Colour for bathroom

By Kath Gannaway
WITH expensive tiles, laminates and fittings, bathrooms are often hard to redecorate without spending a fortune.
For home owners on a limited budget, one clever way to freshen up a bathroom is to apply a fresh coat of paint.
A new colour scheme for the walls and ceiling will give the bathroom a real lift without having to make any structural changes, buy new fittings or replace the wall tiles.
The colours of towels and other furnishings are constantly changing, so more neutral walls and ceilings make it easy to display a wider range of colours to advantage.
A key factor in successfully updating the bathroom is to choose the right paint for the job.
“All your hard work choosing the right colours can be wasted if you choose the wrong paint,” said Michael Beresford, Manager of the Rohm and Haas Paint Quality Institute.
“Bathrooms are wet areas that are subject to a higher degree of wear and tear from moisture and steam than almost any other room in your home.
“So you need to choose top quality paints that have been specially formulated to resist the impact of water and steam.
“Use of lower quality paints can provide a breeding ground for mould, as can bare surfaces that haven’t been cleaned or primed properly before the topcoat has been applied.
Mr Beresford recommends using a top-quality, water-based, 100-per-cent-acrylic paint for bathroom walls and the ceiling.
The institute’s paint quality experts have found that quality paints with semi gloss and gloss finishes provide the most protection, he said.
For trim work such as window sills and skirting, the latest technology water-based acrylic enamel was recommended.
“It is not only as tough and easy to apply as traditional oil-based enamels but retains its gloss longer and has better resistance to mildew, an important feature for a bathroom,” Mr Beresford said.
Quality paint manufacturers now offer a number of products specifically formulated for use in wet areas that resist mould growth, resist stains and give added protection.