Decorate Your Toilet Seat Cover: Decoupage, Mosaic or Paint

Not many people focus on their bathroom in terms of decorating or sprucing up aesthetically. It’s easy to slap on a coat of paint to the walls and purchase attractive shower curtains. Heck, it’s even easy to put a few mirrors or pictures on the wall to create a more creative bathroom. I’ve thought long and hard for ways to spruce up your toilet seat cover for a new and fun twist on bathroom decorating.

IDEA #1: Decoupage
Decoupaging is basically decorating an item with layers of colored paper of sorts by gluing. This is pretty simple and the supplies needed are easy to come by. You first will need to decide what kind of theme you want for your bathroom. This can be anything. It can be contemporary, have numerous colors, contain cartoon characters, or be random. (Some ideas include: a child’s favorite cartoon character, cut outs of words or pictures from magazines, random swatches of color construction paper, or even newspaper or comic clippings.) You will need to use either regular white glue (slightly watered down) or a decoupage medium that you can buy at pretty much any craft store. Clean the toilet seat first. Cut out strips or bits of your chosen theme and use a wide bristled heavier duty paintbrush to coat the toilet seat in sections with the glue. Either with your fingers or a cotton ball, smooth the paper items over the glue and then re-coat the top of the paper with some more glue after the layer has dried. Do this randomly and overlapping in any design you wish until the desired effect is met. Continue this for the entire toilet seat. You may choose to layer the glue or decoupage medium over the finished product about 10 times to be sure everything is secure and coated and all edges are smooth. Another option is a polyurethane or acrylic sealer spray. If you wish to have a smooth surface, get a very low grain sanding paper and sand the bumps to your desired smoothness.

IDEA # 2: Mosaic
There are a few ways to create mosaic art. Mosaic art is the use of small pieces of glass or other objects to create a picture or abstract art. Different mosaic materials you can use are as follows: glass pieces, ceramic tiles, broken colored glass, broken mirror, flattened marbles, or even colored stock paper. I highly recommend going to a craft store and getting pre-cut objects to save time, trouble and the risk of danger if cutting these items yourself. The methods of mosaic creation that I am aware of are both somewhat simple. If using pieces of glass, ceramic tiles, or even flattened marbles, you will first want to prepare the surface. Because toilets are a smooth, glossy surface you will need to sandpaper/steel wool over it to create a more effective bonding base. Craft glue, sealant, cement, epoxy, or ceramic tile adhesive can be used to attach your objects to the base. Sometimes it is easiest to apply a crafting grout to the base and press your objects into the grout in your desired design. Doing this creates less steps for completion but it may not hold as steadfastly. Be careful if you’re grouting over light colored glass or mirrors because this can often ruin the effect of your objects. Do a test run on another object to get your desired results. After you have adhered your objects into the pattern or design you’ve created, let it completely dry. Following instruction on how to grout tile, grout your creation for maximum adherence and a smooth surface.

IDEA #3: Paint or Permanent Marker
This is the easiest and probably most cost effective method for decorating your toilet seat. Depending on your chosen medium, you will most likely need to Gesso the surface of the toilet. Gesso is a crafting product that you can purchase in any craft store. Its purpose is to create a base that will hold paint (usually acrylic), mainly on ceramic or gloss-finished bases. It is unnecessary to use if you choose to draw with permanent marker. Decide what kind of effect or design you wish to create and sketch out a rough draft onto the toilet seat in pencil. Using your selected medium, create and fill in your design. After you are through, spray over your art with Acrylic Sealant to protect your design. Doing this will also allow you to clean the surface if it gets wet or dirty. Be sure to select a sealant that coats and protects so that you may use soap or water on it without damaging the seal.

With these three ideas for decorating your toilet seat cover, you can create a unique and very aesthetically appealing bathroom.