I'm doing a bathroom renovation and want to paint the walls instead of tiling them. I've heard that regular paint can peel off because of the moisture. Which type should I get exactly - acrylic, latex, or something special?
Okay, both things matter, but I'd prioritize them differently. Yeah, primer is critical, but paint isn't just different types for no reason either. For a bathroom you really do need moisture-resistant acrylic or latex, but I'd recommend acrylic as the priority - it holds up stronger and handles humidity swings better. Latex is fine too, but acrylic has proven itself reliable in wet rooms for ages now. The can should say something like "for damp rooms" or "enhanced moisture resistance" - that's not marketing, it's actually a different formula.
But prep work - that's the foundation. Before you paint, you've got to prime the walls with a primer for damp rooms (there are special ones for that too). If the walls are uneven or were painted before - spackle, smooth it out, then primer. I've seen people buy expensive paint and then wonder why it peels. Usually it's thin primer or no primer at all that's the culprit, not the paint itself.
And one more thing - ventilation. Even with moisture-resistant paint, if there's no proper air circulation in the bathroom, nothing lasts long. Get an exhaust fan going if you don't have one yet.
for a bathroom you definitely need paint with high moisture resistance - acrylic or latex will work, the main thing is that it's specifically for damp rooms (usually it says so on the can).
i used acrylic paint for bathrooms with an anti-mold additive and it's been holding up for several years without any issues, but it's important to prep the surface well before painting - prime it with a special primer against mold and moisture, otherwise even good paint won't help.
one more thing: make sure to ventilate the bathroom well after a shower or bath, otherwise mold can start to develop over time even if you did everything right.
The thing here isn't really the paint itself, but surface prep. I painted the bathroom walls and then a chunk just fell off - turned out I didn't prime properly. If you don't treat the surface with special primer that has antifungal additives, even super water-resistant paint won't save you. Mold and mildew will grow underneath it and eventually everything will bubble up.
After priming, go with acrylic or latex paint, specifically for damp rooms - the can should have a label like "for bathrooms" or "moisture-resistant." I went with acrylic because it dries faster and doesn't smell as much, but latex works too. I painted in two coats, with the first coat a bit thinner. I'd suggest getting matte paint instead of glossy - gloss looks kind of dreary in a bathroom and makes water stains even more obvious.
One more thing - wait at least a day between priming and painting so everything dries properly. Yeah, it's boring, but the results will last for years.
You definitely need acrylic paint for wet rooms, but there's another thing people often overlook - before you paint, treat the walls with an antifungal primer, otherwise mold can develop under the paint even if the paint itself is good! I've seen that happen more than once when people try to save money by skipping the primer.
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