About ten years ago, the question of how to trim the walls of the bathroom was not standing. But today, given the advanced technological capabilities and abundance of various building materials, it becomes relevant. Standard tile already begins to slowly go out of fashion, the plastic looks like the deceased, the lining is not always appropriate, and the wallpaper for the bathroom is just what you need.
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Types of wall-paper for bathroom
Popularity of such finishing material aswallpaper, is caused by a relatively inexpensive price, easy installation and a rich palette of a variety of options. These factors prompted the manufacturing companies to create a completely new product that would greatly expand the possibilities of using this product. The idea was embodied in the form of several variants of wallpapers:
- washable,
- moisture-resistant vinyl,
- self-adhesive,
- liquid.
Each of the options has both its advantages and disadvantages, which will be discussed in more detail.
Washable wallpaper for bathroom
This product appeared at the beginning of the 2000s and at first did not differ in the declared characteristics. Nevertheless, today washable wallpaper - this is a fairly high-quality wear-resistant material.
Its main feature is a special impregnation that creates a microfilm on the surface.repulsive moisture. This allows you to wash the wallpaper with a wet rag and, even, pour water on them without any changes in the texture.
Most often they are used in children's rooms and in the kitchen, where the pollution of the walls is in the order of things. Although the material has good enough waterproofing properties, it is not suitable for a bathroom.
This is related to the peculiarities of the operational mode of the room. In the bath is always high humidity, in itself, it is not terrible for wallpaper, but the steam is extremely negative affects them. Couples are able to penetrate the protective film and accumulate in the paper texture of the wallpaper. As a result, they will begin to fall off the walls and tear. In addition, even a slight damage to the protective film causes the entire strip to become unusable.
Even high-quality ventilation of the premises and extremely careful attitude to the walls do not guarantee 100% protection.
Sometimes, after the repair, there are a few rolls of wallpaper, which it is a pity to throw out, but there is nowhere to go. In order not to throw out the material, it can be applied to the bathroom, but the entire surface will need to be treated with a transparent waterproof varnish. The disadvantage is the appearance and extremely weak ventilation of the walls.
Vinyl wallpaper for the bathroom
Replace washable wallpaper should have been vinyl. But their cost is higher, so they did not compete with each other. Wallpaper on a vinyl base already have certain moisture-proof properties that float out of the properties of the material.
But this is not enough to withstand the hard loads in the bathroom. They are impregnated and covered with special additives, which reduce the destructive effect of water and steam to none. Such wallpaper:
- wear-resistant,
- durable,
- not rubbed from washing,
- does not mold.
We can not forget that the wallpaper on vinyl, like washable, is made of paper. It is very important to walk well in the fitting places, ideally to fix the upper and lower edge. The smallest gap will lead to the fact that it will begin to form condensation. Under the weight and impact of moisture, the glue will gradually move away from the wall, as a result of which the sheet will fall off. Just stick it again does not work, because the moisture from the back will most likely cause the appearance of mold, therefore, you will have to do a chemical treatment or re-plaster part of the wall.
Self-adhesive waterproof wallpaper for bathroom
Unlike the above, this option does not include paper. It is completely made of PVC.Given that the plastic is completely indifferent to water, this option is one of the most reliable.
On the other hand, they are not always sold in construction stores and are represented by a rather meager assortment. This circumstance forces you to apply to specialized private companies that make wallpaper with the right drawing and the corresponding size.
Another drawback - the complexity of dismantling. They are shot using a construction hair dryer, but it should be done very carefully, otherwise the material will melt and adhere to the wall, which then will be difficult to clean.
The durability and reliability of the material more than compensate for all its minor drawbacks.
Liquid wallpaper in the bathroom
Are the most modern and popular material. Initially they are a dry powder, which consists of a wallpaper base and special protective additives, which ensure moisture resistance of the material and protection from fungus, mold and bacteria.
Liquid wallpaper is diluted with water and then applied to the wall as plaster. This is one of the main advantages of the material. Having high adhesion, it makes the preliminary plastering of walls optional. Thanks to a soft knitting basis, the wallpaper is easily filled with any cracks and irregularities, resulting in a perfectly smooth surface.
Some varieties of this material mimic natural stone, they are better used in houses of old construction, where to find a right angle and make lighthouses quite difficult. Texture application technology will allow to visually correct this deficiency.
This wallpaper for the bathroom, the price of which is justified by the quality. Pleasant, soft to the touch texture, unlimited lifespan, a rich variety of options and the ability to implement any design solutions.
The only drawback is the lack of good distributors in small towns, but this phenomenon is temporary. To understand what this material is, see the wallpaper for the bathroom photo:
How to choose a safe wallpaper
To buy wallpaper for the bathroom that will be safe for health, you must carefully read the composition. Most protective additives are made from products of the petroleum chemical industry. From the point of view of the molecular composition, they contain volatile compounds that evaporate fairly readily into the environment. Among them are:
- safe,
- permissible,
- poisonous.
