Bathroom wallpaper

Bathroom wallpaper is wallpaper that withstands moisture, steam and splashes. What sets it apart from standard wallpaper is how it's built: a glass fibre backing, a water-repellent top layer or a complete wall system with a protective finish. The build you need depends on where in the bathroom it goes.

Waterproof bathroom wallpaper by brand

For shower walls, design brands have developed their own bathroom-grade wallcoverings. Each system has a set build-up of substrate, adhesive, backing and finish, and only performs if you follow it in full.

• Wall & Decò WET SYSTEM™: designs on technical glass fibre, sealed with a protective finish
• Glamora GlamFusion™: the waterproof finish is already built into the wallcovering
• Tecnografica H2O: the brand's murals on a glass fibre base for wet rooms
• Inkiostro Bianco EQ•dekor Fiber Glass: printed on woven glass fibre
• LondonArt Blue Glass Finish
• Instabilelab Fibratex

Wallpaper for the bathroom outside the shower

Around the basin and bath, walls get steam and the occasional splash, but never a direct jet of water. Washable vinyl wallpaper works well here too, provided the edges are neatly sealed and the room is well ventilated. On the dry wall by the toilet or behind the door, you have the widest choice. With a waterproof system, a single design can even run from the dry wall straight into the shower, with no tiled border in between.

Choosing bathroom wallpaper by zone

The closer to the water, the more protection you need: only a waterproof system inside the shower, washable or water-repellent wallpaper in the splash zone, and almost anything on the dry walls. For how to define the zones and care for wallpaper in a bathroom, read our article Can wallpaper go in a bathroom?

Buying bathroom wallpaper

Order a sample first and look at it in the light of your own bathroom. That light is often cooler than in a living room, so colors can look different. For shower walls, we recommend a wallpaper hanger with wet-room experience; our professional wallpaper hanger page explains how we can help. Not sure which system suits which wall? Visit the Selected Wallpapers studio in Montfoort.