Wallpaper is back: floral, botanical and large-scale motifs dress walls with personality. But paper has one clear limit, water and humidity. In a bathroom or a kitchen it peels, wrinkles and gets damaged. The alternative is ceramic wallpaper: decorative porcelain that achieves the same effect with the strength of ceramic. Here we explain what it is, where you can use it and why it lasts where paper cannot.
In summary
- Ceramic wallpaper is large-format decorative porcelain: it dresses the wall like wallpaper, but it is ceramic.
- Its big advantage: being non-porous, it resists water and humidity. It is the way to put “wallpaper” in a bathroom or a kitchen.
- It does not wrinkle, does not peel, does not tear and does not fade over time.
- It is installed like a ceramic covering (with adhesive and by a professional); the large format leaves minimal joints. It is permanent, not removed like paper.
- Maintenance: water and pH-neutral soap. Collections such as Bloom and Grandiosa by Vallelunga.
What is ceramic wallpaper?
It is a large-format decorative porcelain: large, thin ceramic slabs with floral or botanical motifs that spread continuously across the wall, imitating wallpaper. The difference is that it is not paper, but glazed porcelain stoneware with high-definition digital printing. The design is fired into the ceramic, not printed on a sheet. The Bloom and Grandiosa collections by Vallelunga are a good example: whole walls decorated like a garden, in slabs up to 120×280 cm.
Can you put wallpaper in the bathroom?
Yes, if it is ceramic. Traditional wallpaper is damaged by humidity, peels at the corners and does not withstand splashes. Ceramic wallpaper, on the other hand, is porcelain stoneware: it is not porous, it does not absorb water or get damaged by steam. That is how you can have a floral wall in the bathroom, the shower or behind the basin without giving up decoration or worrying about humidity.
What about the kitchen?
It works there too. Besides resisting water, porcelain withstands heat, grease and knocks, and is easy to clean. It is a good option for a kitchen splashback with character, where ordinary wallpaper would not last.
Does it wrinkle, tear or peel?
No. Being porcelain stoneware, it does not wrinkle, does not peel with humidity, does not tear and does not fade in the sun. It is a thin but strong slab, fired at high temperature. Where wallpaper lifts at the corners or stains over time, ceramic stays intact for years.
How is it different from ordinary wallpaper?
Ordinary wallpaper (or vinyl) is cheaper and easy to remove, but it fears water, fades and needs replacing every few years. Ceramic wallpaper is a bigger investment and it is permanent: it is fixed like a covering, so it does not peel off or get changed like paper. In return, it lasts a lifetime, resists water and does not lose its design. It is decoration made to stay.
How is it installed?
It is fitted like any ceramic covering: with adhesive, onto a flat, well-prepared wall, and always by a professional installer. The large format keeps joints to a minimum, which reinforces that continuous, wallpaper-like look. As the slabs are thin and light they are manageable, but they need expert hands for cutting and laying.
How do you clean and maintain it?
Like any porcelain: water and pH-neutral soap. It needs no treatments, does not fade and does not lose its design over time. No resealing or special care.
Discover it in Mallorca
At Gomila Cerámica we work with Vallelunga, a specialist in this kind of decorative surface. Come to our showroom to see the Bloom and Grandiosa collections up close, and we will advise you on your project.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put wallpaper in the bathroom?
Yes, if it is ceramic. Ceramic wallpaper is porcelain stoneware, it does not absorb water or get damaged by humidity, so it holds up perfectly in bathrooms, showers and wet areas.
Does ceramic wallpaper wrinkle or peel?
No. Being ceramic it does not wrinkle or peel with humidity, does not tear and does not fade. It is a resistant slab that stays intact for years.
How is it different from ordinary wallpaper?
Ordinary wallpaper is cheaper and removable, but it fears water and has to be replaced. Ceramic wallpaper is permanent, resists water and lasts a lifetime.
Can it be removed later?
Not easily: it is fixed like a ceramic covering, so it is permanent decoration, made to stay.
How is it installed?
Like a ceramic covering: with adhesive, by a professional and onto a flat wall. The large format leaves minimal joints to reinforce the continuous effect.
