The best paint for bathrooms

If you're painting your house inside and out, the bathroom will need a careful approach. Painting a bathroom isn’t all about choosing the colour you like and rolling with it. You need to make sure that it contains the right ingredients and the necessary properties to handle the damp environment.  

• Big fan of trends? Find the best paint colours from Farrow & Ball
• If space is tight, find some inspiration with our bathroom storage ideas 
• DIY-ing it? How to paint on new plaster

Bathrooms tend to be the smallest room in the house, so lighter colours are often used to create the illusion that they are bigger and brighter than they actually are. Your colour choice is only tip of the iceberg, though. You’ll need to make sure that your paint is moisture and mildew resistant, like Dulux Bathroom+ Emulsion Paint, while a soft sheen will be practical and bounce light around. 

Dulux have the largest selection of colours on our list, but you’ll find the drying time to be excessively long compared to others, such as Johnstone's Brilliant White Kitchen & Bathroom Emulsion, which is perfect for giving your bathroom a quick refresh. 

If you’re looking to paint over tiles, have a look at Ronseal High Gloss Tile Paint and if you need to seal over a damp patch, try Polycell One Coat Damp Seal. 

Dulux Bathroom+ Emulsion Paint should be your go-to if you’re looking to redecorate your bathroom. The paint has been formulated to be both steam and moisture resistant, which means it should remain in tip top condition no matter how many showers are taken in a day. 

Its MouldTec foundation protects the paint against mould for up to five years, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy it before another coat is required. Over 24 hours, the paint dries to a mid sheen finish, which repels steam rather than allowing it to soaking. 

Damp stains will persistently show through emulsion paint, so if you're decorating a bathroom that's suffered leaks in the past, this paint will be a must-have. Polycell's One Coat Damp Seal will seal the damp patch, so it won't show through your top coat. It only requires one coat, making it quick and easy to apply, and you can use it on plaster, cement or stone. Best of all, it’s touch dry within four hours, so you can get on with applying your chosen paint colour on the same day.

Living in a rental property with no prospect of improving the bathroom's ventilation? Or perhaps a new bathroom – including a bathroom extractor fan – is something you're saving up for? In the meantime, why not give your bathroom walls a coat of Ronseal Anti Mould Paint, which is a great option for a bathroom that suffers persistent mould growth caused by condensation? It protects your walls for up to six years, so there’s plenty of time for you to enjoy your bathroom before you need to give the walls another coat. The paint dries in just two hours and once dry, it’s wipeable, too.

Although it may not have the Dulux name attached to it, if you’re looking for a good alternative, consider Johnstone’s Brilliant White Kitchen & Bathroom Emulsion, which will provide durable protection in areas where there’s high condensation, with the mid sheen finish providing a moisture resistant surface to ensure walls are kept dry. It’s a low-odour paint and it should dry within four hours, ideal if you're decorating an en suite and don't want to endure paint fumes all night long.

If you want to give your bathroom a quick freshen up while you save up for a whole room makeover, Ronseal High Gloss Tile Paint will save you the time and the hassle of removing your existing tiles and re-plastering your bathroom wall. There are several colours to choose from and, once applied, the high gloss finish makes the tiles look good as new. The paint itself is waterproof and mould resistant and Ronseal promise that the paint will cover up patterned tiles and strong colours.  

Follow our quick guide to painting tiles to get an expert finish.

More on paints, painting and paint ideas

• How to paint a ceiling
• How to paint kitchen cabinets
• 10 kitchen paint ideas