Expert: Eileen Cronk - 5/25/2008

Question
Hi, I would like to ask a question. My fiancee has just bought a house. the bathrooms are terrible can I paint over partial wood?? what is the best choice to use.

Thanks

Answer
Hi Jean
I am unclear what you mean by "partial wood".
If this means half the walls are covered in wood like a wainscotting then yes you can paint over it.
There is nothing wrong with using waterbased primer and a good quality semi gloss waterbased paint in a bathroom.
There is no need to apply oil based paint in the home in this day of good quality waterbased paints.
Now if you mean these walls are something other than wood..like a panel board of some type then yes you can paint over that too.
As with any paint job, the surface must be extremely clean.
I like to use a TSP wash before a job like this.
It cleans and slightly deglazes a surface so the paint will stick.
If I've totally got the question wrong please get back to me.
Kind Regards
Eileen