Wallcovering recommendations or tips?

[Prospective]

I am in the midst of a refresh on my master head. That will include new wall coverings. Old wallcovering appears to be vinyl wallpaper applied over the plywood walls. It has started peeling up and is badly yellowed in many places. All-in-all not too bad for 20 years.

My plan is to remove wallpaper, sand walls smooth and re-wallpaper. Just looking for any tips or suggestions. Type of wall paper, type of glue, technique, possible alternatives I'm not considering?

Thanks

 

[O C Diver]

Are we talking the head area or to include the shower stall?

More money, but personally I like Formica. They also sell 4' x 8' sheets of textured plastic at Lowes and Home Depot. Did a bathroom decades ago in a box truck RV conversion with that stuff. Put down a stainless steel pan first and then sealed the corners. I could literally soap the walls and rinse them with a hose if necessary.

I like the concept of washable walls and a floor drain in a head.

Ted

 

[Prospective]

Are we talking the head area or to include the shower stall?

More money, but personally I like Formica. They also sell 4' x 8' sheets of textured plastic at Lowes and Home Depot. Did a bathroom decades ago in a box truck RV conversion with that stuff. Put down a stainless steel pan first and then sealed the corners. I could literally soap the walls and rinse them with a hose if necessary.

I like the concept of washable walls and a floor drain in a head.

Ted

Good question. Should have mentioned it is NOT a wet head. There's a separate shower enclosure.

 

[BigTime]

Following. I'm interested in the same.

 

[RonR]

Following. I'm interested in the same.

Yep, where does one even shop for wall coverings these days?

 

[ghost]

I just did my master head, aft cabin, dinette, all in wallpaper. It’s pretty much an internet thing these days. Pick out a bunch of patterns, order samples, decide the samples look nothing like you thought, Re-order a bunch of different samples....etc.

I upgraded to real Japanese Silk in the dinette and love it. Wen5 with commercial vinyl in the head. It’s really durable stuff, you can wash it down with a rag. I find the seams are more visible with the heavy paper, but worth the trade off.

Learning to hang paper. Well...there is a reason people used to do this as a full time profession and mistakes with expensive paper can add up. But boats are not about square footage so I always had enough. Looks pretty good f I do say so myself.

Don’t skip getting samples. It adds time, but lots of what looks good online isn’t and a bunch of what you though was going to be losers become your top picks. There are some real quality coverings these days that can outshine paint any day.

 

[LeeOrlando2]

Mine was a wet head but I used Formica in the entire bath. Sealed with clear silicone then teak in the corners, etc. Looked awesome! Just didn’t think I’d like paper.

 

[tiltrider1]

We have done various wall treatments with success. Nothing wrong with wall paper but it works best with 3M 707 contact cement. Paintable wall paper works well for those who need to change colors on a regular basis. Foam backed vinyl also works using 707 as well. Formica is a favorite, so easy to keep clean. Mahogany door skins, Cedar Planks or ship lapping all worked well.

I won’t do tile, I’m too concerned about boat flex but others have done it.

 

[STB]

I'm not really suggesting anything vs offerings ideas I've seen:

1) My present boat has textured FRP paneling as is common in restrooms in public places and sold at home depot and lowe's. It doesn't match the style of a trawler, especially one with tons of mahogany. But, it does sure stay clean and clean easily when needed. It always stays looking white.

2) My californian had textured vinyl wallpaper on one wall in the aft cabin. It looked like the day it was new -- 40 years later. I painted it because 1970s color pallets weren't my thing. It took the paint well, one would never have known it was painted.

3) I was on a Hatteras the other day that had unpainted white foam-like textured vinyl wallpaper with a small palm tree pattern. The owner told me it was original (I think not...). I've seen similar wallpaper sod as "paintable" at home depot, lowe's, amazon, etc. I think it is intended to be painted, which I like, as it is more repairable that way.

4) I've seen plenty of boats where the interior of the head is painted with Awl Grip in snow white. I did this to fiberglass parts of my forward head in the califonian. I did similar with Perfection to some white trim in the shower of my current boat, as well as around the sink in the head.

5) Wood beadboard can be bought and finished to match almost any existing color and to have a lot of hardness and renewability in the finish , e.g. poly.

