What is the Best Paint Finish for the Bathroom?

When it comes to the improvement of bathroom paint, semi-gloss, high-gloss, and satin finishes are highly recommended. Working with a matte or flat finish for the surfaces of the space will be a bummer from all the moisture and humidity of the bathroom. Opting for paints with a splash of gloss and mildew-resistant additive that can help in lasting longer before your next bathroom transformation. As the cheapest form of upgrade, there are a variety of paint options that you can work with in order to achieve the best and most durable paint finish for the bathroom. 

Understanding the Suitable Qualities for Bathroom Paint

Before running to your nearest hardware to purchase some paint, it is important to know what are the qualities of paint that we are looking for in upgrading the surfaces of the bathroom. Paints have outstanding performance when they are used on surfaces they are designed for. The first step to achieving the refreshing ambiance of the bathroom paint is knowing the qualities that would serve your bathroom space best. 

Washable Properties

The bathroom is designed for activities involving a continuous use of water. Therefore, it is tagged as a wet zone of the house. This makes the walls prone to stains. We highly recommend looking for a type of paint with washable properties. This way, intensive scrubbing would not harm the surface and cleaning would not seem to be a challenge. Using soap and cloth, stains can be easily removed because of the washable properties of the paint finish.

Mildew-Inhibiting Features

There are regular paints but there are also paints that are used for either the kitchen or the bathroom. Bathroom paints with mildew-inhibiting specifications tend to last longer despite being exposed to the wet area. They help in resisting the possible growth of mold and mildew that often causes the paint to easily chip or wear off. 

Tight and Solid Structure

Paints with a glossy feature work well in environments with high moisture. They are designed to have a tight and solid structure that can withstand and are ought to be susceptible to molds and mildews. As a wet area of the house, it should establish an easier means of maintenance and clean even without the need for aggressive scrubbing. 

Best Choices for Bathroom Paint and Finishes

Once you have identified the qualities to look out for in the best bathroom paint finish, we have rounded up the best choices to cover the surfaces of the space with. Use the qualities as a guide to know what type of paint and finish are you looking for. Besides, it can be a bummer to head to the nearest hardware without knowing what would work best for the bathroom. 

Oil-Based Paint

When the paint is oil-based, they come with a thicker consistency, which makes it difficult to spread even with the use of a roller or brush. Considering how oil is not soluble with water, it dries with a durable exterior layer making a great protective layer even when exposed to water and moisture. 

Oil-based paints are more difficult to work with than latex because of their longer drying and curing time. When the surface gets wet even before the layer of paint dries, it can ruin the quality of the paint that will require you to redo the entire painting job. This is not the type of paint you would want to use for DIY projects considering how intensive it can be to use. 

In using oil-based paint, expect a huge amount of glossy finish when they completely dry up. The effectiveness of this type of paint comes alongside its drawbacks that can compromise the health of the household. This includes the paint’s ability to secrete fumes that are held harmful, especially when there is limited air circulation within the bathroom. We highly recommend working with the door and windows open. Having an exhaust fan would be a huge help too. 

Latex Paint

When it comes to water-soluble paints, latex would best serve the surfaces of the bathroom. They are formulated with pigments that are suspended from the contents of an acrylic polymer emulsion. This is what makes it soluble in water perfect when working with different painting techniques. They are more likely to be used in a bathroom space because of their ability to sustain cold and hot environments. 

Latex paint comes in a variety of paint finishes that makes it ideal for the bathroom space. What we want is something to cover the surfaces without harming the household. Its durability is undeniable which makes it ideal to last even in a high moisture environment. Considering that we are looking for satin to high-gloss paint finishes, working with latex will be beneficial for the space. 

Glossy finish latex paint gives away the refreshed and polished look for the bathroom. They make a great choice for areas that are often wet or damp which often causes the paint to tear easily. They can sustain aggressive scrubbing and cleaning and they are not prone to stains which are the common problems in choosing the right paint for the bathroom. 

What is the Recommended Paint Finish for the Walls?

For the walls, we highly recommend paints that are glossy thus opting for semi-gloss or high-gloss paints. Considering how the walls are 80% of the bathroom space, being more exposed to moisture requires protective measures to ensure their lasting coverage on the surface. In a month or year’s time, it can be a bummer to see water and soap stains on the walls that can no longer be managed by aggressive scrubbing. 

Glossy finishes for the walls allow them to make cleaning and maintenance more manageable. They can withstand aggressive brushing and scrubbing to ensure that the bathroom is clean and free from different possible causes of bacteria. The shinier the sheen of paint, the better it is for the bathroom walls for they visually repel moisture.