Field Notes
Bathroom paint that survives steam
Bathrooms · 4 min read
A bathroom is a wet room even if you don’t think of it that way. Flat paint on a shower wall is a short experiment.
Products
Satin or a bath enamel on the walls. Semi-gloss on trim and the vanity if you’re painting wood. Flat on the ceiling only if the fan actually vents outside.
If there’s mildew, kill it and rinse before you prime. Painting over mildew entombs it until it comes back through.
The fan
A paint job cannot fix a fan that dumps steam into the attic. Run it during the shower and twenty minutes after. If the ceiling is stained, look up before you pick a color.