Bathroom stalls.

Something you always see out in the wild but I never thought I would have an opportunity to repaint some. Bathroom stalls have large continuous flat surfaces that can be challenging to paint with your traditional spray can. Rust-Oleum has created a new 5-n-1 adjustable tip spray can that can make large surface area jobs much easier just like bathroom stalls.

The 5-n-1 adjustable tip has 5 spray settings and one lock setting. There is a vertical and horizontal fan pattern that is great for large continuous flat surfaces along with a high pressure and low pressure setting that can be used for surfaces that are too close or too far away from you. Last but not least there is the normal spray setting as well (#2)

I ended up using the horizontal (#4) AND vertical (#5) fan patterns to repaint the large bathroom stalls. The vertical fan pattern allows you to apply the paint evenly from LEFT to RIGHT and allows you to keep an overlap pattern as you go to apply an even amount of paint on a large surface without runs or sags. The horizontal fan pattern allows you to apply the proper amount of paint from TOP to BOTTOM also helping you keep the proper overlap pattern for an even finish.

PREP IS KEY

Just like any other paint application the prep is always key, the cleaner the surface the better the outcome, even if they are old grimy bathroom stalls.

The Process

I first started out by disassembling all the stalls. I removed the stall walls from the bathroom walls and disconnected them from each other. I always take pictures of everything I take apart that will need to go back together after paint (reference photos). I know it seems like you’ll remember every bolt and where it goes but trust me most of the time when you get to the end of the project you don't remember exactly where all the nuts and bolts go. Taking pictures of important parts, brackets or junctions before I disassemble always helps me when I need to put them all back together. This also shows me not only where they all go but how it all goes back together.

PRO TIP:

Taking pictures of important parts, brackets or junctions before disassembling for paint always helps when you need to put the project back together in the end.

Any and all old stickers on the stall walls need to be removed before painting or the paint could have adhesion issues in those areas. Remove the stickers with a plastic razor blade. Any residue left behind from the sticker can be removed with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA).

After all parts were disassembled I put all the small bolts, screws, brackets, etc in a plastic bucket to wash and clean. Since all these parts have been in the bathroom area for the past few decades I needed to make sure these parts are sanitary and clean before painting. Using the disinfectant version of Krud Kutter I sprayed it on all the large walls and wiped them dry to “wash” these large areas. At the moment I don't have an area large enough to physically wash the large walls so I do sections at a time by spraying a section wet and then wiping dry before moving on. I also used the Krud Kutter to wash all the bolts and small parts I placed in the plastic bucket. To make sure all the dirt and grim is removed, even from the smallest corners and crevices I used a detail brush to get into the cracks. The detail brushes are made to work with harsh chemicals so I know the Krud Kutter would not hurt them.

Once the parts and walls are 100% washed I made sure to fully dry them before moving on. I used a microfiber cloth to soak up any and all moisture on the small parts. Once all parts were fully dried I came back with Wax and Grease remover (Preps-All) on a rag and wiped down all parts that were to be painted. I like to spray the wax and grease remover on a rag and wipe the parts with that rag and then wipe dry.

I make sure to wear gloves at all times but especially once the parts are fully cleaned and wiped with wax and grease remover so I do not contaminate the surface with the oils from my hands.

Since we are not only painting the walls of the stalls but also the small parts I needed to make sure I can apply the paint on the small parts without touching the small parts in the process. My idea was to mount all the parts to pieces of cardboard for ease of application and be able to move the parts easily without touching the fresh paint. I used a good tough duct tape to stick the mounted parts to the cardboard. Simply take a small amount of a tough duct tape and fold it back on itself making a loop. Take that sticky loop and use it to stick the small part to the cardboard on the side that is not visible. No need to put paint where you cant see it.

I was also wanting to paint the bolts and screws that held everything together to make it look like a professional job when done. I screwed each bolt into the cardboard to mount them to paint. This allowed me to only paint the visible face of the bolt and not touch the threads. Screwing the bolts into the cardboard is a must so they stay in place. If you just shove the bolt through the cardboard it will not hold as tight and the bolt will fall out of the cardboard while moving and applying the paint.

The walls to the stall also needed to be fully painted without being touched. My only option was to hang the stall walls. I used hanging wire to mount the walls to the ceiling. I also made sure to screw in eye bolts to the rafters of my ceiling to mount these heavy walls with the hanging wire. Still wearing gloves to not contaminate any surface that will be painted.

For all the trim, bolts and brackets we chose to use Rust-Oleum’s Metallic Gold. After the small parts were cleaned and mounted I applied two (2) light coats of the Metallic Gold to each part with 10 minutes dry time between each coat. I also allowed 48 hours (2 days) to pass before I touched the parts to assemble. It took one single can of the Metallic Gold to finish all the small parts.

Each wall section was painted with Rust-Oleum's 5-n-1, Dark Hunter Green. 5 full cans were used to paint 3 full coats on all the stall walls. 10 minute flash time between each of the 3 coats. In the video you can see how i used the vertical and horizontal fan patterns on the 5-n-1 can as i move from left to right (#5 setting) and top to bottom (#4 setting).

2 full days or 48 hours passed before I handled the stall walls before reassembly. I allowed this amount of time for the walls to dry since they are large in size and a good amount of paint was applied to each wall. If I handle something this heavy with wet paint then I could run the chance of leaving fingerprints in the paint or smear any soft paint.

Using the vertical and horizontal fan pattern on the new Rust-Oleum cans helped me apply nice even passes of paint across a long surface. Normal spray cans when applied concentrate on a single pinpoint that might run or sag but also does not help when trying to cover a large area with a single point of spray. The vertical and horizontal fan patterns apply the paint in a short straight line that allows you to cover more surface area. With the paint now being applied in a line and not a pin point circle you can apply overlap passes that helps keep even coverage over a large surface. Giving you a nice professional finish. I made sure to keep the spray can at least 8 -10” inches away from the surface at all times. Any further than 10” and dry spray will be created to give your finish a fuzzy, dull or grainy look. Any closer than 6” or so inches and you run the risk of creating runs and sags.

Pro Tip:

When reassembling all the parts, tape up the ends of your tools that come in contact with the freshly painted screws and bolts. This will help soften the hard metal tool ends and aid in protecting the finish when screwing everything back together. Less scratches will happen.

I added drywall anchors to the holes where the bolts came out of to be drilled back into the main wall to hold the brackets for the stall walls. This will give extra support in holding the walls up because I noticed the wall stripped out when originally removing the wall brackets.

All in all this project kicked my butt, but also took me:

2 full days
5 cans of Rust-Oleum 5-n-1 Dark Hunter Green
1/2 can of Rust-Oleum Metallic Gold
8oz Disinfectant Krud Kutter
4oz wax and grease remover (preps-all)
Hanging wire and some rags with using some basic tools.

The process was easy but the parts were heavy!

Please see pics and vid for a basic step by process of this project.

Thanks for following along.

‘Till next time!

-Pete

Color Change Stall Walls