Bathroom plaster repair and painting
Bathroom plaster repair and painting is necessary for peeling paint and soft plaster. These usually occur at the top of the tile in the shower, and bathroom mildew is present.
Spray all the mildewed surfaces with a tile cleaner that has a mildew killer. For a home brew, mix up one part bleach to six parts water. For more cleaning power, add two tablespoons of TSP (trisodium phosphate) per gallon of water.
Note: do not use TSP if you are planning to use BIN 1-2-3 Primer, or BIN Mildew Proof paint, they can react with the TSP.
Apply the mixture to the peeling area and any gray or black spots (mildew), and hit the road for ten minutes. This will let the mixture soak in and kill the mildew deep in the cracks and loosen up any grime. Reapply the cleaner, this time washing everything that isn’t moving. This shouldn’t take much labor, the dirt will be running for mercy, and the mildew and mold will be dead.
Rinse this area well, really well. Soap residue will haunt the paint coming later.
After all is dry, scrape off any loose paint, and remove any soft plaster or drywall. Prime the area with a primer/sealer or a plaster bonder. This will harden the soft surface and give the patching material something solid to bond to.
Fill the areas with plaster, drywall compound, or a spackling compound.
Tip 497: Don’t try to patch the area with one heavy coat and then sand off the excess. An easier method is to use two or three light coats of patching with very little sanding. Also less messy, I hate that plaster dust.
Avoid using the fast or light spackling here because they don’t always feather thin on the edges like the creamier patching compounds. A trick with using drywall compound is that the edges can be ‘sanded’ with a damp sponge. Don’t work the sponge where the compound is thick or still very wet, just the edges where you’re trying to blend in with the wall.
Tip 332: take a damp sponge and wipe a little joint compound on it and tap it over the smooth repaired area. This will emulate the texture of 30 years of paint on the surrounding area.
Prime the area with latex primer making sure you try to get it under any areas to be caulked. Then caulk the tile edge with a mildew resistant caulk. Make sure it is a paintable caulk; most pure silicone caulks aren’t paintable. Now you’re ready for the finish coat of paint.
One of our favorites these past few years is BIN Mildew Proof bathroom paint, Perma White. It is latex and self-priming.