Painting your bathroom is a nice way to update the look of your home, but when it comes time to choose the type of paint, you need to think about more than just the color of your towels and accessories. Bathrooms retain moisture, and kids often splatter water when they bathe. You also need to think about humidity. Miami area residents need a paint that will hold up to splashing as well as steam, humidity and fingerprints. That makes most types of paint a bad choice for bathrooms.
Although flat paint offers a pleasing, matte finish, it doesn’t resist moisture. It absorbs it, so it can look spotty when it gets wet. For that reason, it won’t hold up well, and it is difficult to clean. It’s best for low-traffic areas where the walls won’t be touched. The same goes for eggshell and even satin. Although a guest bathroom that’s rarely used might do okay with satin, the higher the sheen, the easier the bathroom will be to clean.
Since a typical bathroom receives heavy traffic, steam and fingerprints, semi-gloss paint makes the best choice. It repels moisture, cleans up quickly and doesn’t look as glassy on the wall as a high-gloss paint would look. It adds only a subtle shine and resists stains as well as moisture. In addition, semi-gloss is durable and holds up well for rooms like the kitchen and bathroom that need to be cleaned regularly.
