Art is an important part of interior design: it adds charm, personality and subtle sophistication to the environment. Most often, such decor is found in the living room or bedroom. But paintings would also be appropriate in the bathroom. The main thing is to choose a material that is not afraid of high humidity, so that the decoration does not turn into a problem. If the choice is unsuccessful, the beautiful, graceful image on the canvas will turn into a mysterious example of surrealism, and mold will begin to grow under the frame.
Product Features
Decorating a bathroom with a composition of tiles is gaining more and more relevance over time. When choosing a finishing material, you should focus on the following aspects:
- long period of use;
- hygiene;
- durability of finishing;
- image resistance to high humidity, cleaning agents and temperature changes;
- affordable price.
A room can be effectively transformed with a tile pattern.
When purchasing a set, you need to pay attention to the material from which it is made. As an economical option, you can choose ceramic tiles. In addition to it, wall panels, porcelain stoneware structures, and mosaic finishing are used to create decor.
Cleaning and priming walls ↑
The first thing you must do is select a surface and prepare it for artistic use. Let's say you have an ordinary wall, and the room was renovated quite a long time ago. Somewhere the paint has peeled off or a piece of plaster has fallen out. The first thing that needs to be done is to clean and prime all surfaces. Our walls will be painted, so before priming them, you need to choose a mixture with good hydrophobic properties. The photo shows several different types of bathroom primers for painting.
Types of primer mixture for surface finishing
It is not difficult to list the stages of work: cleaning the surface from old finishing material and greasy stains, plastering, leveling if the walls are made of brick, puttying the walls, grouting. After the last step, re-priming is done to create a holding base before applying paint. The wall is ready, now we move on to painting the main background.
Varieties of composition
To decorate your bathroom, it is worth exploring different types of wall art. The type of design depends on the material that was taken as the basis for the finishing.
Has image resistance to high humidity
Wall decoration
The dimensions of the decorative painting directly depend on the total area of the bathroom. The chosen design is able to smooth out some of the shortcomings in the room and emphasize the external advantages. In a large bathroom you can install an oversized design. A pattern made of ceramic tiles is suitable. For the bathroom they often choose:
- seascapes;
- ships;
- marine flora and fauna.
A painting that should be installed in any corner will help make a small bathroom visually taller and wider. The drawing must have no plot. The best option would be abstraction or the image of thin lines.
The dimensions of the painting depend on the area of the room
Wall panels are made in different interpretations:
- Photopanel is a relatively young type of decoration. You can create it from any photos. Most often they use photos of media personalities, animals, plants, city landscapes, retro photos, etc.
- For a small bathroom, it is better to use mirrored wall decoration. A mirror will not only visually expand the boundaries of the room, but also fill it with light. The surface can be decorated with various translucent patterns.
- The walls of a small bath can also be decorated with a painting consisting of one tile. The drawing is placed against a background of tiles painted in one tone. Colored spots attract attention and look original.
- Panels with 3D images are made from modern materials of increased strength.
- Mosaic finishing is most often used to decorate the bathroom. However, laying such material is a very labor-intensive process. The images of seashells on a snow-white beach look beautiful.
Photopanel is a relatively young type of decoration
Mosaic composition
Mosaic as a decorative material is very popular among designers. The selected image is laid out using small multi-colored tiles up to 3 cm wide. Each part is secured using a special metal mesh. All elements are made from the following materials:
- Various textured ceramics. Mosaic tiles are coated with a moisture-resistant glaze, which also protects the surface of the future decor from abrasive wear.
- Glass mosaic looks like crystal. A spectacular image is not afraid of excess moisture. Glass parts do not react to acids and other chemicals.
- The smalt finish is durable and reliable. The technology for producing smalt elements makes it possible to install spectacular internal lighting when gluing.
- The use of stone of natural and artificial origin allows you to create unique compositions when decorating walls. The material can be polished or aged.
Mosaic as a decorative material
Mosaics can be used to create ornaments from oriental culture that will convey the long-standing spirit of history to the bathroom. Also, modern motifs, abstractions, portraits, silhouettes of animals and people, and elements of the plant world are created from small pieces.
The essence of making a mosaic is that the parts should be placed in random order. The result is unique patterns. A classic bathroom is decorated with geometric shapes. A room with a Provençal interior is decorated with images of pastel flowers or seashells.
