Can I hang a framed poster/art in the bathroom?

theoretica

wallofbeans said:

theoretica said:

If it is poster you are happy to sacrifice, I would be tempted to spray the paper (both sides) with waterproofing varnish.  Or look at the quality you could get having something printed to outdoor standards.  Or outdoor art is available...

Hmm. I want to hang something I like and has a reason for being or nothing at all.... I'm not someone who buys things just because they look pretty or will match the decor.  

Very fair, but perhaps you could think about an image you like, but are not emotionally attached to the particular printing? 

I think the thought behind plastic rather than glass may be the way it conducts heat - glass feels colder and steams up more than plastic and you don't want condensation drips running down to the bottom of the frame.  Do you get condensation on the walls/mirror?

DullGreyGuy

wallofbeans said:

DullGreyGuy said:

wallofbeans said:

I want to brighten up the bathroom by hanging something on the wall. I've read that a poster in a metal frame with plastic glass is the best option, but wondered if anyone had different or more specific advice on what will or wont work in a humid room like a bathroom.

Can I hang a framed poster or art or anything in a bathroom without it being eventually ruined by the inevitiable humidity?

There will be a balance between cost of preparing the art for the environment and the value of the art. 

Are you wanting to hang a Picasso or an Ikea?

I want to hang something that I like. I can't afford a Picasso but don't want a generic Ikea. I will probably be something speficic and sentimental to me. Not worth a lot but I think I'd rather skip it going in the bathroom if it's going to mean it'll get ruined.

Then it may as well be a Picasso and you should seek professional advice or keep it elsewhere and get the Ikea for the room.

There are a range of things you can do to try and protect it, depending on the materials involved it may be more or less susceptible to humidity but no matter what you do over a long enough timeline it will fail and so you have ongoing cost to maintain it. 

Alternatively you can chose something less special to you, go for basic measures and accept that it will ultimately degrade over time. 

Sarahspangles

wallofbeans said:

Sarahspangles said:

Maybe you would be better with a ‘canvas’ - printed cloth stapled over a frame without backing or glass.  They sell them in places like Dunelm.  Although if it’s a very steamy bathroom, even that might eventually deteriorate.

I read that wooden frames will warp over time. And I don't want a generic print that lots of people will have. I want something old and weird or some sort of framed poster that means something to me. 

I thought I could find a weird old painting that I liked at a car boot sale or something, but then read that paintings are a bad idea, and that a metal frame is the way to go. So I went back to the idea of some sort of poster framed. But that isn't seeming like a good idea either.

I might have to stick with a boring plain walled bathroom!

An acrylic painting over a wooden stretcher might eventually warp but then you just restaple the canvas to true it up.  Or you can get custom printed canvases from an image of your choice.

bex2012

Ive got a framed print of a painting my aunt did. Bog standard ikea frame, and i think the print is on a slightly thicker card. Its been hung up in my bathroom for over a year now, with no untoward effects at present.

FreeBear

Got a giclee (inkjet) print in my bathroom. Been there for a year now with no ill effects. Similar in style to this..

casper_gutman

Just stick anything you like in there as long as it's cheap. If it gets ruined, chuck it and get something else.

twopenny

Personally I''d go for glass. It fits tighter and flatter in a frame. Plastic moves.

Use tape to cover where the backing fits in the frame. Traditionally it's a brown paper tape backed with glue that you dampen with a sponge and apply so as it dries it tightens.

Lots of varnished wood or plastic frames that look like wood.

I have had bog standard prints in wide gold frames/glass in my tiny shower room with no ill effects. Been 4yrs now.

I plan to have a couple of memorable photos of mine in frames in the bathroom whenever I can get a trade to do it. Both will be easily replacable because I have them digitally stored.

You find something you like, get it copied. A good photography shop or copy centre should be able to make a perfect replica.

comeandgo

I’ve got pictures in wooden frames in a shower room with extractor and no window and they are same as when they went up over ten years ago.  It is a large shower room and it’s very rare to have any condensation.

Annemos

Not a picture, this suggestion. But a fabric wall hanging. One of my walls is partly plastered. It is away from the bath and shower area. 

In my old place I LOVED my roller blind in my old bathroom. It has all sorts of oriental buildings and trees on the fabric. It is also stiffened cotton curtain fabric.

(Note to DullGreyGuy: Montgomery fabric, Debenhams.)

When I moved, the new bathroom window here is completely the wrong size. So I took that old roller blind fabric off its fittings. 

I sewed an inch hem along the top (the bottom was already hemmed). And then pushed a thin curtain pole through the top. I then attached some thin white cord at either end of the pole and it now hangs from a central picture hook.

It has lasted perfectly for 20 years without a problem. And I still LOVE it. I decorated my 2nd bathroom around it! I just give it a dust sometimes. 

This is to give you an idea of what I mean. There are no tassels on mine and the cord is white. 

mi-key

If you can find one a plastic frame would work best as the humidity won't effect it.

If you want something personal, if you can get a decent copy of the artwork then you can get it printed onto vinyl. I do vinyl printing as part of my business. Note though, don't get cheap inkjet printed vinyl or canvas as it's not waterproof and won't last.

You need to get it printed with proepr solvent inks, which are waterproof and fadeproof as they are designed for exterior use