Wallpaper borders in a bathroom

May 23, 2006 20 Replies

I'm planning to hang vinyl, prepasted, strippable wallpaper trim (7") at the top of the painted (satin or eggshell finish)walls. Even though the trim comes prepasted, should I use extra adhesive, due to the higher humidity generally found in bathrooms especially around the tub/shower combo?



The bathroom has a window, but no exhaust fan. Its perimeter is 42 feet.



The instructions don't mention anything about high-humidity rooms. They just recommend an oil-based or wallpaper primer first; I'll use the latter.



Thanks,



Ray


My house came with wallpaper *and* border in the bathroom. I do NOT know if it's the type intended for humid environments. It's peeling all over the place, and I have an oversize fan that's always used during showers. Obviously, this is a sample of just one, and there may be bathrooms where the wallpaper's held up well, but I think it's a really bad idea. How about checking with some real paint stores for some stenciling ideas first?

We have wallpaper in a 7 X 8 bathroom with one window and no exhaust fan. We use the stall shower at least twice a day, and have never had a problem with peeling. The paper is pre-pasted, strippable, not vinyl, and I didn't use any extra adhesive. I put the first pattern up about

15 years ago, over unprimed new drywall (I didn't know any better) and I was very happy with it. About 10 years ago we redecorated, and since the unprimed drywall was fine, I just stripped off the old paper, painted the trim, and then put up new paper. It's been peel free as well for nearly 10 years.

Was your paper designated for humid environments?

No, and that's the weird part. I learned to hang wallpaper when I was

12, but all we ever used was the wet-and-hang cheap paper stuff. When I first did the bathroom in my own house as an adult, I didn't know any better, so I used the same cheap stuff, no wall prep, etc. However, it held up so well, I used the same technique and cheap paper for the redecorate, and it's been fine, too. When I last did the kitchen, I chose paper I liked, and didn't bother look at high humidity, vinyl, etc, just wet-and-stick. In the kitchen, however, I at least prepped the walls. It's been fine too, and it's been about 7 years. In the livingroom, I used a "good quality" heavy paper, and even though it was pre-pasted, I put it up with paste instead of water, over well--prepped walls, the way professionals do. That's the ONLY place I've ever had a problem, and only with the border in one corner.

My experience has been that cheap, wet-and-hang is totally the way to go. Maybe I've just been lucky?

Maybe! I wish I had more info about what the walls were like in this bathroom before the wallpaper was installed. The previous owners were very young. Based on some other things I've seen in this house, they may have coated the walls with Pam cooking spray before papering. :-) Example: "We replaced the screen doors, but it's still very chilly near the doors". Duh. They forgot the weatherstripping. There was a 1/4" gap around the doors.

hey ray, don't waste your time.....................wallpaper boarders will "date" your bathroom. YMMV, rosie

For whom? Next buyer? He's to decorate his house for *them*??

He can take it down later just before sale if that's truly a concern.

For now, if he likes a border, he should put up a border!

Banty

Yep, you may not care, and you should decorate your home to your own tastes, of course, but wallpaper borders are _SO_ 1995.

-- Jennifer

perfect. That will make me feel 10 years younger.

Still, they're sometimes better than stupid wooden cows and other "country" crap. Or, rickety wooden chairs designed to torment anyone sitting in them.

And anything he does now, if it isn't what you would call "dated", will be, ten years from now "_SO_ 2006".

Phooey.

Banty

you are correct of course, but somehow i got the idea that he was looking to sell...........

If you do decide to hang the border in your bathroom....make sure to use an adhesive designed just for borders. Even though the border may be prepasted, the border adhesive you use will have a fungicide in it and will withstand the humidity issues.

Or 1795 maybe. My house was built in 1802 and we were the first people to own it who were not related to the original owner/builder. We were given all sorts of old pictures and hints about what was under various walls and when it was installed. We even found a cupboard full of old scraps from two hundred years of decorating! We found some flocked wallpaper remnants as old as 1805 on a livingroom wall and some rose border bits in a bedroom from 1810, so it's obvious to me that my house is supposed to have wallpaper and borders.

Like kitchens with dark cabinets, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. Exactly :)

Of course, if he keeps the borders for another 20 years, they'll probably be "retro" instead of "dated".

-- Jennifer

BINGO!

I mean, when I was remodding my kitchen (planning it..) the first time I saw that look (dark cabinets, black granite, brushed nickel ultra-mod hardware, SS applicances) I thought it looked really really good. ('Cept I hate the wood kitchen floor thang..) It does, actually! But then, I saw it again again again again again this showroom that decor magazine this other sitcom which wants to project a very stylish setting again again. I got sick of it.

Then I pretty much decided "yeah, that's the Kitchen of 2005". Mebbe in 20 years Billy Joel will make another "I didn't start the fire" video... :)

But then, that's not a reason NOT to do it, or some elements of it, either. (I went for granite countertops, and, BTW, just to be somewhat on thread-topic, I stripped down and got rid of the '80s wallpaper border in my kitchen).

But what I did, since it draws on what's available now, has *some* features which will tie it somewhat to this decade. It's inevitable.

Yep.

How many bungalows "weren't kept up" now "have all their original features!". And boomerang Formica is back! *Turquoise* *boomerang* *Formica*. And - get this - the 1959 GE electric oven I took out - it went to someone who wanted parts for another oven!!

So you might as well do what you like and the heck with it.

Banty

Don't tell my girlfriend that.

Yikes NO!

Never use this if you ever plan to take it off !

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