HI - I'm about to paint two bathrooms and before I buy paint I need some help. I had wall paper for a long time. After removing the paper in one of the baths, we found that mildew (orange - is this mildew?) was growing on the ceiling. In this room the ceiling is shiny which I think is not the right thing. Not sure if removal of the paper had anything to do with this.
In the other bath, I had water damage on the ceiling. This ceiling is done in flat. It took a long time (over 10 years) for the damage to occur and then the paint became crazed.
I've read that bathrooms should not be done in flat paint but I'm not sure what is recommended. I don't like when the walls look shiny. I've picked a Home Depot Behr paint color. We've had good luck with this brand in other rooms. I know Benjamin Moore is supposed to be a better paint and we've used that a lot over the years. But the cost has gotten out of sight.
So I am looking for guidance on ceiling paint as well as wall paint in bathrooms that do not have ventilation fans. I don't plan to install this either.
HI - I'm about to paint two bathrooms and before I buy paint I need some help. I had wall paper for a long time. After removing the paper in one of the baths, we found that mildew (orange - is this mildew?) was growing on the ceiling. In this room the ceiling is shiny which I think is not the right thing. Not sure if removal of the paper had anything to do with this.
In the other bath, I had water damage on the ceiling. This ceiling is done in flat. It took a long time (over 10 years) for the damage to occur and then the paint became crazed.
I've read that bathrooms should not be done in flat paint but I'm not sure what is recommended. I don't like when the walls look shiny. I've picked a Home Depot Behr paint color. We've had good luck with this brand in other rooms. I know Benjamin Moore is supposed to be a better paint and we've used that a lot over the years. But the cost has gotten out of sight.
So I am looking for guidance on ceiling paint as well as wall paint in bathrooms that do not have ventilation fans. I don't plan to install this either.
Good paint is expensive and worth every penny. Keep that in mind.
I like a semi gloss. While different brands use a lot of the same names for different glosses, you really can't compare them as they are slightly different.
You might want to see if Consumer Reports has done a report lately on paints. You library should have back issues.
I had the same problem with my bathroom. I tried painting over the stains with regular paint and the stains came back. I then did one thick coat of Killz primer and then painted over it. It's been fine since.
I found that dark colors mixed in the "deep base" tend to lighten up when they get wet but darken to normal when they dry. I used dutch boy premium in satin and hope the dark color choice and low sheen won't be a problem later. I am only half using that bath now since the shower tiling is not complete yet.
For the cieling I used the dutch boy texture meduim rolled on with a thick napp roller and sponged on the edges. It seems to stand up well and has a sandy texture (not so gloppy like the Behr textures) that is much more attractive than the popcorn that was removed. This paint is acrylic and stands up like semi gloss but has a sheen like flat because of the sand.
Our bath was like that and I knew the condo above us had had a water leak because I did the painting when the place was sold about 5 years ago. I scraped, spackled and sanded, put on primer and two coats of paint - also had a few rusty nail heads that I ground down and primed. About six months ago and it looks fine. Gotta be sure your bad spot is not a continuing leak.
I've done my own painting for many years, have tried inexpensive paints a couple of times, and always go back to Ben Moore. Other good brands, such as Sher-Williams, Pratt-Lambert, would be just fine. Good paint is expensive for a good reason. If a paint job lasts about 10 years, the difference in price is of little consequence. If you paint every year or two, use the cheap stuff because the surfaces will soon be so loaded with paint that what you slap on will not matter.
I've removed paper that had some mildew under it. Repaired and repainted a bath such as what you describe a few months ago. I have found paper that had a good deal of mildew under it and could always trace it to intrusion along the seams. Wash well with a bit of bleach, rinse, dry, and all is well. When I papered the bath, I put a very fine line of silicone caulk along bottom of paper and the side that ends next to shower so it doesn't start peeling from condensation. Also put a timer on the exhaust fan so it can be left on to dry out the room after each shower.
Semi-gloss is usually recommended for bath and kitchen because it is easier to clean. I dislike the prep work, but am a fanatic about doing it right because I want the paint job to hold up. I use only alkyd semi for bath and kitchen; a tad more work to clean up but it lasts and lasts. The longest I've let a decorating job go - 20 years - was a kitchen that had no exhaust fan. Got greasy and smoky, and I cleaned about every year with Fantastic. The paint was Ben Moore and probably good for another 20 years but I moved. Latex on doors and trim is a b---- to repaint because you can't sand out dings and globbies - the paint just peels and rolls. Alkyd takes wear and tear a whole lot better and is more impervious to moisture.
OK, you think Ben Moore is too pricey, but I've been really happy with the Ben Moore mildew-resistant specialty bathroom ceiling paint, and egsheel Ben Moore custom paint color on the bathroom walls. (Most of the bathroom is white 4" tile with a blue and green folk-flower trim all around at one level.) The paint color is one shade more intense than the hallway, living room, and one bedroom that it shares most of the sightlines with.
Don't use flat - but eggshell or semi-gloss is fine.
But why cheap out on the paint? It's significant amount of labor, and you'll be looking at it and living with it for awhile. By my reckoning, the cost delta is much less than the labor, etc., that goes into it (although I'm the labor for painting and enjoy the task, I make decent money in my livelihood and put value on my time!)
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