Can you wallpaper bathrooms?

We install wallpaper in bathrooms for interior designers and home owners most every week. The biggest key to a successful bath install is to take the time to prepare the walls correctly. Most baths have enamel paint which needs to be lightly sanded. All surfaces need to be inspected thoroughly to assure they are solid and sound. All loose areas must be thoroughly removed by scraping and sanding and all cracks and uneven areas and indentations filled. After the walls are smooth and solid mold and mildew needs to be washed with a TSP or bleach solution. The walls then need to be sealed with a quality sealer. We prefer a penetrating sealer as these best soak through the surface penetrating drywall dust and softer materials leaving a sound hard surface for the install. It also helps promote bonding.

Another helpful step is to size the edges and seems with a thin layer of quality wallpaper adhesive. This will help give “grab” to all the edges and seams. If these steps are taken and a quality wallpaper adhesive is used that is applied evenly and thoroughly your bath wallpaper should stay in tack for many years to come. Then main exception to this rule is a small bath with no ceiling van for ventilation where repetitive long hot showers are taken creating lots of steam. This can be hard on any wallpaper or painted surface over time. But besides this, if all the steps are followed, you can confidently wallpaper your bath.