So for the past 7 years, I’ve had ugly, off-white, ivy-patterned wallpaper on my bathroom walls. Today I decided it was time for it to go.
So I’m almost done stripping the wallpaper, and I’m trying to figure out what color(s) to paint the room. It’s a smallish bathroom, with no windows. There’s a large mirror, a countertop, bath/shower, toilet, and cabinet.
I want a non-neutral color, but not one that will overpower the room or make it seem smaller. Also not blue, because there’s already too much blue in the house. I’d like to do something interesting, maybe a border or some sponge painting or something.
So, advice on colors, techniques, or anything else? I have time but not huge amoounts of money, and I want to do something exciting.
Thanks in advance!
Seal the drywall behind the wallpaper.
They make a drywall sealer paint.
I say this because of your wanting to do a faux technique to the walls. If you were just painting, two coats of a good quality latex with a fair amount of sheen would suffice.
You need either a sealer or a sheen because of the extra extra humdity a bathroom gets. Also, if doing a faux finish in a bathroom, many manufacturers reccommend a sealing clear topcoat. Read the labels when purchasing.
You don’t have to use alkyds. Just make sure you buy a quality latex paint. The cheap stuff will disappoint you.
I would suggest a light pastel green. Green is a calming, soothing color which would most likely have a positive effect on bowel movements. Use two coats of paint, a flat undercoat tinted to match the highgloss topcoat. I would suggest purchasing a high guality brand of mildew resistant paint for the topcoat. If there are any stains on the walls i suggest using a brand of paint called “kilz” for the undercoat. If the walls are in good shape any namebrand undercoat will be sufficient. Since you want to be creative my advice would be to get a book from the library on fauxfinishes and choose a technique suited to your sense of aesthetics.
Use latex (waterbase) paint. It makes cleanup easier.
Look into putting in a skylight, best thing I did to my smallish bathroom.
Plus get a picture that has a window type frame (outer frame and then cross wood pieces in middle). It will make the room look bigger cause it adds a faux outdoors view.
I personally like a soft yellow for a bathroom. It is bright and cheery.
Before applying the “kilz” fungicide laced undercoat, consider giving the whole room a quick scrub down with a mild bleach solution (hold off on the ammonia!). Air dry the chamber thoroughly before continuing. You will want to use a semi-gloss enamel (or full gloss) for the actual paint.
Consider rag-rolling or sponge-painting for a nice dappled interior effect that is easy to achieve. You’ll want to practice on other surfaces first, in order to get the technique down. I went whole hog and had waist high, crown rail capped, spar varnished beadboard wainscotting installed in my loo. It’s like whizzing in an British pub!
Two words: Home Depot.
They offer free workshops in our area - good luck!
I would go with a paint color that compliments the rest of your home; it’s so jarring (is that a word?) to walk from ivory walls into a deep purple bathroom. I’ve seen it too many times - we chose our new home 6 months ago because all the colors played nice with each other.
Don’t forget all the little touches.
Like cleaning the grout and tile, recaulking around the shower/bathtub, getting the hard water spots off of the hardware.
These little things add a lot to the presentation.
You should also probably paint the cieling. Some people use flat for any ceiling, but I prefer to go with an eggshell sheen. Eggshell is just a tad shinier than matt/flat. Check around or some different brands. Some high end paints offer a satin sheen, one step below eggshell in glossiness. Flat, matte, satin, eggshell, semi-gloss, gloss is the usual sheen progession. Some manufacturers list flat/matte as the same thing, don’t offer satin or maybe gloss. It all depends on the brand.
For ceiling color, an effective method of choosing is to get a 1/4 color mix of the walls (or the base coat of the walls). This keeps the colors close while allowing for a brighter ceiling.
Ceilings don’t have to be white.
Go to a paint store instead of a DYI chain superstore. You’ll usually get a more knowledgable level of help.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I like the idea of either a pale green or a light yellow. I’ll probably use a water-based paint, because I don’t have the time/energy/will to use oil-based and have the messiness issue.
I’m gonna go to the local paint store today and see what strikes my fancy.
Thanks again!
Definately go with high-gloss paint. It makes the walls easier to clean.
If you have a digital camera there is a $5 computer program from Glidden they sell at home depot.
You can download photos of rooms in your home to the program. Then you use your mouse to outline the paintable surfaces in the picture.
You can then click on thier color pallete and see what color looks good in that room. It even adjusts the color for shadow in the photo.