# Covering up B\*tt-Ugly Bathroom Wallpaper **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 27, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773 "2008-05-27T16:10:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/1 "2008-05-27T16:10:38Z")
I’m in a rental house in which the bathrooom wallpaper is a horrible country flowered thing. The condition of the wall underneath is so horrible that I’m afraid that if I take down the wallpaper (something I’m not sure the owner would approve of), then the wall underneath may very well crumble. I’m looking for a wall covering of some sort that would cover the wallpaper (something more neutral than b\*tt-ugly country flowers), but still be removable so I could take it down when I move without damaging the current wall. Suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/2 "2008-05-27T16:20:45Z")
I’m sorry, we’ll need a picture before we can advise. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/3 "2008-05-27T16:27:15Z")
Contact Paper. As in the shelf liner type. I’m serious. I did an entire kitchen a few years ago with it - comes right off too (it was a rental). They have plenty of cool patters and stuff as well. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/4 "2008-05-27T16:37:24Z")
[QUOTE=Missy2U] Contact Paper. As in the shelf liner type. I’m serious. I did an entire kitchen a few years ago with it - comes right off too (it was a rental). They have plenty of cool patters and stuff as well. [/QUOTE] It will go on over the wallpaper and come off okay? (Without ruining the wallpaper?) ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/5 "2008-05-27T16:43:09Z")
[QUOTE=phall0106] It will go on over the wallpaper and come off okay? (Without ruining the wallpaper?) [/QUOTE] Did for me anyway. If you’re worried though, just buy one roll and try it in an inconspicuous spot. If it doesn’t go like you’d like, all you’ve wasted is $5. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Contrary](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/db5fbb/32.png) [@Contrary](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrary)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/6 "2008-05-27T17:00:15Z")
I’ve also heard about folks using cloth and starch to create a temporary wall paper. This was especially good living in military housing. You’d have to google to see what kind of starch to use or how much, but I have seen it done and it doesn’t damage the walls. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/7 "2008-05-27T17:02:37Z")
Have you considered tacking up some fabric? ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/8 "2008-05-27T17:06:07Z")
You could also talk to your landlord and see if he or she will let you paint the bathroom. (This assumes you have matte wallpaper, not something textured or god forbid flocked.) If you agreed to paint it a neutral color and to pay for the supplies and labor yourself, they might well agree to it – they get a better looking bathroom with no skin off their nose. That’s what I’d do, at least as a first choice. No offense, but a bathroom full of contact paper seems like a lateral move to me. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/9 "2008-05-27T17:07:17Z")
[QUOTE=Contrary] I’ve also heard about folks using cloth and starch to create a temporary wall paper. This was especially good living in military housing. You’d have to google to see what kind of starch to use or how much, but I have seen it done and it doesn’t damage the walls. [/QUOTE] Absolutely - I had forgotten about this! [Here’s one site that says how to do that.](http://www.linit.com/cgi-bin/display.pl?p=907041523) Google “liquid laundry starch wallpaper” and you’ll get a ton of hits. ETA - > [@Jodi](#): > > No offense, but a bathroom full of contact paper seems like a lateral move to me. 😃 Actually, it wasn’t too bad - it was an older apartment in an older building - it still had the original turquoise appliances in the kitchen - the turquoise, pink, blue and yellow patterned contact paper looked very cool. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/10 "2008-05-28T02:49:38Z")
And to add to what **Missy2U** is saying (if you go with the contact paper suggestion), there are some places that sell it for less than half what you’d normally pay. In Texas, there is a store called Big Lots that you can get rolls for roughly $2. That’s what I do if I need some. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tabula\_Rasa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9adbd/32.png) [@Tabula\_Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabula_Rasa)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covering-up-b-tt-ugly-bathroom-wallpaper/450773/11 "2008-05-28T04:14:19Z")
The cloth and starch approach is kinda questionable for a bathroom. I’ve used the contact paper approach in my sister’s college apartment. Not in the bathroom, though.