Safe impregnations do not have any smell, this is the main criterion by which environmentally friendly wallpaper is distinguished from the chemical industry product.
Permissible impregnations emit a smell, but it is practically not perceptible. If the room is well ventilated, a couple of chemicals will evaporate faster than they can harm the body.
Unsafe impregnation is characterized by a sharp, unpleasant odor, similar to acetone, varnish or gasoline. The vapors released are heavier than air, so they settle in the room and affect human health.
The first sign is headaches, then pain in the liver, problems with the circulatory system and neuroses begin. Long stay in the room leads to the appearance of hallucinations.
The use of such harmful components is due to the fact that their cost is not great and allows to save a lot on production.
The smell should not be forgotten on the label or somehow disguised, this is the surest sign of product quality.
If we consider the issue from the side of chemistry, then any acetates and benzenes are considered extremely dangerous and are not compatible with everyday everyday use.
Sticky technology
How long the wallpaper last depends on the quality of the sticker. Consider this process as detailed as possible:
- dilute wallpaper paste( for the appropriate type of wallpaper) in the proportions indicated on the pack,
- well stir and give glue to stand for 20-30 minutes,
- during this time to prepare a strip of wallpaper,
- trim it with a minimum margin of 4 cm aboveand bottom,
- to smear the back side of the adhesive strip and fold it in half, leave it for 5-10 minutes in this position,
- while the wallpaper is soaked, glue the wall,
- straighten and glue the strip( from the ceiling to the floor).
It is better to do the whole work together, it will not only save time, but will also ensure the quality of the gluing.
The important point is the seams. They are rolled with a special plastic roller, at the same time, after the first rolling, the edges must be bent, once again glazed with glue and finally fixed.
The wallpaper is trimmed exclusively with a special plastic spatula, and in case if the width of the strip is more than one meter - a roller.
It's better to close the wallpaper to the ceiling with moldings, and to the floor - with skirting boards.
This technique is applicable only for paper wallpapers, we will consider how to work with other types.
Self-adhesive wallpaper consists of a pattern and a back part with a protective film. In order to fix the strip on the wall, it is necessary to remove the protective film and carefully stick the wallpaper. To improve the adhesion, the surface of the wall and the rear part must be moistened with water, for this purpose a manual spray gun is used.
The strip is glued for 5-7 minutes, so all bubbles of the folds and unevenness should be removed as quickly as possible. This is done with a plastic spatula. In addition, the gluing is allowed only on a perfectly smooth surface, on the wall there should be no crevices or cracks.
As for liquid wallpaper, the mounting technology is very similar to plaster. The only difference is that the solution should stay at least 12 hours, use it within two weeks. In diluted form, the wallpaper is stored in a cool, non-ventilated room without access to direct sunlight.
All the same options are possible that are typical of standard plaster:
- texture,
- coat,
- smooth,
- pattern,
- fir-tree.
The application method is exactly the same. The liquid wallpaper dries out after about 24 hours. After that, they are completely ready for use.
For all types of wallpaper is one common feature, the glue is extremely poorly reacting to drafts. Therefore, when performing work, the movement of air must be minimized, windows or entrance doors must not be opened.
Recommended companies
A lot of companies deal with the production of moisture-resistant wallpaper. To do this, do not need a large industrial capacity or a team of highly qualified specialists. By virtue of this, it is desirable to buy products only of proven brands that have proved themselves not only in Russia, but also all over the world. Among them:
- SENIDECO,
- Silkcoat,
- Cotex,
- Stenol,
- BioPlast.
SENIDECO is Europe's largest concern, which specializes in the production of wallpaper. The firm is French, this affects both the variety of options and their quality. Long-term experience and own design office allow the company to make a unique and reliable product.
In second place in popularity, also the French firm Cotex. The main and main direction is self-adhesive and photo wallpaper. Nevertheless, the range includes moisture-resistant vinyls and liquid wallpaper. Only the palette of flowers is inferior to the leader.
Silkcoat is a brand from Turkey. With a sufficiently high quality of products, it is much cheaper than that of Europeans. The products are represented only by the most fashionable and modern color gamut, but there is no need to expect much variety.
The company Stenol is the leading Russian wallpaper manufacturer. In the market, she appeared recently, but already managed to get fans. This is primarily due to the revolutionary production technology, which allows the use of only natural materials. All products are absolutely safe for health.
Another domestic manufacturer - BioPlast. Is engaged exclusively in the production of liquid wallpaper. The market appeared more than five years ago. The assortment is rather reserved, but the price is one of the most affordable.
Depending on the region, store and manufacturer, the cost of wallpaper varies:
- for washable 1-3 dollars per 1 sq. M.m,
- for vinyl 2-6 dollars for 1 square.m,
- for self-adhesive 3-4 dollars( if ordered, then up to 10) per 1 sq. m.m,
- for liquid 10-15 dollars per 1 kg.
Cheaper products are either manufactured by handicraft or illegally obtained in violation of tax or customs legislation.
