strange type of straight pin which were very difficult to attach. Not only that but the part that was attached to the box spring, tore in several places. The dust ruffles themselves are beautiful, but they way they are attached is not a good idea. Even velcrow would be better. The wallpaper that I was looking at was F&B and the minimum order is 3 rolls, making the price around 900.00. Way too much for one wall! I love yours and may start looking again. It really does make a statement! I love the direction you are going and the color is great!

Hi KK, i've used both the grasscloth and the textured paper~ one isn't any harder to install than the other. Both are a bit stiffer than other papers, but I did it myself w/both papers. Pros:the textured is really nice w/ the advantage of changing colors. Cons:w/little kids running their little hands over it, after years dirt will collect in the little grooves, and it's almost impossible to get that out. You can't scrub, but you can touch up. Pros:grasscloth is gorgeous and more formal looking than the textured, IMO. Cons:if you have cats, forget it! Oce they find out they can get their little claws into it, you'll have paper that looks like fringe! Again, the little fingers will eventually break down the fibers of the grasscloth, having the same effects as the cats, sorry. So it's kids vs cats!LOL In either case, make darn sure you do the pre-paste on the wall should you ever want to remove the paper. This guarantees(well almost)removing the backing of the paper much easier. Good luck w/your decision. ;o)