A classic bathroom is decorated with geometric shapes
Ceramics on the floor
Due to their quality characteristics, ceramic tiles are best suited for decorative finishing of bathroom floors. The floor covering withstands mechanical stress well, is not afraid of dampness and has a long service life. The technical properties of a tiled panel in a bathroom make it possible to place electrical elements under the decorative material to install a heated floor system.
The tiles laid out in the shape of a rozon will look interesting. However, this type of ceramic image is suitable for a spacious room. The surface of the coating should be matte or glossy. Among the patterns, marine themes, shells, and paintings by famous artists are often used.
The floor covering withstands mechanical stress well
Ceramic wall panel
To create a composition in the bathroom, you can choose ceramic tiles of various textures and colors. The popularity of ceramic material is also due to its distinctive properties:
- ease of laying tiles;
- low cost;
- suitable characteristics for use;
- resistance to contact with household chemicals;
- resistance to mechanical stress;
- ability to withstand temperature changes.
Ceramic tiles with tulips
Along with all the advantages, tiled flooring also has some disadvantages. The main disadvantage of tiles is fragility.
Methods of applying ornaments
The pattern is applied to the ceramic surface using several methods:
- printing followed by firing is a time-consuming and expensive method. Using this method, an image can be applied even to a ribbed surface;
- sublimation printing is a faster and cheaper technique;
- A decal is a method of applying a design using a decal. The decal is the most functional option;
- The cheapest way is to use UV ink.
Painting a wall in a marine theme
When choosing photo tiles, it is necessary to take into account the place where installation will take place and the presence of high humidity. The decal technique is best used in a bathroom with good lighting and a constant level of humidity.
The cheapest cladding is used in rooms with low humidity and little risk of mechanical damage.
Features of porcelain stoneware
Porcelain stoneware finishes have a long service life and strength properties. The quality of the material is superior to its tiled counterpart. Porcelain tiles have a low level of water absorption compared to other types of finishes.
Porcelain tile finish has a long service life
Porcelain tiles have the following advantages:
- suitable for use in damp rooms;
- It is reliable and highly resistant to scratches;
- images of varying complexity are applied;
- The material is easy to care for.
Advice It must be remembered that this type of finish is very slippery and is not recommended for use on floors. Tiles with a glazed and polished surface are used for wall decoration.
Phototile
To create a decorative look in the bathroom, most designers prefer photo tiles. Using this material you can create images in the richest and brightest colors. It is also possible to choose any pattern. Photo tiles are used to decorate not only small areas of the bathroom, but also the entire wall.
With photo tiles you can create images in the richest and brightest colors
When purchasing photo tiles for a wall panel, it is recommended to choose the following options:
- images of wildlife or beaches of exotic countries. Waterfalls, fish, shells and jellyfish will look harmonious in the bathroom interior. The image of small boats with white sails will be romantic;
- For a bathroom decorated in various styles, floral patterns are suitable. Orchids look spectacular close-up;
- many designers use family photographs for panels.
From this type of tile you can make a whole image or break it into separate parts. To ensure that the selected picture covers the entire wall, high-resolution photographs are used. For a small canvas that can be placed in different areas of the bathroom, the cost will be much less.
A good option would be to select several small photos. Photo tiles are suitable for framing a doorway or mirror. You can also decorate a niche with it and install beautiful lighting there.
You can make a solid image from this type of tile
Glass tiles
A glass panel can have a matte, corrugated or smooth surface. It looks like a glass composition that is used to decorate an empty area on the wall. Such structures can be equipped with various lighting. Pieces of glass measuring 10x10 are painted in different shades and beautiful compositions are laid out from them.
The glass picture in the bathroom has some features:
- they are able to create bright accents in the interior of the room;
- suitable for rooms decorated in modern design directions;
- Glass panels with a mirror surface will look interesting. During the installation of special lighting, holographic patterns are applied.
May have a matte, grooved or smooth surface
Single-tile panel
A painting created from one tile contains a specific plot. The features of this type are as follows:
- For the main image, geometric shapes, large flowers, and animal silhouettes are used;
- the design is applied in bas-relief;
- the composition is often complemented with ceramic structures;
- Used mainly for finishing narrow spaces.
