Don’t dismiss the small space behind your toilet. It may seem insignificant, but doing a quality paint job here can set the tone for a beautiful bathroom—or a sloppy one. When painting, you need to create a flawless finish on the wall and also protect the room's porcelain centerpiece from inadvertent paint streaks and splatters. Here are some tips to help you neatly paint the space behind your toilet.
Why Paint Behind the Toilet?
As many renovators discover, the toilet is an instant roadblock when gliding your roller or brush along your bathroom wall. Knowing some tricks to paint that space can make your job easier since you won’t have to remove your toilet to access it.
Most bathrooms leave only 2 inches or so between the back of the toilet and the wall, so you’ll need a strategy here to ensure a professional finish to your bathroom paint job.
If you’re at your wits’ end trying to shove a full-sized paint roller between the tank and the wall, take a moment to read these simple steps. You’ll soon be able to get the job done quickly and neatly—and stop bumping your elbow into the porcelain bowl.
First, make sure you assemble these project tools:
Painter's mask
Painter's tape
Tarp or plastic sheet
Large trash bag
Rubber band
Paint tray
4-inch paint roller
3-inch foam paint brush
1-inch paint brush
Paint pad (optional)
Ventilate the Bathroom
When painting your bathroom or any other enclosed space, open up any doors and windows to promote good air circulation. You should also turn on a fan and put on your painter's mask to avoid breathing in heavy paint fumes.
Here's where most amateur painters skip a step. Take a few minutes to dust, vacuum, and wipe down the area directly behind the toilet. This step ensures that you're not trapping dirt and bacteria under a fresh coat of paint. As one of the filthiest corners of the house, the spot behind the toilet can always benefit from a pass with a sponge and a mild detergent or cleaning agent.
Next, protect the flooring around the toilet by using painter's tape to secure a tarp or plastic sheet.
Cover the Toilet
In this next step, you'll cover the toilet with the trash bag included in the supply list above. Bigger is better when it comes to this task. Try visiting your local home improvement store to ask about tear-resistant, heavy-duty contractor cleanup bags that can hold up to 50 gallons.
Once you’ve secured the bag over the toilet, tape it in place—make sure you don’t leave any part of the base peeking out from the bag. Use a rubber band to cinch any excess bag material that will get in your way while painting. Anything that's showing is in paint splatter territory, so you should tape any exposed piping, too.
Start Priming and Painting
Photo: Михаил Руденко / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images
This is where the narrow 4-inch paint roller will pay for itself. While paint rollers are available in 2-inch widths, most people will find these rollers too small to be useful.
Using your paint roller, apply primer as an outline in the shape of the toilet. Using the outline as your guide, switch to your 3-inch foam brush to carefully apply primer behind the toilet.
The trick to doing this right is only loading one side of your foam brush with primer. This way, the primer-covered side of the brush only comes in contact with the wall when you reach behind the toilet to paint. This strategy avoids the sloppiness of maneuvering a drippy brush that’s likely to bump into pipes, porcelain, and probably your arm.
Finally, switch to a 1-inch wide-angled paintbrush to do fine detailing around the pipes. Allow the primer to dry fully before moving on.
Shifting to Painting
Once the primer is dry, you will use the same technique that you used to apply primer for your coat of paint. Just be sure to clean your roller pan before changing from primer to paint.
Most bathrooms will need two to three paint coats, but don’t try to speed up the process by skipping dying time in between. If you don’t allow the first coat to dry fully before applying another layer, you might end up with paint that will flake, peel, or clump. Make sure to wait at least one hour after your final coat to remove the painter’s tape to avoid cracking.
Using a Paint Pad
Photo: FreshSplash / E+ / Getty Images
If you're struggling to wedge your foam paint brush between the wall and toilet tank, you can pull out a paint pad instead. The long handle and slim profile of the pad can make it easier to get behind the tank with some toilet configurations.
When using the pad, you have two options for transferring paint. The first is to dip the pad in your paint tray. If you prefer a more controlled option, the second method is to apply paint to the pad using a paintbrush.
Starting from above, slide the paint pad down behind the toilet. Do your best to gently work the pad from side to side to transfer the paint as neatly as possible.
How to Get the Best Results When Painting Behind the Toilet
If you choose the right paint, you can get beautiful results that won't require you to touch up or repaint behind your toilet for a very long time. Choose a paint and primer known for its ability to withstand moisture and humidity.
Glossy, semi-gloss, satin, and eggshell finishes are all good choices. Many manufacturers sell washable paints made specifically for bathrooms that offer mold and mildew resistance.
To achieve a neat result, keep your brushes as clean as possible while painting—that means don’t load up on paint for every stroke—and consider buying multiples of each brush or roller you use in case they start to get too sloppy.
DIY vs. Hire a Pro
If thinking about gingerly gliding a paintbrush in the no man's land between the toilet and the wall makes you itch with frustration, you can always hire a local painting pro to handle it. Most professional painters charge between $1 and $4 per square foot to paint bathrooms and you can count on a spotless finish when you hire a quality pro.
Cost to Paint Behind a Toilet
Typically, painting a bathroom costs between $200 and $500 if you hire a professional, averaging at around $350 nationwide. Painting only a specific area of your bathroom may cost as little as $50 to $100, roughly near the range you would pay to DIY depending on the tools and supplies you currently own.
No, removing the toilet isn't the only way to paint every square inch of your bathroom. Using a thin roller, paintbrush, or paint pad can enable you to apply a new color within the tight squeeze between the toilet tank and the wall. While you can remove the toilet to access the space behind, it’s often much more trouble than just taking care while painting.
While it may seem like a blind spot, if you don’t paint behind the toilet, the previous color will likely be visible once the rest of the bathroom has been repainted, especially if you’ve gone with a significantly different color palette. Additionally, not painting every part of the room at the same time means that you will have an older paint job behind your toilet that could be more susceptible to moisture damage.
A foam brush or paint pad is the best tool for painting behind a toilet, as it will ensure that you can wedge into the tight space between the wall and tank and it’s less likely to drip and cause a mess than a mini roller. A standard paintbrush is the best option for doing detail work around the pipes.
Deirdre is a seasoned DIYer and home improvement writer. She believes in the transformative powers of deep cleaning and painting to revitalize any space. Her articles have appeared in HomeLight, The Spruce, Realtor, and more.
Deirdre is a seasoned DIYer and home improvement writer. She believes in the transformative powers of deep cleaning and painting to revitalize any space. Her articles have appeared in HomeLight, The Spruce, Realtor, and more.
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