How to Paint a Toilet

Perhaps you've just bought a new home and the previous owner chose a hideous shade of green for the toilet, or you're simply considering remodeling your bathroom and looking to save a few dollars in any way you can. One easy way to do this is to paint over your toilet. By simply changing the color of the toilet, you'll save money and get an updated look at the same time. Plus, painting a toilet is a relatively easy do-it-yourself project.

Preparation

Before you begin slapping on a fresh coat of paint, you'll need to prepare your toilet and find the right products to ensure that your sweat equity is worth the time and effort you put into it.

You will need several products before beginning including: rags, a heavy duty drop cloth to protect the surrounding floor, 120 grit sandpaper, trisodium phosphate cleanser and a coarse plastic brush.

For the actual application of the paint, you will need to purchase an acrylic latex spray primer and an appliance epoxy spray paint. Several companies offer the acrylic latex spray primer, such as Kilz or Krylon. Appliance epoxy spray paints are available in a variety of colors and are also readily available and made by popular manufacturers including Krylon and Rust-Oleum.

How to Paint a Toilet

Once you've got the proper products and equipment, you can begin. To start, you'll need to clean your toilet's interior and exterior thoroughly with the coarse brush and trisodium phosphate cleanser. Rinse the toilet thoroughly to remove any cleanser and allow to dry.

After the toilet is dry, you can sand it down using the sandpaper. You should sand the toilet until the surface no longer feels smooth but feels gritty. This step is extremely important, as neither the primer or paint will stick to an un-sanded bowl, as there is nothing for the paint to adhere to.

Once sanded down, apply the primer spray paint and allow to dry according to the instructions on the primer. Following the proper drying of the primer, you can apply the appliance epoxy spray in your chosen color. You may need to apply multiple coats to for full coverage, just be sure to allow each individual coat to thoroughly dry.

If you decide you don't like the end result or after a few years you wish to change the color, you can actually strip the toilet using common paint strippers. Once the color is removed, simply follow the same steps as noted above in your new chosen color.

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Additional Information

Ask The Builder: Paint a Toilet? Sure!