Small room, slow job
A bathroom is the smallest room most people repaint and often the slowest per square foot. There's very little open wall to roll. Almost everything is edges: around the tub or shower, the vanity, the toilet tank, mirrors, cabinets, light fixtures, fans, towel bars and the ceiling line. On top of that, bathroom surfaces deal with steam every day, so they often need more preparation than a dry room. This page explains what a painter in Columbia, Missouri weighs when pricing bathroom walls and ceilings. It gives no prices.
Moisture outside and inside
In an average year at Columbia, NOAA counts about 610 hours with the wet-bulb temperature above 73°F and about 1,692 hours above 67°F. Those are counts from NOAA's engineering weather data for Columbia.
A bathroom adds its own moisture to whatever the outdoor air brings. Showers fill the room with steam that condenses on the coolest surfaces, especially the ceiling and outside walls. That's why bathroom paint so often shows mildew spots, blistering or peeling first on the ceiling. A painter's quote reflects how much of that damage has to be dealt with before new paint goes on.
Preparation that moves the price
Mildew and stains
Mildew has to be killed and cleaned off, not painted over; it will grow back through new paint. That means a cleaning solution, scrubbing, rinsing and full drying before priming. Water stains, often around exhaust fans or under a leaking fixture upstairs, need a stain-blocking primer.
Peeling ceilings
If ceiling paint is peeling in sheets, the loose material has to be scraped, edges feathered with sanding and filler, and the area primed. Sometimes the cause is a ceiling painted with a product never meant for damp rooms; sometimes it's an exhaust fan that isn't doing its job. Ask the painter about the cause. Repainting without fixing ventilation tends to repeat the problem.
Caulk and surfaces around fixtures
Old caulk at the tub, shower surround and backsplash often gets cut out and renewed before painting, especially where it's moldy. Walls may also have old adhesive, anchors from removed fixtures, or holes to patch. Our surface preparation guide covers those repairs.
Products for wet rooms
Most painters choose a paint made for kitchens and bathrooms, often with mildew-resistant additives and a sheen that wipes clean. Satin and semi-gloss resist moisture and cleaning better than flat, but they show surface flaws more. Ceilings in steamy rooms sometimes get the same moisture-resistant paint rather than standard ceiling flat. Our paint sheens and finishes guide explains the choice.
Fixtures: remove or mask
Taking off the mirror, towel bars, light fixtures and the toilet tank lid gives cleaner edges; masking around them is faster but shows. Removing a vanity mirror or a heavy cabinet adds time and some risk. Ask what will be removed and reinstalled, and what will be masked. If a light fixture or fan has to come down, the painter may arrange for the right trade.
Drying and getting the room back
A bathroom can't be used for showers while fresh paint is soft. Products list their dry and recoat times, and many say to wait longer before exposing the paint to steam. In a house with one bathroom, ask how the job will be scheduled so the room is usable at night. Running the exhaust fan and keeping the door open helps drying.
Older paint in a bathroom
EPA runs the Renovation, Repair and Painting program in states it has not authorized, and Missouri isn't among the states on the list printed here that run their own EPA-authorized programs. If old layers might contain lead, ask how the painter will set up containment and dust control before scraping or sanding the ceiling and trim.
Comparing bathroom bids
- Walls only, or walls, ceiling, trim, door and cabinet?
- How mildew, stains and peeling are treated.
- Which caulk joints are renewed.
- Which product and sheen go on walls and ceiling.
- What is removed and reinstalled.
- How long until you can shower in the room.
For a wider view of what drives the cost of interior work, see the interior painting page and the pricing guide.