what type of paint is best for a bathroom

What Type of Paint Is Best For a Bathroom – Important Factors to Consider

Do you want to know what type of paint is best for a bathroom?  What Type of Paint Is Best For a Bathroom: Why Specific Paints? Bathrooms are generally warmer and wetter rooms and this accelerates the aging of the paint.

The numerous protuberances of soap and water, grease and detergents require regular washing, even washing that no paint can withstand.

Can I Reduce Condensation to Protect Bathroom Paints?

Condensation is formed when water in the form of steam, in contact with a cold surface, returns to a liquid state. Bathrooms are the main places where steam is produced and this leads to a health problem. The micro-balls contained in these paints diminish this effect of cold walls and therefore delay the appearance of condensation.

However, these paints cannot replace good ventilation and insulation. Remember to ventilate with every emission of steam!

What Type of Paint Is Best For a Bathroom

Mold is a recurrent problem in the healthiness of houses. They appear due to condensation and promote respiratory diseases, especially in fragile people. If you have problems with mold, you can use paints that contain fungicides that prevent it from developing on treated surfaces.

These agents are effective against the appearance of stains. If you cannot intervene on condensation, at least you can reduce the consequences.

I Want a Specific Color, What Should I Do?

The fungicide and anti condensation paints are very technical and exist in few colors. The shades are normally quite neutral. Exaggerating, you can choose between white and white. If you are looking for brighter colors, you will have to use dyes, and a good technique to get the expected result.

Be careful with the dosage if you have to make it by mixing more colors!

What Type of Paint Is Best For a Bathroom: What Is Glycerophthalic?

Glycerophthalic by name, are oil paints that are diluted and cleaned with turpentine. They have a strong opacifying power, a tense appearance and are resistant! They tend to be replaced for water-based paints (they have been around for more than 10 years), because of the amount of solvents they contain.

Their application needs to ventilate the room both during and afterwards. Remember masks during application!

What Type of Paint Is Best For a Bathroom: Acrylic, With Water

Acrylic paints are the most common water-based paints. To their advantage, a quantity of solvents reduced to a short drying time – 30 minutes to the touch. The most virtuous ones receive a European eco-label indicating weak VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions. They are practical for material cleaning, and convenient for bathrooms.

Why Alkyd Paints Then?

Acrylic paints do not offer the same seal as glycerophthalic paints. Alkyd paints offer the best of the other two: cleaning with water, a short drying time, and a good grip that allows for lacquered effects and increasing resistance. They are also a little less toxic.

Brilliant, Matt or Satin?

It’s both a question of aesthetics and technique. Matt paints are the most fragile. Since they reflect little light, they mitigate the defects of the substrates.  An excellent choice for an old ceiling whose defects would be seen much more with light reflection.

For walls, it is preferable to use more resistant satin-finish paints. Finally, bright, even more resistant paints are recommended for jambs, wooden rods. They enlarge small rooms and let light into dark rooms.

I’ve Heard Of VOCs, But Then What Are They?

VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are chemicals that pass easily through the air. It is said that these products are toxic and carcinogenic, so you should avoid using paints that release large amounts of VOCs. Paints are classified from A+, for those that release less VOCs, to C for those that release more.

In any case, it is advisable to ventilate well both during and after application. Applying the paints while wearing a mask means protecting yourself from all types of mutant VOC aggression!

What Is An Underlayer?

An underlayer is a paint called a technique. It is designed to prepare the finish by smoothing the substrate and blocking the porosity. Even if the porosity is not directly visible, it affects the finish performance and depends on the substrate:

  • Special plasterboard: Specific treatment to protect plasterboard
  • Base hardener: To harden fragile or brittle substrates
  • Sealing primer: To paint on substrates that have little seal, such as plastic.
  • There is also a special undercoat for damp bathrooms, think about it!

Bathroom Paints – Summing Up?

Bathrooms need two specific paints due to their particular conditions. The application of technical paints is especially recommended to avoid premature ageing of the paint.  Of course, you can paint your bathroom with the first glycero-ophthalic that you see, but then don’t complain if you find the wall full of cracks!

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