One challenging area, even for professional painters, is painting behind thetoilettank.
This thin, tight spaceusually about 2 inches wideseems to defy all efforts to paint it cleanly.
And conventional paint rollers are too thick to do the job.
fstop123 / Getty Images
The good news is that it’s possible for you to paint behind the toilet tank.
including the baseboards, without removing the toilet.
But conventional paint roller covers are 2 1/4 inches in diametertoo thick for the space behind the tank.
Protect Tank
Remove the toilet lid and set it aside.
Invert a clean garbage bag and fit it over the toilet tank.
Pour Paint
Pour about 1 cup of paint into the 6-inch paint tray.
Dip the foam roller into the tray.
Roll it out dry on the tray.
Paint Behind Toilet Tank
Continue thebathroomwall paint behind the toilet tank.
Go as far as it’s possible for you to (about 5 inches).
There will be an unpainted section directly behind the tank that no one can see.
Lift the toilet tank lid and carefully store it outside of the bathroom.
Fit a clean garbage bag over the toilet tank.
Use the rubber band to tightly bind the excess bag material.
Do not overload the pad.
Paint Behind Tank
Use the paint pad to continue the paint behind the toilet tank.
Paint up to the middle of the tank.
Begin at the side, then work upward, then back down the other side.
You’ll be able to clean it before painting it with a conventional paint roller.
It has to hold up in a bathroom’s extremely humid, moist conditions.
It’s best to use a washable, mold- and mildew-resistant paint specially formulated for bathrooms.
Consider using a satin oreggshell finish, both of which are easy to clean.
Reaching behind the toilet toclean the bathroom wallsis just as challenging as painting them.
The only difference that could help behind a toilet?
A regular and pliablehousehold spongecan squeeze itself into areas that even paper towels or microfiber cloths can’t access.
Use a clean sponge to rinse the area.
Toss the sponges when finished.
Prepping your bathroom walls for paint is extremely important, even behind the toilet.
Byresidential code, the minimum amount of space from the toilet flange to the sidewall is 15 inches.
