Are you painting your bathroom? Are you confused about the different types of paints available and you don’t know what to get? Painting a bathroom is a common bathroom remodeling project and the choice of paint types and colors can be confusing. Well, this guide is going to help you select the right finish, color, and type of paint for your bathroom.
Find A Humidity-Resistant Paint
Before choosing paint for your bathroom, it’s important to specify the water use and the humidity levels in it as well. Since it’s a bathroom where there is a lot of humidity and moisture buildup, you should go for a paint that is resistant to water damage and humidity.
A lot of the time, paints can absorb most of the moisture in the air and that can lead to fungus and mildew formation on the walls. It’s not only ugly, but also harmful for your health.
Go For Waterproof Paint
A bathroom is a place where there is a lot of water exposure to almost anything and everything, so the type of paint you choose will certainly be impactful and will make a difference in how long it lasts.
If you can get your hands on it, try to go for waterproof paints as it has additives in it that are water-repellent and they won’t even allow any moisture penetration in the walls.
Consider Getting A Primer
A bathroom is a place where paint can rot pretty quickly so you want to ensure that you’re preparing a good base for your paint to stick on. This is where a primer will come in handy.
A primer is a base coat for the walls that prevent staining and chipping of the paint in the long run. It’s really important to apply if you don’t want your paint to prematurely crack because this can expose the rest of the wall surface, and over time, moisture, water, and other chemicals can easily ruin the paint and walls.
The Right Color
Selecting the right paint color is also a must when you’re looking at different paint options for your bathroom. Firstly, you want to figure out which color will look best in your bathroom. Is your bathroom small and stout? Does it have ample space? Well, you need to select colors based on these things because you don’t want to make your bathroom look even more closed off than it already is, with a darker color.
You can also go for neutral and warm colors if you just can’t decide from the lot. This choice is easy, manageable, and extremely versatile for all sorts of interior décor in the bathroom.
Give The Illusion Of A Bigger Bathroom
Speaking of color, you must choose a paint color that gives the illusion of a more spacious bathroom. This is crucial because the right color can make or break the entire symmetry of the bathroom. Darker colors tend to work best in larger bathrooms where you want to add some dimension to the space, but you don’t want to go for the same colors in smaller bathrooms because that’s just going to look very suffocating.
For smaller bathrooms, try to go for colors that are bright and light so that they can reflect the incoming light and make your space look extra bright and spacious.
Easy To Clean Paint
Spills are the norm in bathrooms because you’re using things like soaps, shampoos, and conditioner that can certainly splash on the walls and stain them. This is why you need to go for a paint finish that is easy to wipe down with a damp cloth. The damp cloth should not only remove the spills from the walls, but it also shouldn’t damage the paint either.
Paints that absorb liquids and spills are a no-go because they can cause immense staining on the walls.
The Paint Finish
The finish that you select for the paint matters a lot too. There are four types of finishes in paints:
- Matte finish
- Eggshell finish
- Satin finish
- Glossy finish
Now, you might be thinking: what’s the best finish you can go for and that too for bathrooms? Well, if you want to play it safe, then satin and eggshell finishes are the best to go for because they both provide that semi-glossy, semi-matte finish while glossy paints are the best for bathrooms where there is a lot of moisture and water exposure because these paints are going to repel everything.
Anti-Mold Paint
Mold and fungus are the main culprits why paint doesn’t last as long and once one area of a wall gets affected, it’s only a matter of time until the whole wall is exposed to mold and mildew. This is why you must search for paint that has additives in it that help you combat fungus and mildew formation.
These paints have anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties in them and they help to repel the agents that are responsible for fungus formation on the walls.
The Prep Before A Paint Job
The best paint job that doesn’t only look good but lasts long too comes with the right preparation beforehand. There are a lot of things that can alter a good paint job and those can be not sanding down the old paint, not cleaning the walls before paint application, and much more.
So, before even starting a paint job, you need to remove the old paint with the help of sandpaper. This is going to ensure that the new paint adheres better to the surface of the walls and lasts longer. During sanding, if you come across areas that are infested with fungus and mold then you also need to remove them first with a scraper and then move forward with the paint application.
Consider Eggshell Paint
You might have heard of this paint type a lot, especially if you’ve frequented paint shops and there are a lot of variants of paints available. Eggshell paint has an almost matte finish, but it’s much more manageable and easier to maintain than traditional matte paint.
At first glance, it might look matte, but there is a slight sheen to it as well that looks gorgeous in certain lighting. It is also scrub-resistant, so you can easily clean the walls in case of a spill, without having to worry about anything.
Factor In The Lighting
The lighting in your bathroom will also emphasize the paint. If you have a bright and well-lit bathroom, then you can go for colors that are a bit darker because those colors are going to complement your space beautifully.
As for smaller and darker bathrooms with no or less natural light, you need to think creatively. Bright and light colors with a sheen or gloss finish are perfect for smaller spaces.
Conclusion
Paints seem pretty easy to buy, but there are a lot of things that go into consideration so that you can get the best one for your bathroom that’s not only going to look beautiful but last longer too. For best results, get your bathroom painted and renovated using the expert skills of bathroom remodeling contractors Silver Spring. Other than painting, you can also choose to install new fixtures, change the flooring, install cabinets, and more.