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dbzeag

Wants to kiss you where it stinks
Jun 9, 2006
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I am going to be buying my condo I am renting now. I am going to be updating it with wood floors, redoing the bathrooms, and other little things.

I was wondering what type to paint to use in a bathroom? It would have to be tough enough to withstand the swampy climate of a bathroom as well as adhere to plaster.

Any ideas?
 
dbzeag said:
I am going to be buying my condo I am renting now. I am going to be updating it with wood floors, redoing the bathrooms, and other little things.

I was wondering what type to paint to use in a bathroom? It would have to be tough enough to withstand the swampy climate of a bathroom as well as adhere to plaster.

Any ideas?
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The make special paint for bathrooms ie for high humidity. Go to your local home improvment store and tell them you need paint for a bathroom, they will know exactly what you need. :p
 
If you use interior paint you will need some sort of gloss or semi gloss. Personally though, I think exterior paint works quite well in the bathroom. It's made to get wet and take abuse and not peel, run, or blister from it.

You can also go buy the Walmart/Lowe's/wherever you go store brand exterior paint and it will be as good or better than than the premium brand "bathroom paint" they sell.

The surface you paint on doesn't really matter. If it is a porous surface (ie stucco or venetian plaster) that just means you will need more paint. Making sure you get the correct nap roller is the key. Also, buying more paint than you need is better than not buying enough and running out. It will NEVER match up if you have to go back and get more, and if you store it in a cabinet it will last for a while. Using a 5 gallon bucket to mix your gallons together is the best. That way you have one uniform color. 2 gallons of paint will never be the same exact color. And you can tell when you switch pails.

Word of advice ... don't rush.
If you are using a gloss or semi-gloss (interior or exterior) let each coat dry for a full 8-12 hours before doing a second coat.
If you are using flat paint wait at least 3-4 hrs between coats.
And don't use the shower for a couple days, let the paint "cure".

It may look dry, and it may feel dry, but most times it isn't dry.

If it is completely dry and not tacky(sticky) then apply the 2nd coat. (if it's a dark color you may need 3 or 4 coats, depending).

What this will accomplish, is it will keep it from streaking once it gets wet (from the steam).
My parents didn't listen to me on this (painted their bathroom in one evening, 6 hr time frame, with semi-gloss paint) and now their back bathroom walls look like they are melting. Where the steam collected, beaded up, and rolled down the wall from the ceiling .. there is a distinct discoloration to the paint (water marks). I bet if you got up there and felt it it has a slight indentation to it where it actually moved the paint.

Now they're gonna have to sand it and re-paint it. yuck.
 
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What does 'redoing' a bathroom mean? For me that usually involves ripping it back to the framing...

If you just want to pain them it's the normal stuff with paint:

It's a bathroom, so the existing paint is probably high gloss, you want to score the entire surface with steel wool/sandpaper. Depending on how glossy and hard the existing paint is you may be able to skip this step.

Then you want to wash walls. There is a chemical for doing this, I'm not sure if Lowes or anyplace carries it, called TSP (Tri sodium phosphate) or something similar.

Mask off what you dont want to get paint on.

Primer is a necessity for a good 100% job. Primer has to match the finish paint whatever it may be, i.e. oil primer with oil paint etc. Reading the back of the paint cans comes in handy here.

The paint, it all depends on where you buy it. I dont know much about home depot because I honestly dont shop there. Usually someone can direct you in the correct direction in the store. I usually go to ICI Paints around simply because it's cheaper to buy in 20 gal buckets when you are repainting an entire floor... Whatever you get, if you apply it correctly and keep the bathroom ventilated it should hold up.

Applying is the 2nd most important part, after prep :p You have to go carefully, but not so slow it dries. You have to apply just enough to cover the surface with each coat. You CANNOT put on a second coat until the first one is completely dry. You CANNOT use the bathroom at all until it is all done and the paint is completely dry.

I'd have tile installed, floor to ceiling, personally. :p
 
I am just redoing the mirror, door, removing wallpaper and painting, and a new vanity. Not down to the studs.

:lol: studs :fly:

Thanks for the advice, though :heart:
 
FlamingGlory said:
What does 'redoing' a bathroom mean? For me that usually involves ripping it back to the framing...

If you just want to pain them it's the normal stuff with paint:

It's a bathroom, so the existing paint is probably high gloss, you want to score the entire surface with steel wool/sandpaper. Depending on how glossy and hard the existing paint is you may be able to skip this step.
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Thankfully, I've never seen high gloss on walls. Walls should always be flat or maybe eggshell, nothing more. Save the high gloss for the woodwork.
 
fly said:
Thankfully, I've never seen high gloss on walls. Walls should always be flat or maybe eggshell, nothing more. Save the high gloss for the woodwork.
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In an old house of mine, we had a second kitchen that was done in high gloss pink enamel. Not only ugly, but nearly impossible to paint over. Had to belt sand the entire room before it could be redone.

For the place Im doing now, I'm thinking light green matte with white square style trim.
 
SRC said:
Gloss and semi-gloss have their place outside of trimwork. If your bathroom gets extremely steamy it's usually a good idea to use a glossy paint instead of a flat. It handles the humidity better.
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You can get paint for bathrooms that isnt high gloss, which I personally recommend. Shiny walls are ugly.
 
fly said:
You can get paint for bathrooms that isnt high gloss, which I personally recommend. Shiny walls are ugly.
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Shiny people, on the other hand, are happy holding hands.

On a related note, I have no problem with shiny paint. It doesn't really stand out that much if you have stuff hanging on the wall. We used some in our nursery in case we get any projectile poo, pee, or she colors on the walls in the future.
 
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