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in DIYing· Fixing· Painting

How to paint around a toilet


Have you ever painted a bathroom?

Painting around the toilet is a serious pain in the you-know-what!

Here’s an easy quick tip that saves loads of time and your sanity.

Remove the toilet lid, take a kitchen garbage bag and put it over the entire tank, then tape it in place.

ScotchBlue_bathroom_edges_hoh_13

Now when you cut in around the toilet you don’t have to worry about getting paint all over the tank. When you are done, let the paint dry completely, then rip the bag off and throw it away.

ScotchBlue_bathroom_edges_hoh_16

Don’t you wish all annoying stuff could have such an easy solution?

painting_around_toilet_done_hoh_1

And for your pinning pleasure, here’s a pin-worthy image I created just for you! 🙂

ScotchBlue_bathroom_edges_hoh_20

Edited to add: the paint color is Route 66 by Dutch Boy.

Edited to add: I don’t paint behind the toilet. I paint around the toilet as far back as the brush will reach. No one can see back there anyway, so does it really need to be painted?

Filed Under: DIYing, Fixing, Painting Tagged With: bathroom, DIY tip, guest bathroom, painting around a toilet, painting tip, tips

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Comments

  1. Sue @ Cakeballs, cookies and more says

    02/24/2012 at 7:38 am

    ok seriously this is the smartest thing ever, and it seems so simple. I could have used this before, but I will so do it next time.

    Reply
  2. Elizabeth says

    02/24/2012 at 7:55 am

    Let’s talk about A. How cool this tip is, your a genius!
    B. How awesome you are for creating a sweet pin ready to go on pinterest!? Love it, and pinned!

    Reply
  3. Ashley says

    02/24/2012 at 8:30 am

    Timely! We will be painting our bathroom in the next few weeks once we have drywall installed (we’re in the middle of a major reno right now!!).

    Reply
  4. Amy says

    02/24/2012 at 8:32 am

    This is so simple and so brilliant. And way easier than painting and then scraping off the paint on the toilet with a straight edge. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Bliss says

    02/24/2012 at 8:39 am

    OK… this tip could very well be the best tip I have come across. Lots of good tips out there, but I actually DO paint behind toilets so I really COULD use this one.

    ~Bliss~

    Reply
  6. Stephanie says

    02/24/2012 at 8:56 am

    Great idea! I wish hubs had done this a couple of days ago when he painted the bathroom! I have to go scape paint now…

    Reply
  7. Telisa Van Leeuwen says

    02/24/2012 at 8:57 am

    This is BRILLIANT!!!!!!! I have so many paint colors on the back of my toilet. So doing this next time. Thank you!

    Reply
  8. Kirsten J says

    02/24/2012 at 9:16 am

    Allison! Had to tell ya I hired a friend to paint some rooms for me (yeah, I’m lazy like that, but she was very reasonable!) and she did the kids’ rooms – did a perfect job. Even my perfectionist hubby who takes hours and hours and hours and hours to paint was impressed. So. I hired her to paint 2 bathrooms. We used a tan color and a green color. And she didn’t know this trick, apparently. What a mess behind the tank!!! And. I spent hours scraping these tiny, tiny spatter dots off the entire toilet. Made my toilets look *ahem* dirty :p

    Reply
  9. Laree @ Ever Heard of Euless says

    02/24/2012 at 9:29 am

    We’re finishing up our total bathroom remodel. I love your bag trick – but I’ve got one better for you! We just tiled up behind the toilet so I never have to paint it at all! Not too big of a deal since we were already tiling the entire shower and floor, and it will be BEAUTIFUL for the future!

    Reply
  10. Ashley@AttemptsAtDomestication says

    02/24/2012 at 9:33 am

    I’ll be doing some bathroom painting soon so thanks for the tip!

