Hanging wallpaper in small power rooms can be trying. They’re small (about the same width as the door, about 36″). You’ve got a sink and a toilet in there. You’ve stuffed a ladder in, too. You’re carrying tools and rolls of wallpaper in and out. And to top if off – in most homes, the door opens inward. (There are actually reasons for this – Google it.) But that door pushing into an already over-crowded tiny room makes it even more difficult to get paper up on the wall. I need to go in and out of the room frequently. And it becomes a juggling act of squeezing my body around the door, repositioning the ladder, holding on to the paper and tools,,, yada. Over and over again all day long. What’s great about this picture? The homeowner has had the door to her powder room removed!Here’s another home where the door actually opens outward. Sure makes it easy for me to get my equipment in and out of the room! And less chance of damage to the wallpaper, too.
There are a lot of building mores about how to place a door on a powder room. From preventing accidental bump-into’s in the hallway, to odor control. (I’ll let you do your own sleuthing on that one!) Bottom line – for many reasons, most of the time, doors are set to swing inwards, into the tiny room. Remember, there will also be a ladder and an installer (me!) in that space, dodging past the inward-swinging door continually. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve cussed these doors! On account of having to squeeze past one while carrying tools, or with a pasted strip of wallpaper – I’m ready to hang it … just need to figure out how to get past this door!
What’s great about this picture? The powder room door is opening OUTWARD! Folks, it’s hard enough to hang wallpaper in a powder room, most of which are pretty small and cramped. Add a toilet, sink, ladder, tools, and a moving human body. Compounding all that, most powder room doors swing open inward (it’s a construction / architectural thing – Google it). That door takes up a lot of space inside the bathroom. This makes for a real juggling act and choreographed dance every time I need to get in or out of the room – which is frequently during the workday, since my pasting table is outside the room and the paper has to go onto the walls inside the room. On this job I was delighted that the door opened out. This made it infinitely easier to maneuver around in there and do the tasks necessary to get the room papered. Thank you builder!
The Wallpaper Lady's Blog 