When you start a refurbishment its hard to know when to stop. As I reported earlier, we had our bathroom tiled and a new shower and washbasin fitted. This looked so good we decided to go further. Maggie is currently making some new curtains for the smallest room and I was persuaded to remove the wallpaper that covered the panels in the toilet area.
When we bought Albert back in 2003 half the panels in the bathroom were covered in a tasteful Laura Ashley wallpaper called Palmetta . We know it was Palmetta because we had the same design in our dining room at home back in the late 1980s. The design matched the floating cottage antique look Albert has but we decide early on on a brighter look and went for a plain Laura Ashley paper that contained a delicate motif that matched some Laura Ashley cranberry-coloured curtains.
So after some discussion we decided this time that, although wallpaper can clearly work on some areas of boats, it can be tricky particularly with wet winters and bathrooms with showers. Paint it was to be.
Wallpaper off - now to get off the glue!
No problem really - just strip off the paper and then apply the paint. Well there were two layers of paper and the original was stuck on with lots of glue. So the steamer came out. In a cramped area such as a boat bathroom it was quite exciting. I got into some interesting positions.
.
Primer on - now for the top coats
It took two steams - one for the two layers of paper and another for the glue. That was followed by a lot of sanding and then priming and finally three coats of paint! Not a big job really, but every stage required around half a day at the boat. In total I had eight visits.
Finished!
Today we finally finished and I must say I am pleased with the look. We now have a very smart "smallest room on the boat" and it should be more practical.
But wait! Maggie still has the curtains to finish. They will be the same pattern as the old, and of course Laura Ashley. but they should look fresh and clean.
Original Palmetto paper
1 comments:
I do like that original wallpaper - I put it up in the downstairs bathroom of our previous house. Very attractive and the diamond repeat shape is very relaxing to the mind I am told by a knowledgeable friend.
I agree about wallpaper in the bathrooms: it's always a trick to keep its edges firmly stuck down - paint is a more practical alternative, and the end result of your paint job is very smart and elegant.
Cheers, Marilyn (nb Waka Huia)
Post a Comment