The Best Bathroom Paints For Steamy Rooms

Dulux Easycare Bathroom is the paint that fixed the mould in our steamiest en-suite, and it's the first one we'd buy for any bathroom that gets daily use. Dulux rates it as up to ten times tougher than its standard emulsion paints for walls and ceilings, and the MouldTec formula is there to stop mould building up.

It comes in several colours and finishes, and we'd go for the soft sheen. It resists steam, wipes clean easily and still looks soft on the wall rather than shiny. Dulux quotes 13 square metres per litre, and our 2.5 litre tin covered a full en-suite twice with paint left over.

Plan for two coats, as that's what it needed for the best finish in our testing. Allow a full day for it to dry before the room goes back into use.

Johnstone's Bathroom Midsheen is a cheaper alternative to the Dulux that still does the main job well. It's made for bathroom walls and ceilings and dries to a hard-wearing finish that resists moisture and stains.

Colour choice is its strong point, with 13 shades to pick from, so you're not stuck with white or magnolia. The mid-sheen finish wipes down easily, which is handy around a basin or behind the toilet where splashes build up. If you need help narrowing down a shade, our guide on how to choose paint colours for a room is worth a read.

It's quick to turn around, too, which matters when it's the only bathroom in the house. Johnstone's quotes touch dry in one to two hours, so both coats can go on in a day, and coverage is 12 square metres per litre.

Ronseal Anti Mould is aimed at bathrooms that have had black mould, and it heads our list of the best anti-mould paint for damp areas. Ronseal says it gives up to six years of mould protection and resists moisture and steam.

Unlike most of this list, it's a matt finish, as the tin in our photos shows. That hides lumps and bumps in an old ceiling better than a sheen, though a flat finish shows splashes and marks a little more on walls near the shower.

It goes on by brush or roller, and Ronseal says it needs two coats. Coverage is 13 square metres per litre according to the brand. It isn't limited to bathrooms either, so any leftover paint can go on a kitchen ceiling or a cold bedroom wall.

Crown MouldGuard+ Bathroom is Crown's updated bathroom paint, and the tin in our photos came from one of our later bathroom repaints. It dries to a mid-sheen finish that resists steam and condensation, and Crown describes it as breathable.

The colour choice is small but well chosen. As well as pure brilliant white, it comes in soft duck egg and soft steel, two muted shades that suit a modern bathroom without looking cold.

Crown gives a touch dry time of two hours, and it brushes and rolls out without fuss. A tin also goes further than anything else here, with Crown quoting 14 square metres per litre, and the brand says the formula is 99 percent solvent free. In our testing it took two coats to build up the full mid-sheen finish.

Dryzone comes from a damp-proofing specialist, and its mould resistant paint is pitched at rooms that fight condensation every day. The brand calls it a professional strength formula for steamy bathroom ceilings and walls, and says it keeps black mould away for up to five years.

Low odour and quick drying, it suits a small bathroom without a window. It leaves a finish you can wash down, and Dryzone quotes up to 12 square metres per litre.

The catch is the tin size. It's only sold in 1 litre tins, which is enough for a cloakroom ceiling or the inside of a damp cupboard but means buying several for a full bathroom. That makes it one of the dearer options here once you scale up.

Rustins Anti-Condensation Paint is one of the cheapest tins in this list that's still made for bathrooms. It's formulated for kitchens and bathrooms, and Rustins says it reduces the damaging effects of condensation on walls and ceilings.

It's water based with a low odour, so it's easy to live with while you paint. The finish is a flat matt white and it's touch dry in two hours according to the brand.

Coverage is the weak point at seven square metres per litre, roughly half what the Crown manages, and it only comes in a 1 litre tin. That makes it best for a small ceiling or a cloakroom rather than a full family bathroom, where the tins add up.