7 Expenses in the Cost to Paint a Bathroom

The bathroom is one of those spaces in a home that require critical consideration when painting. This is because it’s a water-prone, small, high-traffic area. Besides making it look good, how you paint it is also essential. After all, paint protects your bathroom from mould growth and mildew.

When calculating the cost of painting a bathroom, you need to consider the size of the bathroom, paint type, labour costs, primer type, and the painting process. Other factors that would affect the cost of painting a bathroom include trim painting and the intricate nature of painting the master bathroom.

On average, the cost to paint a bathroom is between $100 and $300, assuming the shower/bath does not need paint. This costing includes labour, paint, primer, and the necessary supplies.

For more precise calculations, here are the seven expenses that go into the cost of painting a bathroom:

1. Paint Cost

The ideal sheen for bathrooms is either glossy or semi-gloss. These provide protection from mildew, moisture, humidity, and elements that can cause staining, chipping, and peeling. They are also extremely suited for high-traffic areas. Besides, you can easily scrub clean these sheens, resulting in a beautiful shine.

Since a bathroom requires constant washing, these sheens are perfect, for you can easily clean them. A 5×8 bathroom would require up to two gallons of paint. A regular gallon of paint will cost between $25 and $50.

An ideal bathroom paint should include a tougher finish, a tighter molecular structure, and a mildew inhibitor. The sheen of the paint determines how glossy a paint finish will be. There are various categories of paint sheens. Each sheen is based on the paint’s aesthetics and performance.

It’s essential to give due consideration to the type of paint sheen you want for your bathroom. Among paint sheens to consider are flat, satin, gloss, semi-gloss, and eggshell. Other considerations include whether you want your bathroom to have a subtle or a shinier appearance, lower or a higher scrub-ability, and higher or lower light reflection.

2. Primer Cost

A coat of primer is essential for all paint jobs. It’s critical to getting the best paint job. The cost of primer ranges from $8 to $10, depending on the brand. A standard size bathroom measuring 8×5 feet will need between one and two cans of primer, sometimes three if you include the ceiling.

Go for a multi-purpose primer when painting a bathroom since it provides protection from stains and is extremely durable. It also protects your bathroom from humidity and damage.

3. Labour Cost

You may need to hire a painting company for bigger projects. With professional help, an 8 by 5 feet bathroom takes about five hours to paint. On average, the labour cost to paint a bathroom is between $100 and $175. Note that some painting companies won’t come just to paint a bathroom. Some require a minimum of $600 in labour costs to finish a project.

4. Trim Painting Cost

To set your bathroom apart and give it a unique look, you might want to paint the trim too. Trim painting gives your bathroom a fresh appearance. The trim painting will cost you between $100 and $300 extra.

5. Size vs. Cost

A bathroom is among the smallest rooms in your house. It, therefore, has the smallest surface area to paint, which means the cost to paint a bathroom should be reasonably low. The regular size of a bathroom is 5×8 feet. This includes a sink, shower/bath combination, and a toilet.

To accurately establish how much paint is needed to paint a bathroom, you need to take precise measurements. Not every bathroom is rectangular or dull square. It can, therefore, be very tricky to measure a bathroom’s dimensions.

To precisely measure a bathroom, record all the measurements on a piece of paper. To measure the walls, calculate the room’s perimeter (the total distance). Next, multiply the perimeter by the height of the ceiling to establish the total area in square feet.

To measure are the doors, which are usually 21 sq. ft. Measure the window by multiplying the width with the height to get the square feet. To establish the wall surface to be painted, subtract the windows and doors from the total wall area. One gallon of paint should cover at least 400 sq. ft. of a wall.

Finally, to calculate the cost of painting the bathroom ceiling, take the width and multiply it by the length. An average bathroom ceiling should consume about two quarts of paint.

6. Cost of Painting a Bathroom

How the painting is done also determines the cost to paint a bathroom. Usually, the painter starts by removing all accessories and hanging decorations in your bathroom. For items that can’t be easily removed, such as tubs or sinks, large plastic sheets and a painter’s tape are applied to keep paint off them during the painting process. Trims on the bathroom doors and windows are covered with a painter’s tape or removed.

Ideally, the ceiling is the first to be painted. After painting, let the first coat dry before applying a second one. Next are the walls. Add a multi-purpose primer to the walls to give them a bit of colour and a light appearance.

After the primer dries, use a brush to make a border around the doors, windows, outlets, baseboards, and corners to make it easy to paint the larger areas, preferably using a roller. If necessary, give it a second coat once the first one has dried completely.

7. En Suite Bathroom

A master bedroom is more complicated to paint since it usually has a lot of furniture to navigate around. If you’re painting the en suite bathroom, you might want to paint the master bedroom while you’re at it, too. You are, therefore, likely to pay more cost to paint a bathroom of this type than you would for regular standalone bathrooms.