How to Choose the Best Paint for Bathroom Walls, Ceilings, Trim, and Cabinets

The best paint for bathrooms addresses the room's wet and overly humid conditions, prevents mold growth, resists mildew, and remains attractive for the long term.

The best way to do this is to start with a mold-resistant primer and then paint the bathroom with latex paint in semi-gloss (sometimes high-gloss), satin, or eggshell.

Here are tips to help you find the best paint for bathroom walls, ceilings, trim, and cabinets.

Best Bathroom Primers

Before using paint, use a primer as the first coat (or base coats). It prepares the surface to accept paint, even a glossy surface, and prevents paint from bubbling or peeling. Most primers need 24 hours to dry properly before painting over with paint.

Several types of primers can work. Use a primer marked as a bathroom or kitchen primer or a specialty primer marked as water—or mildew-resistant. Consider using drywall primer on new drywall panels if this is new construction.

In most cases, the best bathroom paint base is water-based latex paint.

Bathroom Primer

Most major paint brands have a special primer labeled for bathrooms, kitchens, or trim. This primer is specially formulated to handle rooms that will have higher moisture. These primers usually have a mildew killer added. They are also designed to adhere to high-gloss surfaces since many bathrooms already have a coat of glossy paint.

Mildew Resistant

Primers labeled mold-resistant or mold-killing are an excellent choice for bathrooms with poor air circulation or a lack of windows. These formulations have a mildewcide added. With specific mold-killing primers, the manufacturers suggest painting over existing mold or mildew spots to encapsulate and kill them.

Drywall Primer

If your bathroom is new construction and this will be the first primer and paint on the drywall, always pick a primer based on the surface. A drywall primer is an excellent option since it prepares the drywall to accept paint.

Then, when choosing paint for the next layer, choose a sheen or finish you prefer. If you didn't use a "bathroom-type" primer with mildewcide added, consider using a specially formulated bathroom paint for your finishing layers.

All-Purpose Primer

Many all-purpose primers are designed on all surfaces, including new drywall, bathrooms, interiors, and exteriors. Ensure you read the can label; it will indicate whether it's OK for bathrooms.

Latex Paint

Latex paint is durable, washable, and moisture-resistant. It applies easily. Clean-up is simple because only water is needed, not harsh solvents. Most latex paints are low or no VOC, releasing minimal volatile organic compounds during drying.

Oil-Based Paint

Oil-based paint, known for its extreme toughness, is used for bathroom cabinets or high-traffic door casings. It can turn yellow over time. It releases high levels of VOCs during drying.

Best Paint Finish for Bathrooms

Pick the right paint finish for the bathroom for moisture-resistance and durability:

Semi-Gloss or Gloss Finishes

The best finish for bathroom paint is semi-gloss or, in some applications, gloss.

Semi-gloss paint is shiny and holds up to cleaning well. It includes more resins and binders than flat paint. Semi-gloss paint sheds moisture, so it is less prone to peeling.

But it can highlight imperfections on your walls. Some homeowners may not like the shine of semi-gloss paint, especially in the confined space of a bathroom.

Gloss (or high-gloss) paint has the toughest sheen and is best for washing and scrubbing, with less wear and tear on the paint. Gloss paint has limited uses due to its mirror-like appearance. Use gloss paint for door jambs or cabinets.

Satin Finishes

Satin finish paint strikes a compromise between flatter paints with more upkeep issues (flat or eggshell) and the higher-gloss shiny paints. Satin paint has a noticeable shine, but the shine tends to be stepped down enough to avoid a garish effect.

Satin finish paint is washable, and it resists moisture. It's durable and holds up against moderate impact.

Like other paint with gloss, satin paint is challenging to spot-repaint since overlap marks will show.

Flat, Matte, or Eggshell Finishes

It's best to pass on a flat finish paint for bathrooms. Flat paints have more pigment particles and less resin and binders. While this gives flat paint rich colors and low luster, they are prone to moisture infiltration.

Flat paints don't stand up well to scrubbing; hard scrubbing can turn them shiny or silvery in sections. Repainting flat paint is often the best way to remove scuffs and marks.

However, you may get away with a flat or satin finish paint made specifically for bathrooms if used in a powder room, which is typically less humid.

Best Paint for Bathroom Ceilings

Avoid regular flat white paint for bathroom ceilings, and pick satin or semi-gloss paint.

A satin finish is fine for a powder room ceiling because the space has less moisture and humidity. But a humid bathroom with a steamy shower requires a more durable and moisture-resistant semi-gloss finish.

Semi-gloss paint does a better job of preventing the growth of mildew and mold, which congregate in water spots and stains that tend to form on the ceiling of a humid space.

Choosing the Best Bathroom Paint

When choosing the best bathroom paint, consider the space, shine level, and colors. But, before that, look at what is already on the surface. Is this a new construction? Has this space been painted before? Many previously painted bathrooms have a glossy finish. A shiny paint will need a bathroom primer that is good for covering high-gloss surfaces.

Determine what you have, then proceed with primer, paint, and color options.

• Primer needs: Choose a primer that works for your surface. In most cases, a bathroom or mildew-resistant primer works best. However, drywall primer (PVA) should be considered for new construction.
• Paint sheen or finish: Pick the shine level you want in the bathroom. Consider the lighting and whether you have natural light. High-gloss paints bounce light off the wall and can cheapen the look of a bathroom's walls. Satin is an excellent middle ground; it has some shine but is not super glossy. High gloss is best for cabinets and trim, mainly areas that get a lot of wipe-downs.
• Color: Once you have determined the paint sheen, the last thing is the color.
  

Bathroom Design Tips

Most bathroom design shares some standard codes, such as the sink, toilet, and tub spacing between the walls and the door. After that, your design choices, like paint color, tiles, and more, can make your bathroom unique to your home and design style. Use larger tiles, bold colors, and luxurious fixtures to make your bathroom stand out.

Paint Color

When you find a sheen or paint you like, but don't see the color you want, remember that many brands have tints that can come close to others. Look at color swatches provided by the paint manufacturers or online color pickers. Colors vary by manufacturer; some paint brands have more colors than others.

Hardware

Hardware, or the knobs, drawer pulls, and fixtures for your faucet, shower head, robe hooks, and towel rod, usually looks best if the material matches throughout, for example, brushed nickel, black metal, bronze, silver, chrome, glass, brass, or gold.

Some like to mix and match for an unexpected look, like bronze light fixtures with brushed nickel door knobs and pulls. There are many styles to choose from, such as vintage, traditional, rustic, or modern. Choose hardware that looks great with your wall color, but keep the cabinet color and style in mind.