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Using glass paint in the bathroom

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Using glass paint in the bathroom

Using glass paint in the bathroom

Spring is a great time to redo your paint scheme. Painting can be time consuming, so you may need to become content with working in one space at a time. One of the most logical places to start is in the bathroom. Bathrooms are relatively small in size, compared to other spaces in the house, and they have special paint needs. Glass paint works well in the bathroom, partially because it’s so rugged.

Glass paint stands up to high humidity

This paint also works well in the bathroom because it’s designed to work with surfaces most often found in the bathroom. Sanitation is of the utmost importance, so builders often use impervious surfaces in the bathroom. Tile, ceramics, glass and porcelain are all common bathroom materials.

These materials normally come in their “finished” colors, but glass opens up an interesting decorating option. Whether you’re looking to add color to one specific area of the bathroom, or you want to liven up the entire room, glass can be a low-cost, high-style addition to your space.

Unfortunately, builders don’t always choose the right building materials. They commonly use drywall in the bathroom space, but drywall surfaces are vulnerable to humidity, mold and mildew buildup. They’re also easily damaged by normal wear and tear. Painted walls don’t fare well when subjected to repeated washings, which are necessary in the bathroom.

By laminating the wall surfaces with a material like glass, you can eliminate the wear and tear that regular washings can cause. In addition, you can protect the porous wall surfaces from the humidity that builds up in the bathroom.

But how can you make glass look great? Simple! Using GlassPrimer™ glass paint, you can back paint glass and laminate it to the bathroom walls. You can choose to laminate just one area (like a back splash) or you can laminate an entire wall. Glass is easy to find and you can cut ordinary float glass to the exact shape you need.

Back painted glass looks fantastic year after year. You could simply laminate glass to the walls, but the adhesive will show through the glass, and the walls may not look very good under glass. Back painted glass, on the other hand, will not peel, chip or fade, even when exposed to high humidity and direct sunlight. The adhesive will not show through the back painted glass, and you can easily use ordinary kitchen and bathroom caulk to seal seams and joints. That will keep moisture from accumulating between the wall and the glass.

The glass surface is easy to clean and will help keep your bathroom safe and sanitary. For more information about using glass paint in the bathroom, please visit http://www.glasspaint.com.

Photo Credit: Tim Crowe, via Flickr

Backpainted glass in the bathroom

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Backpainted glass in the bathroom

Backpainted glass in the bathroom

In yesterday’s post, I discussed the use of glass as a decorating material, and how it can be used in the kitchen. The kitchen in any home is one of the toughest environments. Rapid changes in heat and humidity, and exposure to UV light make the space a challenge. In addition, we’re likely to use some of the harshest cleaning chemicals on the surfaces in the kitchen, and constant exposure to water and water-based compounds mean that whatever you use to decorate the kitchen will have to be tough. If there’s any room that’s tougher to decorate than the kitchen, it’s the bathroom. In today’s post, we’ll look at how you can use backpainted glass in the bathroom.

Glass is ideal material for tough environments

The bathroom has many of the same challenges the kitchen does. High humidity is an absolute given. If you’ve ever tried to maintain a bathroom, you know that it’s one of the hardest rooms in the house to maintain, even under ideal conditions. Paint just doesn’t perform well in humidity. It tends to delaminate from any surface. Water-based paints are especially vulnerable to this condition, but most people don’t want to use oil-based paints in the house – and for good reason!

To put it bluntly, oil-based paints stink. And stink. And stink some more. They’re loaded with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which not only smell bad, but also they’re hazardous to human health. That’s not the only downside. Oil based paints are prone to yellowing with age, and they don’t dry in high humidity. Oil based paints can take hours to dry to the touch. They are also considered hazardous waste, so disposal isn’t straightforward.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is different. It’s specially engineered to stick to glass, but it can also permanently bond with other surfaces, like Plexiglas™. In the same way you can use backpainted glass in the kitchen, you can use it in the bathroom. Because the bathroom doesn’t get quite as hot as the kitchen, and because there are no serious high-heat dangers, you could use regular untempered glass to create a beautiful backsplash for the bathroom. Tempered glass is stronger, and will give you some additional impact protection. (Tempered glass can break, though!)

The bathroom is a high humidity environment, so mold and mildew are right at home. Because Glassprimer™ glass paint bonds permanently to glass, you do not need to worry about encroachment from mold or mildew growing between the paint and the glass. Your backpainted glass will retain its beautiful, like-new look for years to come.

If you’d like more information about working with Glassprimer™ glass paint, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

You can also use glass countertops in the bathroom. Low-iron glass (Starphire glass) can be backpainted and mounted as a custom countertop installation. Glass countertops range in thickness from 1.5″ to 4″ (or more) and can create a dramatic, clean and elegant look in the bathroom. Just as in the kitchen, glass is easy to clean and sanitize, and is impervious to germs and biological agents.

Photo Credit: Joanie Cahill, via FreeImages.com

Humidity and glass paint

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Humidity and glass paint

Humidity and glass paint

Glass paint is a specialty product, and it has qualities that ordinary paint doesn’t have. You might be tempted to think that ordinary paint will perform well when backpainted onto glass, especially if the painted glass is then bonded to a wall – as you might see with a kitchen backsplash. After all, the glass will protect the paint from splatters and humidity, and glass paint isn’t really necessary, right?

A permanent bond discourages humidity

When paint cures, it hardens and becomes resistant to dirt, grease and contact damage. Ordinary paint doesn’t ever bond to glass, so it never really cures. Without curing, the paint will be subjected to contact damage, chemical damage from glues and damage from the humidity in the air. Ordinary paint will continue to absorb humidity, so not only will it not be cured, it won’t even stay dry. In a relatively wet place like a kitchen or bath, this will cause immediate problems.

If the paint is wet, it will peel away from the glass surface. The paint will bubble and flake – something you certainly don’t want in a kitchen! The relative humidity in the kitchen changes every time you cook something, so ordinary paint on glass will be subjected to these wide swings in humidity every day.

Humidity is a double-edged sword. Just as a room can be moister than average, it can also be drier than average. Ordinary paint in a place like a kitchen may be subjected to higher than average humidity, followed by lower-than-average humidity. Just as the paint absorbed moisture from the air, it will release moisture back into the air when the humidity drops. This will cause the paint to shrink and crack – something else you don’t want in the kitchen.

In short, applying ordinary paint to glass and then attaching the glass to the wall will not create the same effect as glass paint will, and it will create a mess in your food preparation area. The solution is to use true glass paint. Glassprimer™ glass paint forms a permanent bond to glass, and resists the effects of changes in humidity. When properly applied, glass paint will withstand the rigors of kitchen duty for years.

If you’d like more information about working with glass paint, or you’d like to buy glass paint, please visit our online store.

Photo Credit: Dave Gostisha, via FreeImages.com