    Reply
  11. Holly says

    02/24/2012 at 9:33 am

    I can’t believe all the times I have painted in the bathroom and I have never thought of this– thanks!!! I always cover the toilet with newspaper but your idea is so much better. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  12. Celeste says

    02/24/2012 at 10:35 am

    What is that nice wall color?

    Reply
  13. Suzanne says

    02/24/2012 at 11:30 am

    That is an awesome idea! Thanks for the tip!

    Reply
  14. Rach says

    02/24/2012 at 12:47 pm

    Pshhh! I needed this tip a few weeks ago when I re-painted all three bathrooms…..it’s brilliant!

    Reply
  15. Autumn says

    02/24/2012 at 2:14 pm

    Now, how do I actually paint behind the toilet?

    Reply
  16. Make it & Fake it says

    02/24/2012 at 3:08 pm

    I love the “pinnable ” pic, hahaha!! what a great idea!!

    love K

    Reply
  17. Christy says

    02/24/2012 at 9:18 pm

    Oh.my.gosh … this is exactly how I do it too!! Love genius minds!! (Ever flushed the toilet with it on … sucks the bag in … kind of funny! Only did it once … oops!) Thanks for sharing such a simple piece of advice!! 🙂 Christy

    Reply
  18. Amy @ All In A Day says

    02/25/2012 at 10:10 am

    Ummmm…..I’m officially dubbing you a sheer freaking genius!!!! This will be sooooooo handy when I get to work on our bathroom when I get home from Blissdom! Holla! xoxo

    Reply
  19. Deirdre @ Ladies Holiday says

    02/25/2012 at 6:10 pm

    okay, so you’re a genius. I never thought of that…so that makes you smart and clever. Well done.

    Reply
  20. Sara Tang Way says

    02/29/2012 at 8:50 am

    Even though this is an very clever idea why not just take the tank off? Its pretty simple. Shut the water off, soak up the excess and un-do the screws at the base of the tank. Tada!

    Reply
  21. Jenny says

    04/04/2012 at 8:07 pm

    Guess I’m a perfectionist. 🙂 I lift the toilet. It’s a good chance to change out the wax ring, too!

    Reply
    • Brian11811 says

      05/10/2013 at 12:26 pm

      My wife came up with an even better way. Use a swiffer pad with duct tape on each end for a handle, then dip it in paint and swipe it behind the toilet (with the bag on the toilet). Worked great, we had about 1/4 inch clearance. We needed to paint behind it because the previous owner didn’t paint that section and the wall got water in it and there was mold. The new wall area had no paint on it at all. We had forgotten to do his BEFORE installing the toilet.

      Reply
  22. Alex says

    10/06/2015 at 12:34 pm

    one lady I read about used the trash bag trick as well,
    But instead of taping it down, she painted on the bag area that was face up on the lid and then
    Turned the bag towards the wall behind the tank and used her hands inside the bag
    To press that painted area onto the wall behind the toilet!

    Reply
  23. Donna says

    07/07/2017 at 2:08 pm

    Wow! Thank you for this tip!

    I am using this for a small wall hung cabinet, hanging on my living room wall, a little bigger than the toilet tank. It is a locked oak and glass cablinet with meaningful Hummels that were given to me. I have put off painting the living room because the cabinet lock is jammed shut and won’t unlock for anything. I’ve been afraid to take down the cabinet from the wall because I don’t want the Hummels to break. I could break the glass to get in but don’t want to do that yet. This tip will help me get those walls painted finally. Thank you

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. More Progress: new hardware in the guest bathroom says:
    11/23/2012 at 10:06 pm

    […] the disgusting gallbladder-colored walls with some lovely Route 66 gray and shared tips on how to paint around a toilet and hang shelves […]

    Reply
  2. Painting Tip for Around the Toilet - Pinterest365 | Pinterest365 says:
    08/03/2013 at 8:49 pm

    […] get the painting done before they woke up. One way I got it done so fast was by using this pin via House of Hepworths. It was super simple and made the process go very […]

    Reply

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