Carefully selected single tiles make it possible to decorate the bathroom wall with original compositions.
Black design
From several tiles
The most popular option for decorating a wall is a prefabricated image. The general plot consists of parts, each of which is applied to a separate tile.
The features of the prefabricated panel are as follows::
- the whole image is assembled from individual parts;
- elements are combined in such a way that the resulting joints are not visible;
- sizes sometimes reach three meters;
- The shape of the coating can be square or rectangular. The composition can be made either round or oval.
Bright room design
The large image should be placed in the center of the entire wall.
With 3D drawing
A panel with a 3D effect appeared not so long ago. Modern technologies are used for its production, so the image on the tile looks very realistic. The photo print applied to the material must be subject to further firing. As a result of this process, the product is completely protected from the destructive effects of moisture. During firing, the paints penetrate deeply into the surface and are fixed there. A special glaze is applied to the top of the tile.
A panel with a 3D image is considered a unique material
3D painting has significant advantages:
- long period of use;
- mildew resistance;
- ease of installation;
- ease of care;
- hypoallergenic characteristics;
- high impact resistance.
A panel with a 3D effect appeared not so long ago
A panel with a 3D image is considered a unique material because it radically changes the perception of space and time.
FreeSize
The free-size panel or free-size design was created specifically for rooms of non-standard height. The advantage of this type of composition is that the owner of the room can decide for himself what height his future panel will be. The main thing is that the picture fits harmoniously into the atmosphere of the room.
The plot of the scenery is divided into three separate parts: the middle, the beginning and the end . The main role in such a puzzle is played by the middle, due to which the panel can be lengthened by any amount. The middle part of the plot consists of tiles on which one design is applied. The first and third squares cannot be swapped or another tile added to them, since they are where the beginning and end of the image are placed.
Beach motif
A clear example will help you understand this better. The panel depicts a tree. The story begins where the trunk comes out of the ground. The crown completes the picture. The trunk itself is the middle. So it can be extended to at least a five-meter height by simply laying identical tiles one after another.
There is another type of free size - a tile on which a pattern is applied that has no boundaries . That is, it will not be possible to put together a specific picture from them. The panel is represented by a scattering of elements created in order to create a randomly chosen pattern. Tiles can be connected in any order at your discretion.
As a result, you can post:
- starry sky;
- abstract composition;
- flower meadow;
- combining different patterns from one set.
Preparing for DIY painting
If you decide to paint the bathroom yourself, you need to go through all the stages sequentially. The first step is the preparation of building materials and their purchase.
It is worth preparing the wall first. Completely clear it of plaster. Treat areas affected by fungus with an antiseptic composition. Then apply a primer and plaster the surface. The primer composition must be water-repellent, since most color pigments are mixed with water.
Stencil
Dye
Suitable paints are available in cans for airbrushing or in cans for brushing. For the bathroom, the best option is acrylic paints. They are resistant to moisture. They take white paint, then add color to get the desired shade, or buy the desired one right away.
When choosing paints, you need to focus on moisture resistance. To prevent the appearance of colonies of pathogenic microflora, take formulations containing fungicides.
Acrylic paint
Painting tools
Inventory includes: rollers, storage containers. They are purchased at construction stores.
Buying brushes will require careful attention. You need to choose natural products. You will need a foam tool with a wooden handle to create landscape elements. When working with leaves or petals, this will make the job easier.
Brushes for walls should be chosen wide. If, when applying a picture in a bathroom or toilet, you plan to form thin contours using a narrow brush. It must be of good quality. Otherwise there will be problems with the design of the wall painting.
Using a stencil
Templates are made independently or ordered from specialists. The second method is faster and more accurate; if you want to do the work yourself, you will need a printer, thick paper that does not allow moisture to pass through, and a stationery knife. After printing or putting the sketch on paper, it is cut out with a stationery knife. This is a simpler method.
Use masking tape to attach the stencil to the wall. Scotch tape leaves marks that damage the surface of the finish.
When working with templates, do not allow paint to get outside of the template. This will lead to a blurry picture. It is important to ensure smooth borders of the picture. So work on them carefully.
With sufficient drawing skills, a bathtub can be made attractive without paper templates. For beginners, their use is mandatory.
