Your bathroom is a great space to update with paint. A smaller room of the home, changing out the paint color is often easy and quick. You can get an updated look in an afternoon! But what type of paint should you use in your bathroom?
Consider Moisture
You can’t escape moisture in a bathroom, and for a painted wall, moisture can be a problem. Even if you’re so careful that no drop of water is ever splashed onto the painted walls, steam from the shower or bathtub will put moisture onto the walls anyway.
Think About Ease of Wiping the Walls
Bathrooms tend to accumulate dripping, brown stains on the walls due to moisture. It’s unsightly. You need a paint that can be easily wiped. Choosing the right finish will help.
Flat finishes should be avoided in a bathroom because they absorb moisture and are difficult to wipe. When using flat, stick to out-of-the-way areas of your home that rarely need to be wiped.
Eggshell finishes are more easily wiped, but they aren’t good for moisture-prone areas.
Satin finishes are slightly glossy and are suitable for a low-moisture bathroom, like a powder room.
Semi-gloss finishes repel moisture well, and are easily wiped.
High-gloss is excellent at repelling moisture, and is easily wiped. But it doesn’t always look good when painted on large surfaces, like a wall. Using it on the trim or on your bathroom cabinets is a good idea, while semi-gloss is better reserved for the walls.
Additives
Lately, paint manufacturers have been working to create paints that can work in any room of the house, including moist bathrooms. They do this by including additives that create a more durable, moisture-resistant paint. Anti-microbial additives, for example, resist mold.
When purchasing a paint that includes additives to resist moisture, you don’t have to be so dependent on the finish. Some matte finishes, like Benjamin Moore’s Aura® Bath And Spa Matte Finish, can handle high-moisture areas.
Choose the Right Primer
Avoid peeling paint by applying moisture-resistant primer to your walls and ceiling before painting. This small, but important, step will help you avoid frequent touch-ups down the road.
What Paint Color Should You Choose in the Bathroom?
Did you know that when painting a bathroom, you should consider how the color will affect your mirror reflection? That’s right. The wrong color can change the appearance of your complexion, making it difficult to get ready in the morning. Choosing a neutral color — whites, creams, pastels, grays — often solves this problem.
Prep Correctly
It simply doesn’t make any sense to paint mildew-resistant paint over your walls if mildew already exists there. Before priming and painting, thoroughly clean your walls and remove any existing mildew with a solution of bleach and water (three parts water to one part bleach).
Prep adequately with drop cloths and painter’s tape to ensure your beautiful new paint goes only on the walls — where it belongs.
Give New Life Painting in Morro Bay a call at (805) 937-9836, or contact us online, when you’re ready to paint your bathroom. We’ll handle all the details and use the best paint so that you can enjoy your bathroom walls for years to come.
