apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm always paranoid about the humidity ruining any prints I might have but my friend (who takes the hottest, steamiest showers known to mankind) has several prints hanging in his bathroom with no water damage whatsoever.

Not only will the humidity ruin prints, given the germy nature of the bathroom, it is a place where less stuff, not more, is better. The prints aren't likely to be individually cleaned on a regular basis, so the germ count of that room must be pretty massive. I'm also not a fan of the cluttered look; this is definitely clutter-heavy.

Oh Deer...

Yikes, a little cluttered for my taste! I'm always worried the moisture will ruin any prints I put in the bathroom...can't it get in the frame as well?

Ashley
rainycitystyle.blogspot.com

I love art in the bathroom. I've never had a problem with the humidity and I take very steamy showers. in my last apartment, the bathroom didn't even have a fan (it was always humid in there) and I hung a framed comic from a newspaper (or printed on newspaper-like material) that is quite old. it seems completely unaltered and now hangs in my living room. I'm sure it's not ideal from an archival perspective and I certainly wouldn't hang any priceless artwork in there, but I like to enjoy my art throughout my house. currently the only place I have any of my own artwork hanging is in my bathroom.

I shower with the window and bathroom door open as well as the fan going. Humidity isn't an issue. I love my bathroom art work - vintage prints and a flea market painting.

I was thinking about doing this and there are a couple of photographic prints that I have in mind that would be really nice in my bathroom. But as has been mentioned, I am hesitant because of the possibility of moisture damage. Are there any tips besides "keep the window open". This is fine for 5 months of the year, but I live in the Northeast!

Saw an episode of MTV Cribs with John Leguizamo last weekend and he has his man-bathroom wallpapered with classic comic book covers. I thought it looked great. But, personally I'm with you Centelleo, my art is much to precious to risk in the bathroom!

if they're old, original prints (like family photos), have copies made to be safe and display those. it's relatively inexpensive. when I didn't have a fan, I left the window closed during my shower, then opened it for a few minutes while I was getting dressed in the other room. it didn't take long to air it out. also, try to take not as hot/steamy showers (it's better for your skin, anyway), and leave the bathroom door open, if possible, to distribute the moisture throughout the house rather than keeping in concentrated.

I wonder if their are frames that are airtight? seems like there should be...

I agree with foodefafa. As long as it's not something irreplaceable (in which case, a good scan will work as a substitute), I don't think the moisture in most bathrooms will harm much art.

Even without art in the bathroom you should always run the exhaust fan (if you have one) and pull up the blinds for a half hour or so after bathing, if you live in a climate where the windows get a lot of condensation in the winter or summer. I know this from a lot of research I've done trying to learn to manage the humidity level throughout my new (old) house...

I have hung original watercolor paintings (framed with glass, of course) in my bathrooms for years with no visible damage.
The mats keep the painting from touching the glass, which is important. I have an oil painting in the separate bathtub area now, and since it isn't used a lot I consider the painting pretty secure. (It was a flea market find, anyhow, so not a big investment if anything were to happen.)

I would not hang actual photographs in a humid place, though. The emulsion is more sensitive to moisture than other work on paper, and might stick to the glass or otherwise suffer damage. For photos, go with a scan.

Oh no - not another crazy bathroom post. Can't y'all leave bathrooms alone and stop making them museums? LOL - what happened to very simple decorations that weren't to the extreme that you'd need to clean off surfaces before you can even wash your hands?

I'm a museum curator, so the thought of art in the bathroom gives me the hives. Whoever asked about air-tight frames, no, there really aren't. Most art is best stored or framed in an acid-free environment with some room to breathe. Even Leonardo drawings are not entombed in air-tight cases. They are sealed up pretty tight, but you need access to monitor their humidity & temp, so, no, it's not recommended.

Sure, your watercolors and posters and comic book covers are going to be fine for 5 or 10 or 20 years, but over the long haul, you are risking water and mold/mildew damage. I have to protect things for the long haul, and private collectors don't. If you don't care how long your artwork lasts, by all means hang it wherever you want. Do try to keep it out of direct sunlight, though, because sunlight works FAST to destroy pigments. I would recommend pulling everything off the wall once a year and looking behind it for mold or mildew if you do decide to hang art in the bathroom.