How to Paint a Bathroom

For being such a small room, painting bathroom walls can take longer than you'd think! One trick is to declutter, clean and caulk your bathroom before you start painting. For professional tips on how to do the best-ever bathroom paint job, read on.

Declutter!

Because of all the angles and corners, bathrooms can be tricky and time consuming. Brushing or “cutting in” takes more time than rolling paint. Cut down the amount of painting time by first removing everything possible.

Clear everything off the vanity, shower stall and tub.

Remove the switchplates. Towel bars, hooks and toilet paper holders are easy to remove. They are usually attached to a mounting bracket with very small set screws. If you don't have a tiny screwdriver, the tip of a sharp steak knife works just as well.

If possible, take the mirror down. Lights above the sink are sometimes a curlicue mess of multiple shades and decorative hardware. If you are comfortable with messing with electrical things, shut the fuse off and take the whole light fixture down. If this isn't feasible, at least remove the shades.

Take the top of the toilet tank off.

If you have fan grates or vents, remove those too. They can be left white, or painted but it is easiest to paint them off the wall to get to all the fiddly bits.

If you have a shower rod spring-fitted to the walls, take that down as well.

The little shield thingies that go around where the toilet tank pipe and shower head plumbing go into the wall can usually be gently pried away.

There. Now you have a blank slate!

Clean!

Generally there is no reason to clean walls prior to painting unless they are very dirty. However, people often spray things in bathrooms – deodorant, hair spray, cologne. The residue should be wiped off the walls or it can interfere with the paint adhering. Any mild ammonia cleaner, even window cleaner, works just fine.

Caulk!

For professional caulking tips, read this!

Caulking is one of those things that many people don't do prior to painting, yet it's often necessary for a clean, professional looking job. Look where your countertop and your cabinets meet the wall. Check along the edges of tub and shower enclosure. Chances are there are some unsightly gaps you can fill. Use good quality paintable silicone caulking.

If you have ceramic tile that looks like it's missing some of the grout along the wall, there is special grout-colored caulk you can buy. It's easy to use and if left uncaulked, the moist bathroom air will start making the tiles come loose from the wall.

Paint!

Now for the fun stuff. For step by step instructions on how to paint a room, go here.

Some special tips for painting bathrooms:

Dramatic, dark colors can look stunning in a bathroom. However, if you use a very deep color paint, wait two or three days before using the shower or getting the room steamy. It takes up to a month for latex paint to fully cure. The colorant in deep toned paint may run a little, giving a patchy appearance, if the paint is softened by steam while still very fresh.

I suggest at least a satin finish. Don't skimp on paint quality. Bathroom paint is subjected to changes in humidity, temperature and chemicals from hair spray and so on. It needs to be very durable.

You might need an artist brush for getting into some tight spaces in bathrooms.

There is usually no need to paint the entire wall behind the toilet tank. If you paint in as far as you can, once the tank top is replaced, nobody can tell. Alternately there are little skinny rollers sold at all paint stores that will fit between the tank and wall.

-Carina MacDonald

Carina MacDonald has been a painting contractor since
1979 and has tackled everything from large commercial buildings and Victorian homes to faux painting a child s room and wallpapering a bathroom. If it stands still long enough, she can figure out a way to paint it correctly!