some decorating tips pls

adrian jaye · 11-17-2003, 04:59 AM

ok,
am re-decoing my bathroom. bear in mind the house is a fixer upper and will be sellling it soon as.

The bathroom has suffered from condensation/damp. Which I've treated.

I want to paint the walls, can I use any kind of Emulsion or does it need to be specially formulated for bathrooms. If not after painting do I need to put any other coatings on.

ALSO
I'm pulling up the adhesive tiles which are manky, and want to replace either with Lino or Tiles, if with tiles I want to use carpet type tiles and not the plastic ones I have.

Again in a damp/possibly water spillage area, any ideas or tips

cheers

Ade

BGCarrera32 · 11-17-2003, 05:09 AM

I'm not too familiar with housing in the UK, but if you've had moisture issues I'd suggesting getting a bathroom fan installed. If nothing else, by putting it in you've tried in good faith to fix the moisture problem should the future buyer decide to ask for repairs. Obviously stopping the moisture problem is priority #1. Some fans can be equipped with small twist timers to make sure they run long enough after you've finished showering.

Anyway, there are paints specially formulated for bathrooms, just ask whoever you buy your paint from. As for the floor, the biggest thing is to get a strong dry substrate prepared (whatever you plan to fasten the tiles to) so that whatever gets put down sticks and stays put. GE makes a silicone based bathroom caulk for sealing around bathtubs and floorboards. Do not use paintable acrylic caulk, it will grow mold in it.

adrian jaye · 11-17-2003, 05:58 AM

BG,
cheers for that,
good tip for the painters caulk, I think they used it on the bath tiles, and thats moldey

laters

A

Milu · 11-17-2003, 05:58 AM

Use Kitchen and bathroom paint.
I would avoid carpet tiles in a bathroom, cork tiles are more practical and easier to cut and lay.
All is available in your local diy centre.
Fan and proper ventilation is a good idea.

MFAFF · 11-17-2003, 06:47 AM

Is your bathroom internal ie no window directly to the outside?.

If yes then you will need to have an extract fan to the outside which switches on with the light switch and goes off on a over run timer, usually for 2 mins from lights off.

If no then there is no obligation to have any mechanical extraction to the bathroom, but its a good idea.

Paint to non tiled walls can be normal emulsion, either matt or satin (also known as eggshell) is preferable as its easier to wipe down. Dulux and Crown offer the best ranges in both materials and colours.

Most DIY stores will supply correct grade tiling grout for bathroom applications, I'd recommend a two part epoxy resin based compound wich is water impervious and chemical resistant, as well as the mastic sealant for baths and wash hand basins. Also try to 'tool' the mastic and the grount with around backed spatula to get a 'concave' joint which sheds water down the wall or onto the bath or basin edge.

Limit all jonits to approx. 5mm.

Get a tile adhesive and grout that the tile manufacturer recommends as you will not get compatibility issues.

Check mastic as to whether or not they contain an antifugal and if they don't use one which does.

Floor finishes in bathrooms should be stone or tile, any vinyl or lino will need to be correctly edged and bonded to the sub floor.

Avoid cork tiles as they cannot be cleaned correctly and will eventually rot. They are easy to lay and look good initially.

Avoid any flooring material which needs additional sealant over the top. These are either a film type which wears off and the floor underneath will stain unevenly or they penetrate a little into the material and will stain unevenly form day one.

Also bear in mind that there are now slip resistances to be respected for bathrooms. Most DIY places will be albe to advise on suitability.

You can get 'seamless' vinyl floors to cover mst normal dimensions.

Also try laminate floorings as some are bathroom compatible.

Sorry its so long but this is what I do

adrian jaye · 11-17-2003, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MFAFF
If no then there is no obligation to have any mechanical extraction to the bathroom, but its a good idea.

it has a round mechanical thingy, but is knacked, so going to replace.

Paint to non tiled walls can be normal emulsion, either matt or satin (also known as eggshell) is preferable as its easier to wipe down. Dulux and Crown offer the best ranges in both materials and colours.

cool I was hoping so,

Most DIY stores will supply correct grade tiling grout for bathroom applications, I'd recommend a two part epoxy resin based compound wich is water impervious and chemical resistant, as well as the mastic sealant for baths and wash hand basins. Also try to 'tool' the mastic and the grount with around backed spatula to get a 'concave' joint which sheds water down the wall or onto the bath or basin edge.

going to pull tye mastic/grout stuff which is joined in the bath/tiles with mastic sealant, antifungal, if I can find some at Homebase.

