In the Irish home improvement scene, there is a trend right now for painted bathrooms. Whether that means painting the floors, walls, and ceiling, painting only a feature wall, or painting over pre-existing tiles. Homeowners today tend to think that tiled bathrooms are outdated and limited in scope, and that any modern bathroom renovation should include painted walls instead.
Granted, there are some really beautiful, aesthetically-pleasing painted bathrooms out there, and we’ve no doubt that for the first couple years of use those homeowners feel they made the right choice when drawing up the plans for their bathroom renovation. Problem is though, there is a reason that the house or apartment you bought came with a tiled bathroom in the first place.
How many of us have had this experience? Having moved into a new flat, or perhaps bought our first home, we’ve found the modern decor of the living areas to our taste, but the old, 1970s-style tiling in the bathroom majorly old-fashioned and unsightly. The thing is, those tiles have probably been there since the 1970s, and for good reason: they simply last that long. Tiles are so low maintenance, sturdy, and effective at preventing the build up of damp and mould in a bathroom, that the previous homeowners would never have had cause to update them.
Naturally, of course, we at Tile Merchant appreciate the desire to renovate your bathroom, bringing it into the 21st century, and matching it with the style you’ve likely implemented throughout the rest of your home. We completely understand the desire to opt for the cheaper option, and paint your bathroom, rather than retile it. Heck, we know that it can look really good, too, and that painted bathrooms are for many people the ‘in thing’ right now.
Nevertheless, we urge you to reconsider painting your bathroom. Continue reading this article, and you will learn exactly why painting a bathroom is counter-intuitive in terms of finance, maintenance costs, and aesthetics.