13 Jun Remodel Your Bathroom Walls

Some studies have shown that the two most important rooms in the modern home are the kitchen and the bathroom. That makes sense; the first is the most public and the second is the most private. As time goes on, any living space is going to need to be remodeled, either to bring it up to the latest fashion or because of normal wear and tear. There are a few things to be aware of when you remodel your bathroom walls.

Removing the Wallpaper

Your bathroom has either wallpaper or paint. In either case, the first thing to do is to remove all the fixtures such as towel racks, toilet paper dispensers, etc. If the walls are painted, just caulk any holes and repair any faults in the drywall and you’re ready to repaint. Or if you plan to hang wallpaper, sand off the texture.

If you have wallpaper, wipe down the walls using a sponge and a bucket of warm water. The purpose of this is to loosen the glue.

Before hanging the wallpaper, a good paper hanger will size the walls. This means painting the walls with what is usually an acrylic primer. This is sort of a barrier between the wall’s porous surface and the wallpaper glue.

If the walls were properly sized the wallpaper should come off fairly easily as you coax it with the warm water. Otherwise, you’re going to be pulling off drywall paper facing and perhaps even chunks of drywall.

Skim the Walls with Drywall Compound

The thing you want to do now is to get a smooth surface. You do this by skimming the walls with drywall compound, or “mud”. Most likely you will need both a wide floating knife and a narrow taping knife. This is common when you remodel a bathroom because of so many narrow surfaces.

Sand the wall lightly after the drywall compound dries. You may need to skim the bathroom walls again to get a good finish. Disobey the temptation to rush this part of the job. Unlike what you might see on TV, actual remodeling projects do not reach completion in thirty minutes!

Prepare the Bathroom Walls for Paint or Wallpaper

Once you are satisfied with the walls it’s time to decide on paint or wallpaper. If you are going to paint it’s a good idea to texture the walls. Any imperfection will show up and the glossier the paint, the more obvious this will be.

There are many simple texturing techniques. Or for a really unique look, use this knockdown texturing tool.

Next, use a good latex primer to prepare the walls for paint. Be sure that you use painter’s tape on the areas where you are cutting in such as on the baseboards. After the primer is dry, use a good quality paint to ensure proper coverage. It’s important to choose the correct paint type. A satin finish paint works well in bathrooms. Make sure to follow there paint safety rules, before you start!

If you decide on hanging wallpaper, size the walls first. After removing the old paper, you know how important this is. Now hang the paper.

Install the Bathroom Fixtures

In most cases, you are going to be lucky to find even one stud to screw into. Invest a few dollars in a stud finder for this so you don’t have to mess up your new finish. Where you don’t have studs right where you want your fixtures, that’s ok, use spring-wing toggle bolts. Too many people rely on those little plastic wedges and end up disappointed. There is a plastic wedge on the market that works. This one actually screws into the sheetrock. It is distinguished by very wide threads.

That’s all there is to it. Not rocket science, just patience, and attention to detail!