Guidance & Tips on Bathroom Painting
- Light-colored bathroom walls can help wake you in the morning.bathroom image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
The bathroom is one room of the house to which you can add any number of decorative touches. It can include the same color palette as the rest of the house or something entirely different. Because the room is typically smaller than other rooms, it's easier to experiment with special paint finishes on bathroom walls before using them in other rooms of the house. - It's necessary to remove all decorative items, such as paintings, from the room. Remove all of the toiletry items that normally sit on the counter. Take easily movable furniture, such as linen racks, out of the room. Remove all electrical outlet plates. Careful preparation of the walls is necessary before bathroom painting can begin. Scraping loose paint and sanding the surface provides a good base for the new bathroom paint. If you see signs of mold and mildew, a mixture of bleach and water applied to the walls should stop its growth. Before new paint goes on the walls, find any leaks that are causing mold growth and repair them. To keep paint from getting on the remaining parts of the room, use painter's tape to cover the remaining fixtures, and put drop cloths down to cover the floor.
- Select paint colors to establish the right mood for the bathroom decor. Soft, muted shades of blue, green and lavender are calming, while brighter shades of red, orange and yellow are more invigorating. Enamel or latex paint is available, and both work well in a bathroom. If the bathroom is prone to mold problems, special paints are available that are mold and mildew resistant. Use the best paintbrush and roller available. Paint a primer on the walls, and cover it with two coats of paint. Allow the different coats of paint ample time to dry. Adequately ventilate the bathroom, especially when using enamel paint. Paint the ceiling first, the walls next and finish with the baseboard and trim.
- A variety of special paint finishes are available to give one or more of the bathroom walls a special appearance. Glazing is a technique that brightens the new paint color. Applying glaze with a paintbrush gives one look. Applying it with a sponge creates an entirely different effect. Stripes on the wall can create a different look as well. Simply use painter's tape to mark the stripes, and paint the stripes with contrasting colors of paint.
