Wallpaper is a popular choice for powder rooms, but it is important to consider the materials and ingredients used in the wallpaper to ensure it is safe and healthy for the space. Here are some details on wallpaper in powder rooms, including product details, positives, negatives, and ingredients or materials:
Product Details:
- Most wallpaper is coated in PVC/vinyl which contains harmful plasticizers that are not counted as VOCs or measured in.
- Fifteen percent of wallpapers tested by the Ecology Center contained Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR) in 2010. This flame retardant is not likely used very much anymore, but others will have taken its place. Some brands contained tin, which is another flame retardant. Silver and titanium dioxide can also be added to the mixes. Newer chemicals include intumescent flame retardant, which is supposed to be safer.
- Wallpaper commonly contains arsenic, mercury, lead, cadmium, and tin. With 1/5th of all samples containing cadmium.
- PVC-free wallpaper is a healthier option. Spoonflower wallpaper is made with water-based inks. They are formaldehyde, phthalate, and PVC-free. They sell pre-pasted, and peel and stick papers. This is one of a few brands of peel and stick that is not made of PVC. They use their line of low and zero-VOC water-based paints to create the wallpaper. Their paint is far lower in odor than even zero-VOC acrylic paint. The binder in their paint is PVA, making it one of the lowest toxin paints. These are PVC-free. The company claims they are free of flame retardant chemicals.
- Biological wallpapers are toxin-free and made of renewable vegetable raw materials or recycled fibers which are largely free of substances harmful to our health and the environment. In addition to the materials, the paints, binders, and other additives are also environmentally friendly and completely or predominantly biodegradable.
Positives:
- Wallpaper can elevate the style of the bathroom and be a good option for all sorts of bathrooms, including powder rooms.
- Bold patterns, colors, and textures make a big impact in a small space without.
Negatives:
- Humidity, water splashes, heat, mold—individually or combined—are unfriendly to wallpapers core material: paper. Organic materials like wood and paper do not work well with water. The best wall covering for bathrooms is paint—eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss acrylic-latex interior paint—or hard, impermeable materials like glazed tile or synthetics.
- The adhesive, regardless of the type of wallpaper, can be negatively affected by water if you dont wipe down the wallpaper as most adhesives.
Ingredients or Materials:
- PVC/vinyl, which contains harmful plasticizers that are not counted as VOCs or measured in.
- Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR), tin, silver, titanium dioxide, and intumescent flame retardant.
- Arsenic, mercury, le...
