How to patch holes and paint over wet area panelling?

rowie_9

Hi All,

I’m looking for some advice on repairing a few ~10 mm holes in the walls of our bathroom. The panels appear to be a high‑pressure melamine or laminate surface. After patching the holes, I’d also like to paint over the repair area and ideally the rest of the walls (including in the shower) so the patch blends in.

A Taubmans rep at Bunnings suggested using Taubmans Advanced Adhesion & Mould Blocker as a primer, followed by White Knight Tile & Laminate Paint.

Has anyone worked with these products on melamine/laminate bathroom walls before? Any tips on the best way to prep, patch, and paint would be really appreciated.

MitchellMc

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @rowie_9. It's brilliant to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about wet area panelling.

The first and most important thing to consider is the age of the property. If the home was built prior to around 1995, there is a fairly high chance that those wet area wall panels could contain asbestos. That is not guaranteed, but many older wet area panels were asbestos cement sheets with a decorative laminate finish rather than true melamine. If you are unsure of the material, it’s safest to assume asbestos until proven otherwise. In that case, sanding or drilling should be avoided altogether, and the panels should not be disturbed until testing confirms they are asbestos-free.

If you can confirm that the panels do not contain asbestos, then the repair is possible, but it is still a challenging surface to work with. Laminates and melamine finishes do not bond particularly well with most fillers or paints. For holes around 10 mm, the key is making sure there is some form of backing behind the hole so the filler is not simply pushed through. If backing exists, a two-part builder’s bog is usually the best option because it cures hard and is more stable than standard wall fillers. Once cured, it can be sanded flush so the repair sits level with the panel.

Surface preparation is important because paint will struggle to stick to laminate. Lightly scuffing the surface to remove the sheen, only if you are certain the material is asbestos-free, will significantly improve adhesion. Following that, an adhesion primer like Taubmans Advanced Adhesion & Mould Blocker is a sensible choice and is well-suited to bathrooms due to its mould resistance. It’s important to follow the application instructions carefully, including recommended drying times.

Using White Knight Tile & Laminate Paint over the primer is also a good decision, especially in a wet area. It is far tougher than standard wall paint and much better able to handle moisture, cleaning, and general wear, including in shower areas when applied correctly. While repainting wet area panels isn’t something many people do regularly, the product combination suggested by the Taubmans representative is realistically one of the best approaches available.

Overall, once asbestos is ruled out, your plan is sound. Done carefully, you should get a durable and visually tidy result that blends the repairs in nicely.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell