PAINTING THE BATHROOM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19748, 22 September 1927, Page 5

PAINTING THE BATHROOM.

SOLVING A DIFFICULTY. Something had to he dona about our bathroom. The way this spring sunshine shows up things—well, you know how it is, yourself. I had always wanted a painted bathroom, and never oeeu able to soar beyond a papered one. I consulted the local decorator, but when his estimate camo I didn't dare even show it to Cuthbert. So I just had to*paint it myself. No, it wasn't a fearful undertaking at. all. really. It only needed care and patience. , , „ Of course, vou can only work on walls that have been either painted or papered before. Ours had been papered, and my first job was to go over them, pasting down any loose edges or corners, to make a smooth foundation. Bay Good Brushes. I bought the necessary quantities of flat paint and enamel, and two good brushes. Don't economise on the brushes, or vou will double your work. Any ironmonger or oil and colour merchant will advise you as to the size of brush and quantity of paint needed for th® size of your room. Then 1 gave the walls their first coating of fiat paint. (Don't let this be too thick. Two thin coats are far more satisfactory than one thick one.) They iooked " perfectly hopeless! My heart s*4iik, but I pretended to think it was all right, and left th.? room with the door wide open and window very slightly open all night. In the morning the walla were dry and ready for the second coat of flat paint, so X went evenly and thinly over the whole surface and left it to dry overnight again. The Final Coat. I found that the second coat had quit® concealed the pattern and colonr of th® under paper, hut if it should not it would be wise to give a third coat l . When that is dry, the final coat of enamel paint can be applied. This may sound rather like four days' hard work, but in reality I found that the actual painting was very quickly and easily done, and the onlv tedious part was waiting while it dried and inducing the familv to keep their hand* away from it! I haj to be a littlo.rarefui over doing the woodwork of the window; any paint that finds its way on to the glass should be wiped off at once, as it is difficult to remove when dry, but smears can b*< cleaned off easily with turpentine. Of course, everyone h&s her own ideas about colour schemes, but I must say I'm quite thrilled by the effect of my own. As the floor 'was covered with black and white linoleum, I painted the walis white, with a black skirting board, window frame and door. The taps I painted with porcelain paint, to save daily polishing, and an ordinary bedroom" chair I enamelled white. The large felt hath-mat is scarlet and white; the window 1 have brightened by » red net curtain, and nearby hangs a mirror whoso frame 1 painted with red lacquer paint. Just for fun I gave tho black towel-horse scarlet feet, which look rather gay peeping out from beneath the bath-towola. In fact. *with my new bathroom, I fool like the famous bride in the story, who was so proud of hers that she "really, could hardlv wait till Saturday!" M.P.