Recommendations for preparing drawings for walls
If you plan to use a large area, print the template, cut it out, then attach it to the wall. Transfer the outlines to the surface. It is advisable to choose a time for work when there are no distractions. If you are distracted too often, errors will appear.
Drawing
The choice of design and its application is carried out after the preparatory work. Stencils are glued to the wall, paints are prepared. After this, application begins carefully. No splashing allowed. The drawing is applied from top to bottom. The paint is collected and poured into the tray in doses. Do not allow the paint composition to dry out. Once hardened, it cannot be remixed with water. You need to work quickly or in several stages. After painting is completed and the paint has dried, a varnish with water-repellent properties is applied to the wall.
Rules for choosing a decorative composition
Panels are primarily a finishing material. Therefore, when choosing a suitable pattern, you should base it on the shades of the room and its dimensions. For a small bathroom, it is better to choose a monochromatic composition with small, eye-catching images. The drawing should be in pastel colors so that bright colors do not hide the space. Dark and contrasting tiles are suitable for large rooms.
The selected composition should fit harmoniously with the overall design style:
- for a bathroom decorated in retro style, select a panel with an abstract pattern;
- tiles with marine motifs promote relaxation. These could be ships, beach landscapes, fish, shells, etc. This composition is combined with a Mediterranean-style interior;
- graphic patterns and mosaics are suitable for an ethnic bathroom;
For a small bathroom it is better to choose a monochromatic composition
- classic or baroque style can be complemented with tiles in delicate tones, which depict landscapes, butterflies or flowers;
- An oriental bathroom will become special if you use unusual patterns and bright colors. You shouldn’t limit your imagination; you can use an abundance of colors;
- A country style bathroom should be decorated in subdued colors. A light mosaic with a matte surface is welcome;
- Natural motifs are typical for small spaces. For decoration, use tiles that imitate wood, leather or bamboo. Seashells are also popular.
In brown tones
Tile panels for the bathroom are selected based on the preferences of the home owners, the size of the room and its interior .
You can choose an inexpensive option or order more expensive decor from a designer.
Picture frames
If you can’t find a suitable plot, use minimalist drawings. The bathroom is always successfully complemented by paintings made in pencil - sketches, sketches.
To add charm to them, choose unusual frames. For example, they can all be made in the same style, but painted in different colors. Warm, rich shades, as well as delicate pastel colors that will make the atmosphere more comfortable, will be appropriate here.
Advantages and disadvantages of tiled construction
Decorating walls in the bathroom with tile panels is not a new trend in interior design. This type of finishing has been used for many centuries. Over time, only the tile format changes - new textures and patterns are invented. The range of materials used has also expanded significantly. Modern designers now have access to ceramic panels, porcelain stoneware and glass compositions. Panels and tiles with photographic images are popular among apartment owners.
Disadvantages include the high cost of the material and complex installation. For those who do not understand the process of laying panels, it is better to stick with photo tiles. The selected image is applied to ordinary tiles. The finished tiles are attached to the wall in the most usual way. The technique is simple, but as a result the bathroom will acquire its own zest and uniqueness.
New trend in interior design
Glass panels look very unusual. They can be supplemented with LED lighting . Glass panels are not popular on the market because they are very expensive. Also, during their installation some difficulties often arise.
Phototiles are also made from plastic and wood. Their price is low, but the panel itself is short-lived. This option is used by people who like to frequently change the style of their bathroom design.
DIY seashells
You can decorate your bathroom with your own hands in a marine style. You can glue plastic shells onto the tiles and paint them in the form of algae with acrylic paints. We also make shells with our own hands.
Plastic shells and algae look unique
We do it this way:
- We make molds for shells from plaster. To do this, we take several shells of different shapes and sizes. Spread the surface with thick cream to prevent the plaster from sticking. Place them in a container with liquid plaster.
- After the plaster has hardened, we take out the shells.
- The form should dry within 24 hours.
- Then we impregnate the inner surface of the mold with PVA glue. Then it will become smooth.
- Next, take a plastic mass for fine work, knead a small amount of it with your fingers dipped in water.
Note! It is better to take the plastic mass white. Then you can paint it in the desired color.
- Fill the plaster mold with plastic mass.
- Remove excess.
- Then carefully remove the finished shell.
- The mass hardens within 24 hours.
