Bathroom finishing options: materials, photo ideas

When repairing a bathroom, to get a good result, you need to choose the right materials and evaluate the scope of work, the amount of time required. In the article we will consider various options for finishing the bathroom using traditional and unusual materials. 

Ways to level walls

Almost all options for finishing the bathroom provide for preliminary alignment of the walls. There are two ways – using plaster and drywall. Plastering is a longer and more expensive process, but takes up less space – when plastering, the existing irregularities are filled. You can quickly level the walls in the bathroom with drywall and it will cost less. And that’s a plus. But at the same time, at least 6 cm will “leave” on each wall (5 cm profile + 1,2 cm GVL thickness). And this is a solid minus, especially in small bathrooms. Another point: you can attach heavy things or equipment to drywall walls only if you have previously installed mortgages – a wooden block or steel strips fixed to the wall. And this is additional costs and difficulties.

Whatever way you choose to level the walls and ceiling in the bathroom, you must take into account the high humidity of this room. Therefore, all materials are taken moisture resistant:

• The plaster is chosen on the basis of cement. You can use plaster, but in which it is indicated that it can be used in wet rooms. It would be nice if the composition also included antibacterial components – against the development of fungus and mold.
• If the option of leveling the walls with gypsum plasterboard is chosen, it is taken moisture resistant, the frame is made of a galvanized profile. When puttying, special compositions are chosen for rooms with high humidity.
  

After leveling the walls by any of the methods, the surfaces are prepared for finishing. For laying tiles, evenly plastered walls or primed drywall are sufficient. Putty is required for wallpapering and applying decorative plaster. The surface must be perfect for painting, therefore the putty is applied in several layers (usually two are enough, but sometimes more).

There is an option for finishing the bathroom, under which the walls are not leveled – PVC wall panels. They are mounted on the crate, so the degree of curvature of the walls is unimportant.

Tiles and its types

When it comes to bathroom finishes, the first thing that comes to mind is ceramic tiles. This material is ideal for wet rooms, has a lot of advantages:

• High moisture resistance. Moreover, if the seams are well rubbed, ceramic tiles will protect the underlying layers from moisture.
• Hygiene. Washes well with any detergent.
• Durability. The wall decoration in the tile bathroom is changed mainly because you want something more modern, attractive. The pottery itself remains, as a rule, in a normal state. The seams look bad, but they can be updated by cleaning the old composition and filling it with new one.
  

• High maintainability. If one or more fragments are damaged, they can be replaced with new ones (therefore, leave a couple of tiles of different types in reserve).
• A wide range of. There are tiles of different sizes – large, medium, small, there are – square, rectangular, multifaceted, there are even round ones. All this in different colors – plain or textured, with a graphic or floral ornament, glossy or matte.

All this is wonderful, but the decoration of the walls in the bathroom with ceramic tiles also has disadvantages. The first is the considerable cost of finishing material. The second is the laboriousness and complexity of laying, and, therefore, the high cost of services for its installation. If you wish, you can lay the tiles yourself, but even under such conditions, this repair cannot be called cheap. The third disadvantage is rigidity. When shrinking at home, due to lack of elasticity, the tile may crack. Therefore, in new buildings they are trying to choose other options for finishing the bathroom. In any case, until the main shrinkage processes pass.

The same category should include wall decoration in the bathroom with porcelain stoneware and mosaics. Their wall mounting technology is very similar, as are the properties of materials, but the cost of material and work is even higher.

Painting

Painting is a traditional way of decorating walls in wet rooms, almost forgotten for some time due to the impracticality and unattractiveness of the resulting coating. The paint was only oil, the walls were not very smooth (to put it mildly), in general, the view turned out to be miserable. New technologies and materials make it possible to achieve a perfectly flat surface, a variety of colors – different effects. All this at low cost. This is gradually reviving the forgotten option for finishing the bathroom – painting the walls.

Wall preparation

For painting, a perfectly flat surface is required and it can be made so with the help of moisture-resistant putty. It can be applied to plaster or drywall. Regardless of the base, with sufficient skill, the surface becomes really perfect. Not a single flaw – it’s possible.

