How to Paint a Glaze in the Bathroom

Choose your color scheme and the effect you want to achieve with glaze paint. Home improvement and paint stores carry a wide range of applicators and glazes along with instruction booklets and DVDs for using them.

Prepare the bathroom for painting. Remove window coverings, switch plates and towel bars. Clear off countertops and wash the walls. Repair holes or dings in the drywall, and caulk gaps around trim, windows, countertops and cabinets.

Tape off the ceiling, trim, and everything else you don't want to paint with 2-inch blue painter's tape.

Paint a base coat with one or two coats of satin or semi-gloss paint. Let it dry for at least 8 hours.

Mix the glaze with paint in a clean bucket. The more paint you add, the more opaque the glaze will be. Since the color will darken as it dries, paint a small swatch on some scrap cardboard or drywall and wait until it dries to determine whether you need to add more paint or more glaze.

Apply the glaze, starting at the top of the wall. An easy technique is basic color-washing. Use a 3-inch brush, a sponge or a lint-free rag and apply the glaze mixture in random, circular strokes. If using a rag, follow up with a dry brush to soften and smudge the glaze.

Roll one or two coats of acrylic varnish over the walls for increased washability and to give a solid, even sheen to the finish, especially if the bathroom is a high-traffic one and you wash the walls frequently.