How to Paint a Shower Drain

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Things You'll Need

  • Trisodium phosphate cleanser

  • Coarse plastic brush

  • Rags

  • Masking paper

  • Professional painter's tape

  • Galvanized metal etching spray primer

  • Appliance epoxy spray paint

Coat the shower drain with a galvanized metal etching spray primer.

Enhance the appearance of a shower drain by coating it with paint. Metallic shower drains are nonporous, making them ill-suited for paint adhesion. You must condition the drain with a special primer, capable of etching durable metal. In addition, you must choose a paint, formulated to withstand heavy moisture and friction-based duress, or you will end up with chipping.

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Step 1

Clean the shower drain with a trisodium phosphate cleanser using a coarse brush. Rinse the drain with wet rags. Wait two to four hours for the shower to dry.

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Step 2

Protect areas adjacent to the shower drain from paint overspray by covering them with masking paper. Tape the masking paper to the shower bottom with painter's tape.

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Step 3

Coat the clean shower drain with a galvanized metal etching spray primer. Maintain a distance of 8 inches between the shower drain and the spray nozzle as you apply. Wait four hours for the primed drain to dry.

Step 4

Coat the primed shower drain with an appliance epoxy spray paint. Maintain a distance of 8 inches between the shower drain and the spray nozzle as you apply. Wait six hours before using the shower.

Warning

Do not paint over unprimed shower drains, or the finish will peel.

Do not use an ordinary acrylic, oil-based or latex base primer on a metallic shower drain; otherwise, the finish will ultimately flake.

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