The prepared walls or ceiling are primed with a composition with an antibacterial and water-repellent component, after drying, you can start applying paint.

Types of bathroom paints

But not all paints can be used in the bathroom, since not all of them are moisture resistant. The following paints are suitable:

• Water-based paints based on latex and acrylates. Acrylic water emulsion is an inexpensive option that tolerates high humidity, but should not be used in close proximity to a bathtub, shower and washbasin. Latex emulsion forms a dense waterproof film on the surface and even slightly “tightens” irregularities, if any. How to paint walls with water-based paint, see here.
  

• Alkyd paints. In appearance, they are very similar to oil, but they have better characteristics, they can be glossy, semi-gloss, matte. Of the advantages – it has an average vapor permeability and a low price. Disadvantages – emphasizes all the irregularities, change color over time – acquire a yellowish tint. Another drawback is that they are made on the basis of organic solvents (white spirit, gasoline, turpentine), so the smell is strong before drying.
• silicate paints. The main plus is that fungus or mold will not appear on the walls and ceiling painted with this paint. There are other advantages: very high vapor permeability, strong and durable coating. Disadvantage: until the composition is dry, it is very harmful to humans. As soon as crystallization has occurred, the coating becomes absolutely harmless, but it is necessary to work in protective clothing and a respirator and leave the house before drying. Another unpleasant moment: no other paints “fall” on silicate paints. If you want to change the type of paint, you have to clean everything off.
• Based on silicones. This compound is 100% waterproof. It does not conduct water in any form – in the form of steam, too. Therefore, when finishing this type, you will have to do very powerful ventilation.
  

• Chlorinated rubber. Paints of this type are used in swimming pools for painting bowls, so they are suitable even for walls near the bathroom or in the shower. But you also have to take care of good ventilation and removal of the coating before the next painting.

As you can see, there are many options for finishing the bathroom with paint. Most can be used with a limited repair budget, but chlorinated rubber and silicone are not very cheap.

Decorative plaster

If he talks about new finishing materials for the bathroom, then first of all it is worth remembering about decorative plaster. It can be applied to relatively flat walls or to a plastered surface. Usually they prefer to first level the walls, then apply decorative plaster. It belongs to expensive materials, therefore it is desirable to minimize consumption.

For finishing the walls of the bathroom, moisture-resistant options are chosen, and these are mainly facade compositions. They do not change color for a long time, they can be washed with a stiff brush with detergent, but they are very rough to the touch. Options for finishing the bathroom with facade plasters are in the photo below.

One of the options for finishing the bathroom is Venetian plaster, covered with two layers of wax. With this combination of materials, water in any form simply rolls off it. In terms of practicality, this option is no worse than paint, but definitely more beautiful. Cons – high price and complexity of application.

Read about how to apply decorative plaster here.

Wallpaper in the bathroom

Wallpaper in the bathroom is perceived critically by many. And in vain. This is an inexpensive and quick way to decorate the walls in the bathroom. It is hardly worth pasting them over the area near the bathroom or washbasin, but the rest of the space is very possible. You need to choose wallpaper for the bathroom that is moisture resistant (three wavy lines in graphic coding), preferably resistant to friction – so that you can wash them with a brush.

Use glue with antibacterial additives, not forgetting to prime the walls with an antiseptic composition. This option is perhaps the cheapest bathroom wall decoration and the fastest way to tidy it up (assuming the walls are already leveled). And such a repair will last for a couple of years, and then you can re-paste the wallpaper or choose a more durable finish option.

How to glue wallpaper read here.

Plastic panels

PVC wall panels are another inexpensive alternative to bathroom tiles. Their charm is that the walls can not be leveled: they are attached to the crate, which will hide all the bumps. The second advantage is that they are inexpensive and are mounted quickly. Another plus is a large number of colors, including plastic panels imitating laid ceramic tiles, mosaics, and decorative panels.

Another positive point: under the plastic wall panels you can easily hide all communications, and they are also easy to clean. But so that mold does not start under the finish, the walls must be primed with an antiseptic composition and ensure good ventilation.

