Runny Paint in Your Bathroom?

This happened to me, and from looking at my blog traffic stats, it seems to happen to many others, too. I thought I’d post about it.

Runny paint in the bathroom– what is it? Sometimes I have seen a slightly brown-colored liquid oozing out of the bathroom walls after a shower. I used to think it was perhaps the condensation from the hot shower water as it made beads on the walls and dripped down. I did some digging, and came to realize that the liquid that oozes out comes from the paint itself.

Latex paint, the most common paint used in bathrooms (and in the house itself), produces a small amount of by-product as it cures. The heat and moisture from the bathroom causes the liquid to run out. This is common with new paint jobs. Over time, the latex paint will completely cure and the liquid will no longer run. This does not seem to affect the paint job or the coverage of the paint on the walls. It’s just a minor inconvenience and it will go away eventually.

In the meantime, gently wash your walls of the liquid. If I remember correctly, it was several months until the latex paint stopped running. I no longer have this problem with runny paint.

Hope that helps!