Bathrooms are often small, water-prone, and the one room guest will certainly visit. Those should be reasons enough for why painting your bathroom is a task left to the experts like Abrams Interior Painting. But if you want to tackle it yourself, use these tips:
1. Clean Your Walls
Why: Soap scum and other embedded substances seriously mess up your paint.
In other areas of the house, you might be able to squeak by without cleaning the walls, maybe the dining rooms and bedrooms can just use a light dusting.But in the bathroom, it’s crucial to clean the walls. It’s not so much stains as it is soap scum and bleach-based cleaning agents. Soap scum will cause your nice paint job to peel off, if you can get it to stick in the first place.
2. Remove the Toilet Tank For Flawless Walls.
Why: It’s really impossible to paint around toilet tanks and do a good job of it.
Most people attempt to tape the tank and paint in that ultra-narrow crack between the tank and the wall, but the space is so small, you have to daub the brush repeatedly to get a solid color or buy a special brush. Even then, you may end up with a ring around the tank that basically shouts, “Lazy pant job!”
Removing the toilet tank sounds messy and hard but it’s not. The messy section isn’t the tank, it’s the seat section, and that section is not coming off. Turn off the water supply at the toilet base, flush the toilet to remove all water, and then remove the tank with a couple of old towels on the floor. Done.
3. Color is Important. Choose Wisely.
As you have probably noticed, a trend of similar, bright colors is emerging. Well, the same holds true for the ceiling and walls.
One problem with small bathrooms is short ceilings. As you might expect, using dark colors for your ceilings will make it seem low. Avoid white (unless your walls are also white), which will stop one’s eyes right at the ceiling line. Using the same color for the wall and ceiling will help the eye travel effortlessly throughout the space, giving once again, the appearance of a larger bathroom.
Use Light Colors on Doors, Windows & Molding
Light colors do not only apply to the walls and ceilings. There are many fixtures and elements of a bathroom you can paint or augment. Do not forget about the doors, windows and moldings.
Paint your wall trim, window covers and moldings in a lighter color than your walls. When you paint your moldings light, the wall appears farther back, making your small bathroom appear bigger.
4. Right For the Bathroom.
Why: Your bathroom has water–a lot. It will get on your paint, no matter how hard you try to avoid this.
Some paint manufacturers sell what they call bathroom paint: paint that has both mold-inhibiting agents and a better surface for resisting moisture.
Oil Primer is generally thought to be more durable for high moisture areas such as the bathroom. Oil also has a very strong odor, so be aware of that if you ever do use it and be sure to keep the windows open. Be sure to check that this primer is able to have latex applied over it, as it’s getting harder to find oil-based paints these days.
Latex based primer, like Kilz 2, doesn’t have that same odor and will work just fine in bathrooms as well since most drywall in areas like that are “greenboard,” meaning they are treated for moisture. It’s easiest to apply over this, since water/latex works best with the new latex based paints.
Be sure to get either a Satin or Semi-Gloss finish, as those are the most recommended or high-moisture areas. A Sheen Can Make It Or Break It.