Painting behind a toilet is something that is less than desired. It is not an easy thing to do and it does take a certain level of skill if you have not done this before.

While you can call a professional decorator to do the job for you, it can be costly. One way to save a few dollars is to do this task yourself.

When you are painting behind a toilet, you will want to make sure that you have all of the correct painting tools to complete the job successfully, with a certain technique to follow. 

In this article, we will be chatting you through everything you need to know about painting behind a toilet, from the tools you need, to the easiest techniques to use. 

How To Paint Behind A Toilet

Given that you cannot use a standard paint roller, you will need to adopt a slightly different method instead. We would recommend using a mini paint roller to reach the majority of the areas, and then go in with a rag or paintbrush for the harder to reach areas. 

What You Will Need

The type of mini roller you use is entirely up to you. Although there is personal preference, you will also want to take into consideration the size of the wall space you need to paint behind the toilet too. We would recommend using the smallest roller possible, as this will help you to reach everything more precisely. 

You will need the following:

• Mini roller
• Mini roller pad
• Small paint tray
• Clean cloth
• Tape
• Trash bag 

Step One — Covering The Toilet

To begin with, you will want to cover up the toilet using a trash bag and tape. This will help to prevent any paint from splashing on the toilet itself. After you have done this, you will want to clean the wall and the surrounding areas to ensure that it is nice and sanitary.

Once clean, place tape around the edges of the toilet where it meets the wall, to prevent paint from reaching these areas. This includes the waste pipe and the water tank.  

Step Two — Pouring The Paint

Next, you will need to pour the paint into your paint tray and dip your roller and roller pad into the paint. You will want to ensure that you have taken off any excess paint since this can prevent any paint drip marks on the wall. Once you have done this, you can start the painting process.

Step Three — Cutting In

To begin with, you will want to cut in the areas near the toilet tank and pipes to ensure they are all covered. This is by far the trickiest part, as some of the areas can be quite hard to reach. If you are struggling to do this with a roller, you can choose to use a small paintbrush or a rag instead.

A paintbrush and rag are able to reach smaller areas that the roller cannot reach, which is useful. This allows the finished paintwork to look a lot cleaner and “more professional”. It also helps to prevent paint from covering areas it shouldn’t. 

Step Four — Painting The Wall

After you have finished painting the trickier areas, the space behind the toilet is fairly easy to reach. This is where your mini roller will really come in handy over the paintbrush or rag. 

You will want to use the roller in an up and down motion to cover the wall. You should remove any excess paint, as it is better to build up the lawyers, rather than putting on too much paint in one go.  

Step Five — Applying The Second Coat Of Paint

Once dry, you will then want to reassess the area to see if it needs to have a second coat of paint. In the majority of cases, you will need to go back in with a second coat. The second coat of paint is easier to apply in comparison to the first, as you already have the base of paint finished.

Step Six — Cleaning and Removing The Tape

At this point, you can use a clean cloth to remove any paint splashes that may have occurred. Even though the toilet has been covered to prevent any splashes, accidents can still happen. 

When you are satisfied with the painting and there are no areas left unpainted, you can remove the tape and the trash bag from the toilet. While the painting is fairly easy to do, some areas can be more awkward. You just need to take your time, and with patience, you will be able to reach the more difficult areas. 

Optional Step — Removing The Toilet Water Tank

If you are struggling to paint near the water tank of the toilet, you can choose to temporarily remove the tank. While this is something you will want to avoid as much as possible, it can be removed using a wrench. 

You will need to take great care when doing this to ensure that you do not damage the water tank. However, in the vast majority of cases, you will not need to remove this. 

Useful Tip

If the toilet is flush against the wall (no pun intended) and you cannot get a paint brush or roller behind it, you can choose to use a thin piece of wood and a cloth. Tie the cloth around the wood, dip it into the paint, and use this to paint the areas. Being thin, it should be able to slide behind the water tank with no issues. 

Summary 

We hope you have found this article useful. It is fairly easy to paint behind a toilet when you know the correct techniques to use!