It was just past 7 am last Tuesday when I realized my wallpaper gamble had paid off. Standing half asleep in the bathroom clutching a mug of coffee, I noticed how the morning light spilled across the walls. It occurred to me that, given how grumpy I usually am at that hour, I hadn’t smiled this early in the morning without coffee in far too long.
And then I smiled. Really smiled, at myself in the mirror. I had done it.
I finally hacked bathroom wallpaper. I was terrified to wallpaper a bathroom.
It felt like asking for trouble.
Water damage, buckling seams, mildew: these are all horrifying realities of bathroom wallpaper, especially for someone as clumsy as me. But after staring at plain ol’ builder white for nearly two years, I was willing to try. I moved into my house during a dark and gloomy January.
It was one of those mornings where the fluorescent light pouring into the bathroom through the window made everything take on a greenish hue. As I prepared for work that day I caught sight of myself in the mirror and thought Is this room sucking the happiness out of my face?! Inspired, I Googled waterproof wallpaper later that afternoon.
My first attempt was a bust. The first roll of wallpaper I ordered was too busy for my tiny bathroom (don’t worry, we’ll get to that). It was a beautiful pattern inspired by William Morris: think deep jewel tones of blue and green, swirling vines, and impressionistic flowers.
It came Friday and I hung the first strip that night. By Saturday morning I had ordered myself some wallpaper removal solution. William Morris, I love you, but you’re too much for my tiny bathroom.
The background pattern I ended up choosing was much simpler: a barely-there geometric pattern with sage green and cream colored lines. I discovered it through a small wallpaper business based out of Kansas (!) called Chasing Paper. They sell removable wallpaper, which was perfect because I’m now allergic to committing.
The sage and cream palette was just soft enough that the pattern appears to shift throughout the day, giving the textured walls some depth that prevents them from looking flat or cheap. Let me tell you something about wallpapering a bathroom that no one talks about: DON’T paper all the walls. I get it.
You read about how life-changing bathroom wallpaper can be and you dream of your cabinets wrapped in the most beautiful grasscloth. But you will not be happy if you paper all the walls in your bathroom. All.
Of. Them. Trust me, I wanted to too.
You Might Also Like
I painted the three walls bordering my accent wall (the wall behind my sink/vanity) a soft white that matched the wallpaper. I did learn a few things about placement, however. First and foremost: steer clear of the shower.
We all know this, but like I said, I’ve watched enough Geek Girls DIY that I thought I could handle a little water on my new wallpaper. But DON’T. The other thing I did was make sure there was at least one foot between my wallpaper and any source of water.
My bathroom is fairly well ventilated—I have an actual working exhaust fan, whereas my last apartment’s “bath exhaust fan” was purely decorative—and dry humidity wasn’t as big of a concern. Still, I used caulking to seal the edges of the paper where they met the wall just to be safe. It took forever, but it was worth it.
So far, no warping! The installation itself wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, thanks in large part to countless hours of Fixer Upper and YouTubers tearing down old walls. Well, the installation wasn’t bad; aligning the pieces took FOREVER.
The most frustrating part? The corners. If you pick a pattern with hard lines you will hate yourself when they don’t line up exactly.
Mine didn’t. After measuring and cutting everything twice I somehow managed to end up with gaps on either end of the room that were about 1/8th of an inch too little. I spent way too much time that weekend with a small razor cutting tiny bits off the ends until I could see that they would line up.
Lesson learned. The second lesson I learned was that one wall of wallpaper really can change a room. Not only does my bathroom have some actual texture now (thank you, gods of paint, for grasscloth! ), but my entire vibe when I walk in that bathroom has changed.
I used to run through my morning routine as fast as possible and not give the room a second thought.
Now when I enter the bathroom I actually feel like I’m in my house. I get compliments on my “new” bathroom all the time—even my mom thinks I just painted the walls!
The happiness halo effect of my grasscloth walls hasn’t stopped there, either. Since putting in that first wall I’ve noticed myself upgrading other aspects of my bathroom I never thought about before. I replaced a builder-basic mirror with a more interesting shape, invested in actual soft towels, and keep a pothos near the sink to take advantage of the humidity.
Would I wallpaper another bathroom? In a heartbeat. If I could go back in time, I would’ve started with a sample swap out before putting my permanent wallpaper up.
Though I love the grasscloth I ended up with, that trial by fire method forced me into a wallpaper I liked pretty easily. Next time I’ll probably start with an easier project too, like my powder room. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with trying if you know your limitations.
Measure twice, cut once, DIY on!
