What Paint Should I Use For A Bathroom In A Typical San Francisco Bay Area House?
Interior Painting Tips for Bathrooms
House painting requires the use of many different kinds of paints. When painting bathrooms, keep in mind that the walls are vulnerable to high levels of moisture which can corrode and destroy low gloss paints. It’s important to use high gloss interior paints like satin, semi gloss, or even gloss for painting bathrooms, kitchens, and other areas with lots of moisture and/or grease. The higher the gloss/sheen the more dense and resistant the paint is to water damage. Glossier paints are also much easier to wash and scrub.
One easy way to understand the water damage resistance of your sheen options is by way of analogy. Think of paint (flats, eggshells, satins, semi-glosses, and glosses) in terms of balls laid out across a table:
- Flat / Matte: Tennis Balls. This paint has zero gloss and is least resistant to moisture. The gaps between the balls are huge, making it easy for water and moisture to seep through.
- Eggshell: Golf balls. The film, the binder resin, and the pigment size begin to tighten up.
- Satin: Marbles. The surface is harder and denser.
- Semi Gloss and Gloss: Tiny pearls. These high-sheen paints are basically impenetrable.
High gloss/sheen paints have finishes that are easy to maintain. But one thing to keep in mind is that the higher gloss, the more the imperfections will show up on your wall. If your wall has a lot of nicks or cracks in it, it might best to use a satin paint instead of semi-gloss paint. Paints on the extreme end of the gloss category are hyper reflective and shiny, and they typically serve best for trim and surfaces that you want to accent.
Remember to contact MB Jessee for all of your painting needs in the San Francisco Bay Area!
