Tips for painting my mouldy bathroom please!

[PersisFord]

Just that really. My bathroom ceiling has some black mould on it because I don't open the window enough because I am frightened of the kids climbing out. I have got a window closer thing so hopefully it will get better but it needs repainting. I have never, ever done anything like this in my life but cash is tight and I'm sure it can't be that hard.....

From my extensive googling I think I need to:

1. Wash mouldy wall and ceiling with 25% bleach solution
2. Paint with mould-resistant primer
3. Paint 2 coats of mould resistant paint.

My questions are:

1. What primer, and how do I apply it, and how long before I can paint over it?
2. What paint, and how do I apply it, and how long between coats?
3. Could I paint the wall a nice blue or would that be awful? Small bathroom, big white tiles on 3 walls, white ceiling and currently one wall painted white.
4. There is a chrome towel radiator thing. How do I paint behind that? Eyeliner brush?!

Thank you so much for your help. I have never bought paint, brushes, rollers, anything before so please assume that I know NOTHING. Like Jon snow.

Is there any way you can install a lock high up on the outside of the bathroom door so that you can stop your children going into the bathroom when you aren't there to supervise them?

Basically the only way you are going to prevent the mould from recurring is to provide sufficient ventilation.

to answer question 4, there's a gadget called a radiator roller, basically a small paint roller. It allows you to paint behind the radiator as far as you can reach with it. I've not used it on a towel rail, but with a bit of care it should work - try it first without paint on and be ready to wipe off paint smudges as you go. Towel rail should obviously be off while you are painting.

I think you probably mean undercoat rather than primer.

as you note, ventilation and heating are vital or the problem will come back.

but it looks to me like you are on the right lines. Look at your local Wilkinson, Home Bargains, B and M for painting kit and paint.

Lock high up is a very clever idea! Will do that too. I've got a spacer thing that only lets it open a bit but if the room was locked I could then open it right out. I have an extractor fan in there too but it is weedy.

yes I prob do mean undercoat! Was thinking about eyeshadow!

Do I use rollers and then brushes round the edges? It's a really small room, would only get about 4 rolls of the roller I think! And is dulux bathroom paint ok? Looks like they have that at my local home base.

paint is generally paint. In my experience don't use the 'onecoat/once' stuff but otherwise you should be fine. Yes, brushes round the edges, then rollers. Don't forget you'll need different paint for skirting/door/other woodwork.

homebase is a good way to pay quite a lot for stuff. Shop around for paint and keep an eye out for special offers.

consider getting the extractor fan cleaned and upgraded.

if there is alreadya fan and coresponding hole/pipe replacing it us very easy.
you can get one that's very quiet and on a timer so it can run with lights out.

That is also good to know, thank you! I will go to home bargains tomorrow and see what there is and will avoid homebase!

as mentioned, do shop around; HB aren't always pricier (just generally so) and it is a difficult time of year to buy anything except sparkly tat.

I loathe shopping for anything at the best of times. Will have a scout online as have various shops close by. Thabks a lot for your help!

My tip is to buy the moisture trap things from Poundland. They've got silica gel granules in them and it has helped my bathroom a lot.

Great tip, will look out for them! I think I need to get it all dried out first anyway so as soon as the kids are at nursery will open the window wide and but the heating on. Then off to trawl the shops!

You guys are great, thank you!!

We have a bathroom full of mould even though we have the window open all the time. You may need to consider an extractor fan to actually draw the moisture out. Obviously get this fitted before you do too much decorating.

B&Q has an offer on dulux paint now- not sure if it's on bathroom paint but might be worth a look. I keep on top of mould by using hg mould spray on any black stuff that appears, and by cleaning the bathroom every morning after the last shower. I feel your pain of not enough ventilation (Victorian house with original sash windows!)

My decorator recommended Zinnser paint for bathrooms. He did ours in it and I have no mould at all, not even directly above the shower. We do use a squeegee on the shower walls and doors after we have a shower though and leave the window open a bit and extractor fans running a while.

Great advice everyone, thanks! My mould remover is here so am going to do that today, again at the weekend then paint on Monday. Have rollers and brushes from home bargains and will go to b&q later for paint and a radiator roller thing and a lock for the door. It's a tiny bathroom so hopefully won't take long!!

If you already have a steamy bathroom even when the window is providing ventilation, make sure you buy bathroom paint and don't, whatever you do, use normal emulsion paint. That will make the problem worse because the paint will start to peel.

Kitchen and bathroom paint is what you need along with good ventilation (even if it's freezing cold outside, it's worth opening the window for half an hour every day).

Thank you! I used to leave the window open all the time and it was never a problem but I have a real climber and it is big enough for a toddler to escape from easily. I try and remember to open it when we go out and close it again when we are home but keep forgetting both ways! Will get the bathroom paint and hopefully that will help!

If you can get to a Brewer's or trade type place you can buy "anti mould additive", B&Q don't seem to stock it. It comes in a small bottle (marked poison on the label) but you can add it to any paint colour you like and it deals with "tropical humidity" levels. We have used it on our internal bathroom and a very cold north facing wall that used to get condensation mould - 4 years on and no mould has grown.

Great tips here. Don't forget to put down newspaper or something to cover the floor/other surfaces because you can guarantee that paint will splatter somewhere you don't want it. You can buy cheap plastic sheeting to do this from the DIY shop. Also you can get wipes which can be used to wipe up spills and help clean brushes at the end.
And use masking tape and tape around the edges of any fixtures that you need to paint round - light switches, mirrors, edges of tiles. That way if the paint does go over it won't spoil them. In my experience its always on the edges when you need to be really carefully that either the hand slips or the paint drips.

Oooh lovely, more replies!!! My painting activity has been stalled by a bout of toddler tonsillitis but hopefully on the mend now so back to the plan. I love the sound of tropical humidity - perhaps I can picture myself on a beach somewhere rather than in freezing England! I'll look for the poison additive online, and if not there is a soft play place next to what I think is a trade decorators shop so could prob bribe the toddler in.
What are the wipes called? Will they be obvious in the shop?

OP hopefully you've found what you need, and the wipes are great but not necessarily necessary! You just need masking or frog tape (more expensive) and make sure that the edges are firmly against the thing you don't want to paint. If when you take the masking tape off you have some leakage, you can touch up the white/whatever colour with a steady hand and a little cheapish artists brush (pound shops) - the best ones are slightly angled. And don't leave the masking tape on for days on end - it will take some paint with it if you do!