Floor finishes in bathrooms should be stone or tile, any vinyl or lino will need to be correctly edged and bonded to the sub floor.

what sort of tile am I looking for, you say not cork, what about a carpet type tile ?

Also bear in mind that there are now slip resistances to be respected for bathrooms. Most DIY places will be albe to advise on suitability.

hence the idea of carpet type tiles

Sorry its so long but this is what I do

appreciate it

cheers

A

MFAFF · 11-17-2003, 08:45 AM

Carpets get wet, they get mouldy and generally stink......

Current 'trends' in bathrooms are wooden laminate floors.
Homebase do a range which would be suitable for bathrooms.

Bear in mind that traditional floors are at a level suitable to recieve a fitted carpet, so a 'zone' of 10-15mm is normal below doors etc. These laminates are usually around 12m so they will fit ove the floor boards.

Or try B and Q

http://www.diy.com/bq/category/category.jhtml?CATID=159677

http://www.diy.com/bq/category/category.jhtml?CATID=159706

HTH.

Jeff · 11-17-2003, 09:18 AM

As mentioned above put in an extraction fan. Use a mold resistant primer such as Kilz. Use semi-gloss or gloss wall paint at least. Sealed ceramic tile is a good bathroom floor material (make sure you use a good subfloor such as "wonderboard" [concrete drywall]). Don't use anything that can absorb moisture.

Moneyguy1 · 11-17-2003, 11:07 AM

I second the ceramic tile idea for the floor. It is permanent, neat and more expensive than some coverings, but not all that much more considering the eye appeal. Choose a neutral color or white. There are two things that sell a house; an attractive bathroom (where the man of the house can read the sports section) and a nice kitchen (where the lady of the house can do her thing). All other rooms, if the plaster is not cracked or the floor covering ruined will be looked at by a buyer as "Heck, we'll be repainting this anyway".

If you are going to sell the house remember you have to get he prospect inside the house. Make sure the outside is clean, neat, no peeling paint, no rotten trim, etc. Very important.

As for paint...Outside paint has fungicides included. For the ceiling, this might be an alternative. Any mold you find can be attacked with bleach to kill it, then covered with Kilz (as was mentioned) and then painted.

The fan is essential. Without it, the humidity will probe into any small opening or cevice and do damage where it might not be visible for a long time.

Good luck!!

Harlan Chinn · Harlan Chinn's Garage

Strip any moist wall board to the stud, allow studs to dry. Any moisture will rot your studs. Replace wall board with water resistent wall board if subjected to lots of water. Paint walls using an alkyd enamel or good latex paint. The better paints will allow you to clean and wipe them with out damaging the finish.
Apply a water resistant wainscot of tile or plastic laminate like formica around wet areas (sinks/showers/tubs).
As for flooring finishes, ceramic tiles are of course the better choice but a sheet good is far superior to a tile which will eventually pop off when moisture gets behind it.

turbo6bar · 11-17-2003, 04:04 PM

Lots of great advice. The only thing I would say is definitely consider a ceramic tile or stone for your floor. Carpet is not good, unless you plan to place tile around the tub/shower. Seal the grout and tile with a high quality sealer, and you will not have problems.

Harlan says: As for flooring finishes, ceramic tiles are of course the better choice but a sheet good is far superior to a tile which will eventually pop off when moisture gets behind it.

Well, if you're getting moisture behind your tile, then it is an installation/prep problem. Moisture is going to spell trouble regardless of the material used (tile, stone, vinyl, wood). As with many things, the prepwork is of utmost importance. Moisture + repeated, extended exposure = bad

Good luck,
jurgen

Harlan Chinn · Harlan Chinn's Garage

Carpet is not a very sanitary material especially around toilets. You can always get a bath mat to put on the floor that can fit into a washer. Better yet if you redo your subfloor, you can add some radiant heat coils to the floor to warm the tile.

adrian jaye · 11-18-2003, 12:16 AM

cheers guys,
got the sealer for around the bath tiles (with fungacide) pulled the old struff out.

going to go with tiles, current ones are a think (but not ceramic tile) glued to sub floor, which looks ok,

as its purly an eye candy thing and not a long term (want to keep my costs down) think i'll try and find the same

laters and cheers all

A