More Studio Bathroom Progress

Anyway, I’m right on the cusp of being able to add the wallpaper, but these walls have given me more trouble than I thought they would. One issue is that the black Sharpie marker that I tested out to outline that original square spiral design keeps bleeding through the primer.

I had hoped that the water-based primer would cover it up (this Sharpie marker area already has three coats of primer), but I had already expected that the Sharpie marker would be a problem. It’s not a big deal. I just need to go over those specific areas with some shellac-based primer, and it’ll be fine. And oil-based primer would probably work, but I know for sure that shellac-based primer will take care of it.

While that primer was drying, I started adding the trim to the top portion of the wainscoting. I think this overall look will work. There are still two other trim pieces that I need to add to finish the look. But once I added this first trim piece to the top board, I ran into another problem.

I have no idea how I’m going to trim around this outlet. It’s an adjustable outlet, so it can come out from the wall to be flush with the trim, but then the top half stands out from the wall. I can make it flush with the wall at the top, but then it’s recessed into the trim.

So I need to figure that out. I know the obvious solution is to move the outlet up, but I’m not willing to do that. I don’t want to do any electrical work in this room, so the outlet is staying right where it is, and I’ll figure out a solution. When I had the tile border, it was taller, so I just had to notch out a tiny bit of the chair rail to make it fit.

But this time, I wanted the top portion of the wainscoting to be shorter, but I didn’t quite think through this area when I made that decision. So now I’ve created a challenge for myself. I’m not worried about it. I’ll come up with something. I just need a bit more time to think it through.

Another concern that I have is that in some areas, the texture of the previous design, where I taped off the design to paint it onto the wall, is showing through. I know it’s kind of hard to see it in a photo, but it’s noticeable (to me) when standing in the room.

If I were putting up a thick wallpaper, like the grasscloth I used in the bedroom, that amount of texture wouldn’t concern me at all. But the wallpaper going in this room is much thinner, and the last thing I want is for that texture to show through. So it looks like some of these areas are going to need more sanding and then more primer.

I still need to do all of the cutting in with the primer. But in the meantime, I have to say that I kind of love this look. 😀 I wish I had a room where I could do a design like this. I think it would be fun to paint a room a solid color, and then find a fun, colorful washi tape to outline the walls and windows. I’ll have to file that idea away in my inspiration folder.

In hindsight, I wish I would have just used the shellac-based primer from the start. These walls already have two coats of water-based primer, and the design is still showing through. And the part with the Sharpie marker has three coats, and that’s still bleeding through. This would have been done by now had I just used shellac-based primer from the start.

In other news, I’ve had questions about the faucet and other black metal elements in the room. I do plan to swap the faucet, towel ring, and toilet paper holder for gold or brass. I’ve never loved this faucet anyway, and I don’t want the black fixtures anymore.

I chose the black back when the back entry of the studio had the black and white floor design and the bold green walls. But now, my studio has all gold/brass, and I think the black is way too harsh for this room.

But because I don’t want to spend more money than necessary, and I do like this light fixture, I think I’ll just paint it (after giving it a good cleaning) and reuse it.

So there’s progress, but it’s been slower than I had hoped. There’s definitely a challenge when painting crazy designs on a wall. When you change your mind and want to paint over it, you have to deal with textures left behind from the painters tape and hard-to-cover colors. Shellac-based primer would have made this so much easier, but then you do have to deal with the really strong smell. I was hoping to avoid that, but it looks like I’ll need to mask up, open the doors and windows for good air flow, and just get it done.

I’m so close to being able to put the wallpaper up. That’s the thing that’s motivating me right now. I need color in this room ASAP! 😀