Bathroom Painting Tips

Waking up and walking into a tired-looking bathroom is a tough way to start the day, which may explain why painting the bathroom is one of the most popular home improvement projects. For a fraction of the cost of a bathroom remodeling project, painting the bathroom can deliver an exciting new look.

Choosing a Paint Color

The fun part of painting is selecting a color scheme. Most paint retailers have an abundance of color cards to choose from. Your job is to pare down the palette to the ideal color for your bathroom. Consider whether you want your bathroom to feel warm and cozy or look cool and sleek. Reds, oranges, and yellows tend to warm up a room, while blues and greens make it seem cooler.

“Your preference may depend upon where you live,” says Debbie Zimmer, a spokesperson for the Paint Quality Institute. “Up North, where the winters are longer, you might welcome the warm feeling created by a golden tone, for example; But if you live where the summers are long and hot, you might prefer a ‘cooler’ color” says Zimmer. Color can also be used to make the bathroom appear larger. According to Zimmer, “Many of us wish that our bathrooms were bigger, but aren’t willing to incur the expense of enlarging the room”. Interior painting offers an inexpensive alternative: Painting the room in a light color will make your bathroom seem larger.

Selecting Quality Paint for Your Bathroom

While there really is no right or wrong choice when it comes to color for your bathroom, that can’t necessarily be said of the quality of paint you use in your bathroom. If you’re on a tight budget, you might be tempted to buy a cheap paint, but even the best paints are still very affordable and there really is no comparison when it comes to performance.

 The Paint Quality Institute recommends that consumers use only top quality 100% acrylic latex paint. This type of paint is more durable and long lasting compared to other types of paint, and is also ideal for use in bathrooms and other damp, humid areas since it contains special additives to fight off mildew, and it’s easier to clean.

If you’re still hesitant to pay a little more per gallon for a top quality 100% acrylic latex interior paint for your bathroom, consider that many of these paints function as both primer and paint. Because of this, you’ll likely need to apply just a single coat of top quality paint in your bathroom, while you might need two or more coats with a lesser-quality coating.

Prepping Your Bathroom for Paint

Bathroom Remodeling Only a small amount of prep work is required before painting a bathroom. First, make sure to clean the walls, ceiling, and woodwork by scrubbing them with a sponge and mild detergent solution. Any mildew should be removed with a bleach solution of one part bleach to three parts water (Note: When using a bleach solution, or working overhead to clean the ceiling, it’s wise to wear rubber gloves and safety glasses). After cleaning all of the surfaces, wipe them down with clean water and allow them to dry before applying your paint.

Where to Begin

Start by painting your bathroom’s ceiling first to help prevent any paint splatter from ruining a freshly-painted wall. Next, paint the bathroom walls. Then, follow up by painting the windows, door, and trim. Complete the job by painting the baseboards in your bathroom.

While working, you may want to keep the room ventilated by opening a window or two. However, if you’re applying one of the new top quality latex paints, you will probably notice little paint odor compared to other paints. That’s because today’s advanced latex paints emit only a small amount of the “volatile organic compounds” that can cause the typical “paint smell” associated with oil-based paints. You can take comfort in the fact that low-VOC latex paints are good for the environment as well as for the health of you and your family. Enjoy you freshly-painted, rejuvenated bathroom!