Painting the Bathroom: How to Get It Right

How to get a great new coat of paint

Unlike other rooms, there are a few special considerations to keep in mind when painting a bathroom. First and foremost is choosing the right type of paint, as conventional paints do not meet the requirements of a bathroom. But you also need to take the bathroom’s specific conditions into account during preparation and while painting. We’ll walk you through the process of painting a bathroom step by step.

Key points at a glance:

Choosing the right paint: Special moisture-resistant paints, silicate paints, or lime paints provide reliable protection against moisture and mold—conventional wall paints are not suitable.
Prepare carefully: Clean, dry, and primed surfaces, as well as covering ceramic tiles and faucets, are essential for a clean finish.
Paint systematically: Work in the correct order (ceiling, trim, walls) and apply the paint evenly in several coats to achieve a durable and uniform finish.

Duravit D-Neo bathroom furniture and sink in a bathroom with colorful accents

Painting a bathroom: What paint should you use?

Standard emulsion paints—that is, wall paints for rooms like the living room—are not suitable for painting bathrooms. This is because the high humidity in the bathroom subjects the paint to special demands. Among other things, you’ll want to avoid mold growth and peeling paint. The following options are available to you:

Duravit D-Neo freestanding bathtub in a minimalist bathroom

Silicate paint

Duravit D-Neo sink in front of a turquoise wall

Moisture-resistant paint

Duravit bathroom furniture and sinks from the Sivida series against an olive-colored wall

Lime paint

Studio F. A. Porsche Collection Complete Bathroom

Latex paint

Painting a bathroom: proper preparation

Even once you’ve found the right color, you shouldn’t start painting the bathroom right away. Depending on the condition of the walls, certain preparations need to be made first.

Bento Starck Box bathtub with plenty of room for two people

Clear out the area and cover the ceramics

Anything in the bathroom that isn’t permanently fixed should be removed from the room first. Before painting the bathroom, it’s also a good idea to unscrew the faucets and electrical outlets, provided this isn’t too difficult to do. Everything that remains in the bathroom, such as the sink, toilet, and bathtub, should be thoroughly covered, for example with painter’s drop cloths. Door handles, baseboards, and, of course, floor and wall tiles should also be covered.

Close-up of the faucet on a Duravit D-Neo bathtub

Clean the walls (and ceiling)

To ensure a clean painting job in the bathroom, the surfaces to be painted must be cleaned. Any paint or glue residue should be removed, as well as any mold that may be present. Any uneven areas on the wall can now be filled with spackle. Afterward, the wall should be cleaned of dust or sand as needed. Additionally, the surface should be clean and free of grease. If necessary, the walls must first be wiped down with a damp cloth and then dried before painting the bathroom.

Wall-mounted bidet with Wave bidet faucet in gold

Primer

Painting a bathroom: How should you go about it?

When actually painting the bathroom, it’s best to follow a specific order. Here’s the recommended sequence:

Bathroom with a white ceiling and fixtures from the Duravit Luv series

1. Paint the bathroom ceiling (if desired)

If you want to paint the ceiling in the bathroom, you should start with that first. Just as with the walls later on, two coats are generally recommended to ensure the paint looks evenly applied in the end. In the first step, the paint is often thinned; in the second, this isn’t always necessary—follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the paint can itself. After the first coat, the paint usually needs to dry for a few hours before you can apply the second coat. The coats should then be applied consecutively without a break to ensure an even finish. It’s best to always start with the edges and then move on to painting the inner part of the bathroom ceiling.

Bright, fully equipped bathroom with SensoWash® D-Neo shower toilet

2. Paint the baseboard

A wainscot is a narrow strip below the ceiling—in a room with standard ceiling height, a width of about 3 cm usually works very well. If you choose different colors for the ceiling and walls when painting the bathroom, you should paint the wainscot the same color as the ceiling. This creates a more open visual effect and makes the room appear larger; it also helps to visually correct any uneven ceilings. Once the frieze has been painted, it can be masked off with painter’s tape. This eliminates the need to laboriously paint into the corners with the wall color and ensures a clean edge between the ceiling and the wall.

Horizontal Ketho.2 shelf unit mounted on a wall

3. Painting bathroom walls

Next, it’s time to paint the bathroom walls. Here, too, start with the corners and edges—preferably using a brush. You can then tackle larger areas with wider rollers so that everything dries at the same time. Work should proceed from the window side into the room, one wall section at a time. As with the ceiling, two coats are usually necessary. Here, too, paint each section completely in a single pass.

Modern bathroom with a Duravit No. 1 vanity unit

4. Let it dry

Painting the bathroom

Key points at a glance:

Painting a bathroom: What paint should you use?

Painting a bathroom: proper preparation

Painting a bathroom: How should you go about it?