Bathroom Mural Ideas

By Murals and Masterpieces in NJ

A bathroom is a really fun place to decorate. It is a room separate from everything else -a place to sit and have some peace and quiet. It is a place where you can get away and have some privacy for a few short moments (especially if you have 3 little ones like me, but more often than not - they follow me in the bathroom. LOL)

The bathroom is one room in the home that you can really get creative with and not worry about it coordinating with adjoining rooms. Even if your color scheme in the rest of your home is more neutral and and toned down - in a bathroom, you can let your hair down and use use some color for heaven sake! There is no better way to add life to bathroom walls than a beautiful hand painted wall mural. The themes are pretty much endless.

I have done some research on the internet (one of my favorite things to do) and I found so many great bathroom mural ideas. You are going to love these!

This first one, I think is soooo creative and something I have never seen before - A Circus themed bathroom! How cool is that? This one was done by Rene of Rene Gebhart Designs.

And we have all seen the tropical themed bathroom. This mural was painted by Robin Cambria.




How about this gorgeous Tuscan Style mural over the tub? If i had that in my bathroom, I don't think I would ever leave! This one was done by Bill Briggs of Briggs Art Studio out of Tennessee.




Here is another archway / column mural overlooking the water. I love how realistic this scene looks! Mural by www.rickartinteriormurals.com




How about a fun under the sea scene painted above the tile? I love the bright oranges & yellows in the fish. They just pop against the blue. It was done by The Art of Christina Carstens.




I have a thing for HUGE flowers. First of all, the rust / red color is a great base color for these beautiful big flowers. The artist did an amazing job! www.artexpressionsltd.com




This one is quite original. It has an art deco feel, but also a bit whimsical. Love the colors in this bathroom - brown, gold, and sea foam green as the accent color (within the mural). www.dandishman.com





Well, that is all I have for now. The list goes on, but I have a 6 month old who is quite hungry. Until next time!.......

BTW, I also have a couple other sites that you might be interested in checking out.

Painter Mommy (my Mommy fun site)
Nursery Murals and More (my Nursery Murals fun site)
Surfaces with Paint - (my NY Painting Biz)

Tips on Prepping for a Faux Paint Finish

I cannot ever say it enough - Prepping is KEY when doing any type of faux paint finish. I have the tendency to OVER prep at times, but I would rather do that then run into an issue later on.

I had a job this past week doing a plaster type finish called Old World Plaster. Click here to see pictures and read more about it.

I recorded a short video on what I do to prep before painting. I share a few simple tips to help make things easier once the finish is ready to be applied.

• Dropcloths
• Taping
• Keeping Tools Organizes

Check out the video!

So, let me know what you think. And feel free to share some ways that you like to prep a room before painting. I always love to hear comments!

Ragging Faux Finish Technique

I just recently finished a fun faux finish job for my church. I paint for them whenever they need me too (mostly murals). But this time, they asked me to do something decorative for their new Welcome Center.

I chose to do a classic faux paint finish called Ragging. It isn't as easy as let's say a color wash or sponging, but only because it can be hard getting the rag - JUST RIGHT. It takes some getting used to, but once you figure out how to manipulate the paint & glaze on the wall and get a rythm - you are good to go!

I went through over 25 rags in this room. I always change the rag once it gets too soaked with paint. This can cause the finish to get muddy and blotchy. I often like to use the really socked rags to get up into the corners where the wall and ceiling meet. But otherwise a fresh crumpled rag is the best - you can really see the texture.

With this project, I purchased bags of cotton rags from my local paint supply store, but you can also use old white T-shirts. They are the same cotton material. In the bag of rags, I actually found that their were some different thicknesses of cotton material. The best were the ones that were a bit thicker. The thin ones did not hold their shape well and didn't show much of that "ragging" texture.

Here is an example of what the finish looks like up close:

I was very happy with the outcome. It is a beautiful tighter finish that looks fabulous up close. And because this room will be used as a Welcome Center - I thought it would be a very welcoming look for new guests looking for more info about the church.

The number one tip I have for anyone attempting to do any faux paint finish for the first time is to practice with your color combinations on sample boards. I like to use a material called Polystyrene. And be sure to use a good quality glaze with a long open time (meaning that it doesn't dry fast). This will allow the glaze / paint mixture to be more movable - longer. The last thing you need is to have the finish dry on you before you have the chance to blend it.

Feel free to share your tips and ideas on the ragging faux finish. I would love to see examples of your own work! Comment below.