How to Paint Your Bedroom

Bathroom Painting Tips

A bathroom competes with the kitchen as one of the most used areas of the home. Recently having painted ours, I’m here to share some bathroom painting tips we learned along the way.

While it serves a necessary and functional purpose, the bathroom is also a space to inject your personal style, and nothing beats a fresh coat of paint to accomplish just that. Painting your bathroom is an easy DIY weekend project. The following are a few helpful bathroom painting tips for the next time you decide to paint your bathroom.

To refresh your bathroom, follow these simple steps:

Glidden paint samples

Glidden paint display

1. Choose A Color.

Narrow down the colors you’re considering to a few that you like. Pick up samples for a few dollars each and try them on the wall in large enough swatches so you can see how the paint color looks in the space at various times of the day.

Paint supplies

2. Gather Materials

The supplies necessary for painting the walls of a bathroom are quite basic. You’ll need: a roller, a tray, an angled paintbrush, painters tape, patch, sandpaper, a flat-head screwdriver to remove electrical plates, a tarp for the floor, and semi-gloss or satin paint.

Glidden Semi-Gloss Paint

3. Pick Your Type of Paint.

Bathrooms are easy to paint with the water-based formulas available from Glidden Paint. You’re free to choose any sheen, but the semi-gloss and satin formulas are best for areas that are exposed to moisture since they are formulated to resist the growth of mildew on the paint film.

Glidden paint on wall

4. Do Prep Work

With a screwdriver, remove any plates on your electrical sockets or light switches. Next wash down the walls with soap and water. Painters tape applied to the baseboard makes horizontal painting a breeze. Patch and sand* any nail holes or dings. To protect your floors, a tarp comes in handy in case there are accidental drips or spills.

Glidden paint on wall

Newly painted bathroom

5. Follow These Easy Steps

A good-quality angled brush is key for the initial step of “cutting in,” where you carefully paint the borders. There’s no need for painters tape along vertical edges if the hand and brush are steady. Once the edges are complete, use a lightweight nap roller dipped in a tray to cover the remainder of the walls with more speed and even coverage.

Once the first coat is dry, evaluate whether you’ll need a second. Often when the change of color is subtle, a single coat will do, but if the change is more dramatic, you’ll likely need two coats. Also consider one of Glidden's Paint Primer formulas for those dramatic wall changes from light to dark or dark to light; the primer qualities of the product will limit the need for more than two coats.

Painting a bathroom is a satisfying process that doesn’t require anything more than the right supplies and a few hours of work. Step back at the end to admire your handiwork!

*WARNING! If you scrape, sand, or remove old paint, you may release lead dust. LEAD IS TOXIC. EXPOSURE TO LEAD DUST CAN CAUSE SERIOUS ILLNESS, SUCH AS BRAIN DAMAGE, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN. PREGNANT WOMEN SHOULD ALSO AVOID EXPOSURE. Wear a NIOSH-approved respirator to control lead exposure. Clean up carefully with a HEPA vacuum and a wet mop. Before you start, find out how to protect yourself and your family by contacting the National Lead Information Hotline at 1-800-424-LEAD or log on to www.epa.gov/lead.