Ginkgo Toss Powder Room

I would love to take a poll on how many people have a powder room that has wallpaper from the 90s.

My friend Kate reached out to me soon after I wrapped up the last wallpaper installation. She requested my help to brighten up her powder room. Kate felt her powder room was dark, dated, and was having major grandma vibes- and not in the beautiful granny chic Grandmillennial way. Kate recently had a gorgeous kitchen remodel. Her style leans toward traditional with a combination of old and new. Kate has the house where anyone is welcome! She needed her powder room to match this vibe. Kate was drawn towards white and gold wallpapers. I ordered a few samples for her and ultimately we decided with the Ginkgo Toss from the Dazzling Dimensions II by York Wallcoverings.

It was a simple straight match wallpaper and we used 2 and half rolls for her powder room.

Before Pictures

Supplies for wallpaper removal

• Wagner Wallpaper Remover Steamer(highly recommend!!!)
• Large trash bags
• WP Chomp Wallpaper Stripper
• Putty Knife Scrappers
• Krud Klutter spray
• sponge and water-for cleaning wall

Steps to remove wallpaper

1. Pour water into water compartment and plug in steamer. Wait 10-12 minutes before using. 
2. Place the steamer at the bottom of the wall and hold for 10 seconds. Then start scrapping the wallpaper off as you move up the wall repeating this to the top. 
3. Use the WP Chomp Wallpaper stripper to spray any difficult areas near switches or outlets. Use a scrapper after the correct amount of wait time. 
4. Dispose of all wallpaper in garbage bags.
5. Wipe down walls with Krud Klutter spray and paper towels.

Supplies for installing wallpaper

• Rolls of wallpaper (I used 3 double rolls and had a little extra to spare) 
• heavy duty adhesive-check your wallpaper info sheet for what type of adhesive is recommended 
• wallpaper primer and sizer
• priming and adhesive brush supplies and tray
• wallpaper tool kit (smoother tool, seam roller, etc) 
• Sharp utility knife with multiple blades
• measuring tape
• level and (laser level) optional 
• scissors
• pencil 
• painters tape (optional) I love to mark the pattern drop and repeats 
• bucket, water and clean sponge

How to install wallpaper (specially non pre pasted)

1. Using a roller brush and hand brush, paint the wallpaper primer on the walls and wait the recommended time before installing the wallpaper.  Be sure to have your wallpaper primer tinted to the main color of the wallpaper’s background. This will help conceal seams especially if using a navy base with a white primer would be noticeable.
2. I always like to map out where my first panel will start and stop on the wall. I use my tape measure to estimate the width of my panels all around the room. Mine were 27″ wide and I always find starting by a door or in an inconspicuous place is best. It’s unlikely that your full panel width will fill the entire space seamlessly as you install it around the room.
3. After you have decided on a start and stop point, you can measure and cut your first panel. Remember to always leave 2-4 inches at the top and bottom of your panel so you have enough wiggle room. The Ginkgo Toss wallpaper I was installing had a straight match repeat. I measured the tallest wall and my starting point. I laid out the first panel and cut a second panel and matched it up. I used painters tape on both panels where the pattern fit together. This really helped when I was installing the wallpaper on the wall.
4. Prior to installing your first panel, mark a plumb line(straight line down your wall) with a pencil and level or use a laser level on the wall. This will be your guide when installing the first panel of wallpaper. It is crucial to get this perfectly straight.
5. Next, apply adhesive only to the space where you are installing the panel. The adhesive will dry if you add it to the entire wall before hand. I found a roller brush for the large area worked well and a smaller angled brush worked great for any angled areas especially near the ceiling.
6. After your first panel is installed, continue measuring, cutting, and installing the wallpaper around the room.
7. In this powder room installation, all the fixtures were installed. It was a tad tricky going around pipes and the toilet, and a pedestal sink. The main take away when installing around a pipe is to loosen the escutcheon (the round flat piece of metal that surrounds the pipes) and pull it off the wall as much as possible. I made angle slits around the pipe to relieve the tension in the wallpaper. I also used scissors to help with this step and cut a straight line under the pipe. I wrapped the wallpaper around the pipe and made sure my pattern matched up correctly.

After Pictures

Kate describes her new powder room as bright, luxe, and updated! The Ginkgo Toss gave her powder room a fresh new look. When I asked if she would add wallpaper to another area in the house, she said “Yes, the dining room or her daughter’s bathroom.”

Wallpaper can be intimidating, especially when you go the traditional route. It just seems so “permanent”. I asked Kate if she had any advice for someone who is contemplating on adding wallpaper to a space in their home. She said, “Be aware of how large the space is when picking patterns.” Such a great tip!

What client project will I work on next? Check out all my client projects under the BLOG tab on my homepage.