 

[ksanders]

This is a timely discussion as I am on my boat right now intending to finish up a remodel of the aft head on my 2001 Bayliner 4788

OEM they used what appears to be vinyl wallpaper throughout the head, including the shower stall. I removed this aging wallpaper and found a somewhat sticky residue on the plywood substrate.

I was able to remove this sticky residue using a scotchbrite pad soaked in Laquer thinner. It took several scrubbings, and I had to buy a respirator with purple organic solvent cartridges because the smell was too intense even with the exhaust fan on.

In the shower I applied a nice Formica pattern to a plywood backer using Weldwood contact cement, and adhered the finished pieces to the wall using construction adhesive.

I went with an additional plywood piece because I was not confident that I could precisely position a piece of pre-cut formica on the wall using contact cement. This additional layer of plywood was also to aleviate some design issues of the head construction that resulted on pooling of water in places that did not force it to drain away, leaving areas that were never dry.

In the rest of the head I am using a good quality vinyl wallpaper. I was surprised at the cost of almost a hundred dollars for a roll special ordered from Home Depot. So far I have completed about half of the wallpaper installation. I am using 3M 90 spray adhesive. I think Weldwood Contact Adhesive would also work, and I might do the last section using the weldwood product. Brushing it on is far less messy than the spray on adhesive.

Around the edges of the shower stall and in between sections i was able to use a water based bathroom caulk. I am no fan of bathroom caulk because it seems like every few years at home I have to re-caulk our showers but I do not know of a more durable product.

There is one section of the shower which is along the inner wall that I have had to add a trim piece. This was a difficult decision but I settled on some rubber moulding I found at grainger. In the non shower areas I will be re-applying the OEM teak trim.

Photos to follow when the job is complete in a few days.

 

[ghost]

Vinyl paper....


Silk paper

 

[Swa]

East providence paint and wallpaper in Riverside. There is also Sherwin Williams and Wayfair.com on the net Wallcovering is a great product and has been used on yachts for years by interior designers. Color and designs are unlimited. Easy to hang just follow hanging instructions inside each double roll. Prep and seal your walls corectly and it will stick better and make removal easy when you get ready to change it. Use seam paste if the seams ever pop. Double rolls cover 54sf and can be had as low as $20-$30 a double Great bang for your buck.

 

[catalinajack]

The shower stall on our 1983 DeFever was irretrievably discolored and blotchy. No cleaner, acid-based or otherwise, would touch it. I painted it with (roll and tip) with Petit EZ Poxy. The result was surprisingly good. The surfaces look as if it was a spray-on job. The biggest surprise was that the base is not all all slippery.

I also fixed the fact that the tub itself, when the boat is trimmed port to starboard, would not fully drain. We always had to squeegee the puddled water down the drain. The fix? First, I drained the water tank on the drain side of the shower tub creating a significant list. Then I plugged the drain with a rubber stopper. Next was a large amount of self-levelling epoxy. Presto, the tub now fully drains.

Are we talking the head area or to include the shower stall?

More money, but personally I like Formica. They also sell 4' x 8' sheets of textured plastic at Lowes and Home Depot. Did a bathroom decades ago in a box truck RV conversion with that stuff. Put down a stainless steel pan first and then sealed the corners. I could literally soap the walls and rinse them with a hose if necessary.

I like the concept of washable walls and a floor drain in a head.

Ted

 

[catalinajack]

I hate wallpaper. Each to his own. We removed the wallpaper in both of our heads and painted all of the surfaces with a product called INSL-X Cabinet Coat. The result was as if the paint had been sprayed on. Very tough as well.

 

[Prospective]

East providence paint and wallpaper in Riverside. There is also Sherwin Williams and Wayfair.com on the net Wallcovering is a great product and has been used on yachts for years by interior designers. Color and designs are unlimited. Easy to hang just follow hanging instructions inside each double roll. Prep and seal your walls corectly and it will stick better and make removal easy when you get ready to change it. Use seam paste if the seams ever pop. Double rolls cover 54sf and can be had as low as $20-$30 a double Great bang for your buck.

Thanks, very familiar with EP Paint and Wallpaper. Will definitely be stopping by.

As for everyone else, thanks for the suggestions and stories. Keep 'em coming.

 

[Lou_tribal]

Mine is painted, I like it like that. No worry about being wet or not, easy to clean, and the day it needs a refresh a new coat of paint is easy.

