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The list of materials that are suitable for decorating bathroom walls and ceilings is so extensive that it is well to evaluate each one carefully before you make your choice. This is especially true for bathrooms where you have to contend with great amounts of moisture.

Marble, ceramic tile, terrazzo tile, or quarry tile are wall materials reminiscent of the opulent era of the royal bath and belong to the luxury class.

Less expensive materials include mirrored walls, vinyl products that simulate marble or tile, and plastic-finished or laminated hardboards. Reproductions of hardboard paneling are easy to install and are available in realistic wood grains. This type can be cut with a knife and applied with adhesive. Wood paneling is available with a plastic finish.

Wallpaper is a good choice for bathroom walls; ceilings, too. Very rarely would you paper an entire bathroom. If you have tile part way up the walls and around the tub and shower, you might paper from the tile to the ceiling; perhaps use the same pattern on the ceiling, too. Or, you might choose to apply paper to just one wall.

Many wallpapers are washable, prepasted and strippable, making them both decorative and practical. There are many patterns to select from in vinyl- and plastic-coated papers, fabrics, foils, and flocked wall coverings; also, textures that simulate wood, brick, tweed, and leather. Whatever your choice, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding application. Some require special handling—a specific type of paste or adhesive, sizing the walls before hanging the paper or fabric.

Even if you have a limited budget for this project, a rather costly, good-quality wallpaper is not as great an expenditure as you might think because you will need very few rolls for a room of this size. Wallpaper is priced by the roll (35 square feet). Narrow papers, 18 to 201/2 inches wide, come in double-roll bolts. Wider, 28-inch papers often come in a triple-roll bolt.

Some wall coverings have matching fabrics that can be used for window treatments, even a shower curtain if a waterproof liner is used.

Paint is the least expensive wall covering and is a popular choice because it is easy and quick to apply. You probably would paint woodwork to match walls to avoid a cut-up look. Semigloss or enamel paints and latex- base paints are washable and protect against bathroom moisture. If you don’t find the color you want on the color chart, buy from a paint dealer who offers a custom-mixing service so that paint may match or contrast with fixtures and accessories in the room.

Ceilings are usually painted or papered. If you are painting the ceiling, do this before decorating the walls. If you paper the ceiling and not the walls, this tends to lower the ceiling. If you want to minimize the ceiling height still further, use a wide matching border around the wall near the ceiling. There are also acoustical tile ceiling materials that resist expansion or shrinkage, even in areas of extreme temperature changes. When occa

sional cleaning is required, washing with mild soap and lukewarm water will do the job.

Walls and ceilings should also be easy to clean, with good materials ranging from a fine hard-finish paint to vinyl wallpaper, acoustical tiles with a vinyl finish, pre-coated vinyl- finished paneling.

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