Next to the kitchen, the bathroom is the most functional area of the home. But even though a bathroom has to be practical, it can still be more attractive than the rest of your home. With cleaning, updating fixtures, and house painting in Danville, you can enhance and even elevate your bathroom experience.
Fortunately, since the bathroom is small compared to the other areas of the house, it only takes a little time and effort to give it a fresh appearance. Depending on the size of the bathroom, it only takes a day or even a few hours to complete your bathroom painting job. This project can also be an excellent introduction to DIY home painting.
Choose the best type of paint for bathrooms.
The paint you will use for your bathroom walls should withstand scuffing, moisture, humidity, and condensation. Thus, the best type of paint for the bathroom should have a satin, semi-gloss, or glossy finish with a mildew-resistant additive.
You can choose water-based or oil-based paints for painting bathroom walls and cabinets. Oil-based paints are still the superior choice for bathrooms due to their durability. They’re highly resistant to moisture and scuffing when being wiped down. However, oil-based paints are slow to dry and prone to future cracks and yellowing. They also give off unpleasant, toxic fumes when applied to the surface. In addition, the clean-up of oil-based paints is more difficult as they require spirits or solvents.
Water-based paints, like latex and acrylic, are far more environmentally friendly. They dry fast, have a low odor, and are easy to clean with only soap and water. Today, the best latex and acrylic paints for bathrooms offer several features that equal or exceed their oil-based counterparts’ performance.
To prime or not to prime bathroom walls?
Don’t skip the primer – it will help the finishing paint to bond better to your bathroom walls. Primer can also hide stains and patches, block odor, and prevent issues like peeling. You can find primers with mildewcide additives that will further protect your bathroom walls for many years.
Prepare the bathroom walls for painting.
- First, remove wall hangings, shower curtains, rods, and towel bars (if they’re removable). Clear all decorations, if any. Remove any electrical outlet and switch covers, and then tape them to keep the paint out.
- Removing the entire toilet is not impossible, although it requires a professional plumber. Unless necessary to facilitate painting the walls where the toilet is located, there’s no need to have it removed. Instead, remove the toilet’s tank lid and cover the entire toilet with a trash bag.
- Bathrooms are usually small and enclosed spaces with insufficient ventilation. Before painting your bathroom, make sure it is well-ventilated. Keep the door and windows open while the bathroom is cleaned and painted. Turn on the exhaust fan to increase ventilation and help minimize paint drying time if necessary.
- Next, clean and disinfect your bathroom. Get rid of the mold and mildew with a bleach solution or specially-made cleaning agents.
- Cover everything in the bathroom entirely with a drop cloth. Protect your bathroom’s baseboards, door, window trim, and woodwork by covering them with painter’s tape.
- Scrape off flaking or peeling old paint. Repair cracks or holes in your bathroom walls, if any. Fill them with a spackling compound or any good-quality wood filler. To hasten the process, clean the excess filler while drying. Once dried, use a sanding sponge or a simple damp sponge to smooth what is left of the filler.
- Prime the walls before painting.
Choose a color scheme for the bathroom.
As a homeowner, you should have a say when choosing the color scheme for your bathroom. Whether you want to bring the tranquil beach tones to your bathroom for a spa-like retreat or revitalize your bathroom with bold and vibrant hues, the choice is totally up to you.
The Internet is an excellent source for gathering fantastic ideas for unique and eye-catching bathroom color schemes. You may also want to visit bathroom showcases in home improvement stores if they have any.
Painting tips and tricks
If you want to include the ceiling:
- Paint it first before painting the walls.
- Use an extension pole at the end of your paint roller, and apply the initial coat of paint.
- Allow the paint to dry before you apply a second coat.
- Load your roller with enough paint each time you use it.
When painting the walls, cut in around the corners of windows, doors, and electrical outlets. It’s like making a painted outline around them. Also, do the work along the ceilings and baseboards.
Painting the wall behind the toilet is probably the trickiest part unless you have the toilet removed. The gap between the toilet and the wall is awkwardly narrow, which makes the job pretty challenging. Sometimes, the wall behind the toilet is ignored during a bathroom paint job simply because it’s challenging to reach.
But painting behind the toilet doesn’t have to be complicated. A trick you can use is a mini paint roller – it’s specifically designed for tight spaces. They are typically around one inch in diameter, pretty much like the size of a hot dog or sausage. After loading your mini roller with paint, try sliding it from the sides or top to determine which entry point is the easiest and most comfortable.
As the bathroom is one of the most-used areas of your home, it deserves a makeover just like the other rooms. With just a simple coat of paint, it will bring a dramatic transformation to your bathroom. These painting in Danville tips will make your bathroom stand out from the rest of your home.