L

 

[OldDan1943]

Wall paper was invented to hide cracks and the imperfections in the plaster.
I took the wall paper off the walls of my condo, sanded the walls and then painted them.
I do hope removing the wall paper on your boat is not as difficult as it was in my condo.
Have you considered veneering the walls with wood?

 

[timb]

i am thinking about this material for the lower headboard part of this wall .it was painted white over old repairs .it is now mostly bare coosa board .would this be a good option? should I paint the wall or stick it directly to the coosa and epoxy joints?

 

[Prospective]

Wall paper was invented to hide cracks and the imperfections in the plaster.
I took the wall paper off the walls of my condo, sanded the walls and then painted them.
I do hope removing the wall paper on your boat is not as difficult as it was in my condo.
Have you considered veneering the walls with wood?

I've taken some of the old wall paper off. Came of in about 15 seconds. Walls just need to be sanded to remove the old adhesive. So no trouble there. I am veneering the cabinets and cabinet doors. The trim is teak and I'm putting in a teak and holly sole. I don't think I want anymore wood in there. Also think veneering that large of a surface would be tricky, not to mention expensive.

 

[ghost]

Wall paper can come off easily, or, not. I’ve been sanding smooth and priming with a wallpaper compatible primer. An extra step, but Should help ensure if I decide to do it again, it will be the ten minute removal version, not the three hour version.

 

[Comodave]

In a previous boat the windows had leaked and damaged the teak veneer. I sanded them and used epoxy putty to repair the defects and then painted with Brightside paint. Looked great and lightened the salon. Very easy to maintain.

 

[FF]

"Wall paper can come off easily, or, not. I’ve been sanding smooth and priming with a wallpaper compatible primer. An extra step, but Should help ensure if I decide to do it again, it will be the ten minute removal version, not the three hour version."

This is a great tip for the wallpaper cruisers

Boats kept up north are frequently very bright inside , lots of light surfaces.

In the south some folks prefer to have the cabin very muted , they get tired of the bright sunshine and prefer a darker refuge below.

EZ off wallpaper could make the latitude change an afternoon project.

 

[gunho1]

We had great luck with peel n stick

 

[SeaStarDF50]

Love wallpaper!

Our boat's 1980s wallpaper is still perfect, and charmingly kitschy! We just papered another head: lots of options online. I recommend vinyl, prepasted paper. (Avoid the vinyl cling-on unless you're going for a temporary fix.) Change up your searches with different design categories to find a wide variety. Save images and details of each paper you like then compare from different sellers. Info provided and prices vary greatly. I had the hardest time finding scale of design. (We chose mid-century-modern blue & green fish design, and a ticking stripe for a damaged wall in the adjacent stateroom.) Prime and size the surface before papering! Good luck and enjoy!

 

[jpar1972]

Vinyl

I did the whole bathroom in waterproof vinyl tiles, caulked seams in shower stall.

 

[Swa]

Great to see wallcoverings being used. I retired from the industy about 10 years ago. Saw a big decline in usage at the end. Regardless, another material you may consider is type 1 & 2 fabric backed vinyl. Its usually stronger than the surface you are applying it to. Its also very easy to apply and remove. Type 3? You could do your hull (-:

 

[Takoradi]

I am about to cover the pink vinyl wallpaper in the aft head with bamboo tambour. Not interested in killing myself trying to pull off, then sand the walls. Bamboo is 1/8” thick, comes is rolls and install with glue & nails to the plywood behind the wallpaper. Also the project necessitates purchase of a new miter saw! Win-Win!
Tak

 

[Comodave]

I am about to cover the pink vinyl wallpaper in the aft head with bamboo tambour. Not interested in killing myself trying to pull off, then sand the walls. Bamboo is 1/8” thick, comes is rolls and install with glue & nails to the plywood behind the wallpaper. Also the project necessitates purchase of a new miter saw! Win-Win!
Tak

You always need a new tool...

 

[FF]

When installing peal & stick covering a quick shot with a hair dryer or heat gun will help the glue.

 

[gkehoe]

We removed the original wallpaper on our 47' Mainship Aft Cabin and replaced it with a commercial grade textured wallpaper. Cost was $2300.00 here in Canada. BIG JOB! Old glue was very difficult to remove in places. The Admiral spent many hours sanding and washing.
End result is beautiful.
Originally wanted to use formica woodgrain paneling but was told it would be too difficult to apply by a pro wall covering guy. Have since learned he didn't know squat.