Is special bathroom paint necessary?

[longingforsomesleep]

Am just about to paint my bathroom and have previously used paint intended for bathrooms. However, when I've used it before I've found it a bit thin and had to do several coats. There's also a fairly limited range of colours in bathroom paint.

I'm just wondering if I could use an ordinary thicker (one coat only) paint. I know I'll probably still have to do 2 coats as I'm going to be putting a lighter colour on.

We have a separate shower room which we all use and the bath in the bathroom probably gets used on average once a week. Having said that, there are still 5 of us using the bathroom and no doubt generating a fair amount of steam from the hot water tap at the sink.

Any advice from anyone?

[Jellymum1]

When we havent used bathroom/kitchen paint the water/condensation soaks into the walls iyswim? We found using a bathroom paint means the water/condensation rolls down the walls and we can wipe it or when we open the windows it dries out quicker and doesn't leave streaks or black mildewy marks.

[stuckindamiddle]

yes

[Wuxiapian]

Use special bathroom paint. It will be a false economy doing otherwise.

[wonkylegs]

We've used regular emulsion with no problem but we do have a well ventilated bathroom, so no issues with condensation.

[gamerchick]

i've always just used bog standard silk emulsion.. and water hasn't sunk into the walls.. how steamy does some bathrooms get?

I have wallpaper in mine and it's been fine since it went up.

So no.. special paint I wouldn't bother with such a thing.

The only time I would use protective measures was if the room was prone to mold anyroad.

[stuckindamiddle]

Bathroom paint isn't much more expensive. I'd use it first as last rather than risk having to repaint.

[MillyMollyMama]

Never used special paint. Ventilate,ventilate ventilate then you can use what you want.

[ShoeWhore]

Never used special bathroom paint. Never had any problems.

[Madcats]

I bought my F&B paint from a good old-fashioned paint/decorators shop.

The blokes mixed some "mould stop" into my standard emulsion for me. I asked them if it would work and they said they recommended it quite often. It was 6 years ago...no mould.

I think it was probably this stuff: www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/mould-stop/

[Aethelfleda]

Bathroom paint is kind of plasticky when it dries. So I'd always use that cos it's wipeable/washable, and it really isn't much different in price to standard stuff. What sort of colour are you thinking of?

[longingforsomesleep]

I'm not bothered about the price, just that I don't want to have to do 3 coats and have previously found bathroom paint a bit thin. I tried out a dulux tester and it seemed really thin. I was tempted by the thicker, once coats but I think I'll probably stick with the special stuff though given the comments above.

[PigletJohn]

an effective bathroom extractor fan will do more good than all the money you can spend on fancy paint.

[happylittlevegemites]

You can get bathroom paint mixed up it nearly any colour you like with Dulux trade.