The disadvantages of this method of finishing the bathroom – the crate takes up a fairly solid volume, which is important. And the second minus is that the panels are fragile and jumpers are pressed into them with considerable effort. Having hit with your elbow, you will not break through the strips of normal quality, but the dent will be for sure, and this spoils the appearance.

The installation of plastic panels is described in detail here.

Custom bathroom finishes

Some finishing materials are not very suitable for use in conditions of high humidity, but, with certain processing, they can be used there. These materials include wood and natural and artificial stone.

There are also new materials for wall decoration, which, according to their characteristics, are suitable for the bathroom, but due to the fact that they have been developed recently, they are still little used. These materials include wall linoleum and thin PVC panels.

Here we will talk about all these finishing materials in this section.

Wall linoleum

This material is brand new. It is produced by Tarkett and is called Wallgard. It was developed as a wall covering in medical institutions because it is resistant to water and chemicals, can be washed many times, even with the use of disinfectants. In appearance, it resembles flexible plastic sheet 1,2 mm thick, sold in rolls 2 m wide, cut with scissors.

So far, there are not so many colors – the material is new, but since it has aroused active interest, the assortment will probably be expanded soon. Currently, if you prefer calm tones in decoration and matte surfaces, you can use wall linoleum.

The canvases are mounted on even walls, welded together with a special soldering iron with an adhesive cord. You can use cold welding (glue), but the tightness of this connection is much lower.

PVC panels without partitions

There are PVC panels for wall decoration without partitions. These are printed sheets of plastic. Plastic thickness 2-3mm, plate size 955*480mm or so. In Russia, they are produced by one campaign so far – the Regul enterprise produces the Dekopan material. One sheet costs 215 rubles, that is, the material is classified as inexpensive.

It is mounted on glue on even walls, cut with scissors. In general, a promising option for economical wall decoration in the bathroom. Surely summer residents will like it – it creates a 100% water-repellent surface, weighs little, and is easy to install.

Natural and decorative stone

If you are looking for non-standard options for finishing the bathroom, take a closer look at flagstone – natural stone sawn into thin plates – flagstone. Granite flagstone is most suitable, as it is not hygroscopic, but other types can be used. The laid stone is usually varnished on top, which is an additional protection against moisture.

Another option is marble. But this is an expensive material that looks only in spacious rooms. It is rarely used for finishing bathrooms, as it does not react well to contact with water, and it is difficult to protect it. Very difficult installation – the plates are large, weigh a lot, only professionals can handle it.

When laying natural stone, a special adhesive composition is used (for natural stone). The technique is similar to laying tiles, only you have to select each element.

Natural stone, of course, is beautiful, but heavy and expensive. The slabs have an arbitrary shape, which makes their laying very difficult. These problems do not exist if artificial decorative stone is used. It is made on the basis of gypsum and cement. To finish the walls in the bathroom, cement is used, since gypsum is hygroscopic and does not respond well to getting wet.

Laying decorative stone on the walls is a little more difficult than working with ceramic tiles. Each collection consists of a set of fragments in the form of small bricks of various shapes. They are joined to each other, it turns out an uneven, but picturesque surface. In order not to make a mistake when laying, first the fragments are laid out on the floor, a combination of colors and sizes of the elements is selected. When the “picture” satisfies, the decorative stone is alternately transferred to the walls.

Options for finishing the bathroom with decorative stone are numerous, but most often the stone is present only in fragments. They decorate one wall or even only a part. The rest of the space is most often painted or, as in the photo above, trimmed with mosaics. These types of materials combine very well.

Wood

In our country, wood for finishing a bathroom is used very rarely – it changes dimensions with changes in humidity, deteriorates faster and loses its appearance. So this is not the best option, although it no doubt looks beautiful.

Impregnations help to improve the situation, which retain the attractive appearance of wood even on the street. These are oils and waxes. Many of them give color to the wood at the same time as protection. It can be bleached, made darker, even painted in blue, pink or other colors – there are different colors.

These bathroom finishes look cozy and warm, and not cold, as when using tiles. The disadvantage of this type of finish is that regular wood maintenance is required using special tools.