Bathroom paint – update your bathroom with the right paint
Tough, moisture proof paint made for bathrooms
The bathroom is the room where the paintwork has to do the hardest yards. Splashing, condensation, damp, and the moisture lurking in the air all conspire to deteriorate and weaken paint, especially if you also have poor ventilation. Which is why bathroom paint is designed to be hardy, and the best paint for bathrooms has:
- A tough finish – Tight structures and durability are important in bathrooms where strong chemicals are used to clean surfaces.
- A light sheen – Matte paints are not suited to high moisture spaces as they are more easily affected by humidity. Bathroom paints are therefore light sheen, satin, eggshell, or gloss, but not matte.
- Mold protection – Most of these paint incorporate a mold and mildew resistant fungicide or formulation, to prevent the moisture-rich air promoting mold-rich surfaces.
Buy bathroom paint
Translated to actual paint products, the above means the ideal bathroom paint is either a specially designed bathroom paint that says so on the can – they are called Bath Paint, Moisture Paint, Kitchen & Bath or alike. They give you that tough finish and often include mold protection (look for “mold-protection”, “mold-proof” or “mold-resistant” on the can as well).
But you can find suitable bathroom paint among “ordinary” latex paints without mildewcides as well: The bath-compatible paints are wall paint with a high-gloss or paint with a semi-gloss finish. As those glossy wall paints are easy to clean and create a tight structure that repels water more than a matte-finish paint. What you need to look for on the paint can is “high-gloss”, “semi-gloss” as well as “easy to clean”, “scrubbable” etc.
Here are some bathroom paint buying options we selected for you, feel free to browse through them:
KILZ Kitchen & Bath Interior Latex Primer
Diamond Semi Gloss Latex Kitchen & Bath
Montage Signature Low Sheen Scrubbable Paint
Glidden One Coat Interior Paint + Primer Semi Gloss
Zinsser Perma-White Mold & Mildewproof Satin
More options to paint bathroom surfaces
The best paint for your bathroom surfaces is the one chosen with the surface and environment in mind. Did you know that there are different products for different bathroom surfaces? Let’s have a look at where and when you should use what:
Bathroom walls and ceilings
As discussed above, walls and ceilings in your bathroom need to be protected against moisture, damp, and mold: The paints must prevent mold or fight damp and condensation.
Painting bathroom tiles
A big trend of recent years is the budget reno, a weekend project to update rooms in your home. For the bathroom this means coating what cannot be cheaply removed. Tile paint is a budget option for updating bathroom tiles that no longer match the decor. It gives a clean, smooth finish that is waterproof and often indistinguishable from tile.
Floors in wet room
A waterproof floor paint for bathrooms can protect wood, tile, and cement from the waterlogging that goes with the territory. A clear epoxy resin is a popular choice as it allows your to maintain the appearance of the tile or cement, thouh it is a professional coating, not a paint you brush on easily. It can also be anti slip. For wood, a polyurethane sealant is the most common option, giving waterproof and scratch proof protection.
Glass surfaces in the bathroom
Everyone knows the annoyance of the buildup of soap scum and watermarks on the glass surfaces of their bathroom. What prevents that is a hydrophobic nano coating, making glass self-cleaning and water repellent.
The bathroom paint colors for any mood
The bathroom paint colors you choose need to express the mood you hope to achieve in the bathroom. More traditional choices like soft greys, blues, and beiges aim to build a feeling of calm and relaxation.
But not everyone wants calming neutrals. Deep, dark colors also work well as a contrast with bathroom fittings, but also work surprisingly well when featured only in certain spaces like feature walls or even ceilings. Blues immediately take you to the seaside, while light greens are fresh and peppy.