- We prepare the required number of shells.
- Then we smooth the back side of the shells with a file so that they fit snugly against the wall.
- We paint the shells with watercolor or acrylic paints.
- Then we cover them with acrylic varnish.
- Glue the shells onto the prepared surface.
Advice! The surface of the tile should be degreased before gluing the shells.
- We also paint the wall with acrylic (they are waterproof) paints in the form of algae.
Color varieties of tile paintings
The most organic compositions are those whose colors completely match the color of the walls in the bathroom. Light images visually expand the walls and enlarge the space. Warm colors create an intimate atmosphere . Bright accents will fit into almost any design, even modern minimalism, and the appearance will remain original.
This type of finishing has been used for many centuries.
Such an unusual combination of colors should not violate the integrity of the composition or stand out from it. Attention is paid to the contrast of colors and their correct combination. The tones should resonate not only with the walls, but also with the furniture, frieze and plumbing.
Over the centuries, tile panels have changed their shapes, colors, and production methods. Modern technologies have made it possible to significantly diversify the designs and ornaments used in compositions. For this purpose, standard and innovative materials are used, with the help of which there is wide scope for the designer’s imagination.
Ready-made panels have become the most popular . The picture consists of standard size tiles with a printed pattern. This is an inexpensive option. It can be decorated according to your wishes and taste with friezes or inserts.
The tones should resonate not only with the walls, but also with the furniture
Mosaics are used to create an exclusive interior. Mosaic panels can be purchased ready-made or ordered according to your own preferences. The composition can be created from many multi-colored small tiles or elements of the same tone. The options for images are very different - from drawings with a plot to single figures.
Methods of execution
Since the high complexity of the drawing requires skills, a simplified method has been developed. The result will be better, but the costs will be higher.
Floral motifs
Simple method
Involves calling specialists to design the drawing. When working, they will help you choose an image so that it matches the style of your apartment or house. They will advise you on how to place the painting on the bathroom walls.
Tips are useful if you have no experience in drawing. There are many details, from the style of the image, to the choice of colors, to the method of lighting.
The price of professional decorators is high. In large cities, there are studios engaged in applying drawings to walls and ceilings. This allows you to avoid looking for a designer, decorator and painter separately.
Architectural theme
Complex method
If you don’t have enough money to call specialists, you are allowed to choose a design yourself, cut out stencils, and apply it to the wall. Good construction and design skills required.
First you need to prepare materials, tools, mix paints with additional pastes. In this case, the high complexity of the work should be taken into account.
Features of decorating a room depending on its area
The size of the panel also matters and it depends on the dimensions of the bathroom. The details of the chosen design will hide the obvious shortcomings of the room and improve its interior.
Owners of large rooms use some recommendations that they should not be modest with scale. You can come up with something unusual, for example, tiling the entire wall with mosaics. The mosaic panel can depict dolphins, ships, seascapes, and wildlife.
It is recommended to decorate medium-sized bathrooms with ornaments on 2/3 of the entire wall. Any theme is suitable, whatever the owners’ imagination is capable of.
In pink
Bathrooms with modest dimensions should be expanded with the help of a panel placed in one of the corners. The drawing does not have to contain a plot. Abstraction is often chosen with a minimum amount of bright details with clear contours.
The process of visiting the bathroom for children can be made more interesting and exciting. To do this, the area above the washbasin or the bath itself needs to be decorated with a tiled panel depicting cartoon characters or fairy tale heroes.
Popular drawings in children's style are cartoons where the main characters are fish, for example, Dory or Nemo. From fairy tales you can take those characters that the child loves. Images of wild animals, fairy fairies, travel themes, bright butterflies and birds, cars and ships are also suitable. Children will enjoy taking a bath surrounded by their favorite characters from books or TV.
Night city
Which brushes to choose for painting on the wall ↑
The surface is dry, you grab brushes, and you will have to buy a lot of them. It all depends on the image. If it is a complex landscape like the one in the photo, then you need to visit an art store.
Seascape
It is better to buy artificial brushes. In addition, buy foam ones with a wooden handle if you plan to draw flowers and grass. These brushes are cheap and make the job very easy. One touch and the petal is ready.
For painting walls, we use large, wide brushes. You need a small brush to draw thin lines. You can’t save money here, otherwise the drawing won’t come out neat. A professional wall painting brush produces a crisp line.
Examples of brushes and what they can do
If you haven't bought paints yet, you need to do it now. In the meantime, let's look at ways to transfer an image.
Design ideas
There are several ways to transform your bathroom using a combination of multi-colored tiles and different types of panels:
- Classic design . The dark bottom is separated by a frieze from the light top. Single-tile panels are used as decoration, which are placed throughout the light area. Along the upper perimeter you can make a dark border laid out in one tile.
- Horizontal edging . If there is a large amount of furniture in the bathroom, the horizontal design method is used. A dark stripe of one to three tiles separates the light bottom and top. When decorating like this, you should take into account the arrangement of furniture and equipment so that the design does not end up being closed. Dark tiles can be laid out in a checkerboard pattern.
- Vertical accents . Panels with a vertical direction highlight static objects. For example, a contrasting composition can be used to highlight the area of the toilet, washbasin, bathtub or shower. At the same time, the width of the panel should be slightly smaller than the furniture or plumbing fixture itself. The image can start from the floor and end at the ceiling, unless it is an animal, portrait or photo. For panels covering the entire height of the wall, abstractions, landscapes, mosaics or a monochromatic pattern are suitable. Horizontal lines should not cross such compositions.
Types of painting
Currently, there are three categories of wall paintings that affect the topography of the room:
- Not affecting the integrity of surfaces: different frescoes (ordinary and buon). They were used to paint rich houses and cathedrals. The difference between the types of frescoes lies in the degree of mixing of the coloring pigment. Paint on wet plaster with water-based paints. After the composition dries, a dense film will be formed on the wall, protecting it from damage.
- The technique of applying alsecco and encaustic paints has the main difference in the dry base for applying the composition. For the alsecco technique, coloring compositions based on vegetable glue are used, for the second method - based on wax. These are popular painting options. They differ in that a canvas is first drawn, which is then fixed on the wall. This is how airbrushing is applied, which is distinguished by accuracy and reliability of the transfer of details.
- The graffito technique consists of scraping grooves - the basis for filling with paints. The primary layer is multi-colored plaster. The technique allows you to create three-dimensional paintings with many halftones. Bas-reliefs were popular and were often used to decorate Victorian-style houses.
If necessary, the techniques are combined to improve the result.
Original do-it-yourself panel
Decorating a bathroom with decorative elements created with your own hands is a pleasure. Moreover, this finishing option will cost much less than a purchased one. For creating your own bathroom panels, mosaics are a better choice. As a result, you can get a unique item that will never be found anywhere else.
Useful for this work are unnecessary tiles left over after repairs, or broken pieces that were originally planned to be thrown away. There are many methods for creating panels. However, the initial stage is drawing a sketch of the future composition.
In English style
The simplest and cheapest way to make a beautiful panel is considered to be decoupage technique . The design is applied to tracing paper or film, and then glued onto a specially selected tile. The image is applied after proper installation of the facing material.
Advice: After sticking, the printout should be coated with a colorless varnish, which will provide additional protection for the design from fading or erasing. This method of creating a tile panel with your own hands is convenient and simple, but it should not be used in rooms with high humidity.
Application of old and innovative technologies
Mosaic is an ancient method of creating a decorative composition from tiles. The design is made up of many individual multi-colored scraps of tiles, glass or stone. For this purpose, broken or cut ceramic tiles or majolica are often used. The process is very labor intensive. It requires minimal skill and experience working with mosaics, as well as a considerable amount of time. But it’s worth going through all the difficulties, because the end result will exceed all expectations, and the bathroom will become unique and inimitable.
This design will take you to the islands
For lovers of modern technologies, applying an ornament to the tile with a special composition, which is very similar to glaze, is suitable. The design is applied by printing or by hand. But this method is not suitable for creating panels at home, since the painted tiles must subsequently undergo a heat treatment process.
Regardless of the chosen method of creating a tile panel, hand-made decor can give the bathroom interior absolute exclusivity. With such a panel you can decorate an entire wall, a separate section of it, a niche, or frame a mirror or doorway with it. With the help of such decoration, you can interestingly zone your bathroom, highlighting the washbasin, bathtub or shower area.
In turquoise color
