No Vanity or Toilet Tank Makes for Easier Hanging

The husband removed the powder room’s vanity , and also the tank on the back of the toilet. This made it immensely easier for me to hang the wallpaper. The toughest part of today was trimming around those three pipes, which really wasn’t too hard at all.
Having a blank wall also means that the wallpaper can run all the way down to the floor, rather than having to be cut along the top of the vanity. This is really nice, because it eliminates the worry of water that splashes onto the wall or backsplash getting wicked up into the wallpaper – which can cause the seams to pull away from the wall.

Non-Slip Mat Mars Countertop

In a bathroom with high ceilings, I needed to set my trusty 5-gallon bucket on the countertop, so I could set a foot on it to maintain my balance while I worked on the wall above it. To prevent it from slipping, I placed a non-slip shelf liner underneath – something I’ve done a zillion times before.

But this time, a little while after all the apparatus was removed, this circular spot appeared.

I believe the countertop is made of soapstone.

We are still researching why this happened. I do know that the soapstone had not been sealed when it was installed, nor had it been maintained with regular applications of oil as is recommended.

It could be that oil or other substances from the shelf liner leached into the soapstone. Or that the liner somehow wicked some substance from within the soapstone up to the surface.

I am hoping that, in time, the stain will dissipate, much as a drop of oil will gradually absorb into a leather jacket.

Other ideas are that, because soapstone is an impervious material, the stain is simply sitting on top, and so talcum powder or cornstarch sprinkled on top may absorb it.

Another suggestion is to apply mineral oil, as the conditioner that should have been applied regularly all along, and it may soak in and minimize and / or disperse the ring.

Paper-Backed Solid Vinyl Wallpaper Not a Good Choice in Wet Areas

Digital Image

Here is a pre-pasted, paper-backed, solid-vinyl wallpaper that has been in a bathroom for 10-15 years. I am not fond of these papers in humid areas, because moisture tends to find its way into the seams and cause the paper backing to swell and expand, which causes the vinyl surface to bend backwards, causing a curled seam.

This room does not receive a lot of humidity, so the seams still looked good. However, along the top of the sink, where water splashes and sits, water was able to wick under the wallpaper and soak into the paper backing of the vinyl wallpaper. The paper stretched and curled, as you see along the top of the backsplash.

My solution, or, rather, prevention, of this is to run a bead of clear silicone caulk along the top of the backsplash where the wallpaper meets it. This prevents water from being wicked under the wallpaper, and should prevent curling seams for years to come.