Bathroom paint

[C0z1]

Previous home owner a bit of a bodger. The bathroom paint job was poor and if rubbed when damp there were traces of it coming off. I decided to lightly sand it down and give it 2 coats of a lighter coloured paint, specifically for bathrooms Dulux vinyl. It looked good for a while.
Now 2 years on, my paint has begun to show signs of condensation seeping in. We have water marks all over it especially over the bath area but more worryingly down the other end on an outer wall the pattern of the breeze blocks is beginning to show through. Like the cement is porous and the blocks less so.
Im no expert but wondered if the previous owner may have skimmed the walls but not sealed them and so over time the condensation is soaking in. Im guessing i should sand down and so several coats of something or may be coat with PVA? Advice much appreciated.
House is 1970s. Bathroom not particularly well insulated but has an extractor fan.

 

[dcdec]

The walls are absorbing moisture and you're right about the cement. Prep well with a good rub down, dust off and apply two coats of trade acrylic eggshell, Johnstones, little green, F&B and paint &paper library are all good, Johnstones being the cheapest. Steer clear of all Dulux products they are rubbish now.
Eggshell will repel the moisture.

 

[C0z1]

Thanks for your help

 

[emilybronte]

I agree with dcdec but have also found that Zinsser Permawhite (can also be tinted to a range of pastel shades - we got a pale Wedgewood blue) is brilliant for keeping condensation mould at bay.

It proved the answer to all our prayers in our 6 bed student house where the tenants spent ages in the shower but never opened the window.

 

[mayagreen]

bathroom painting should consider water-proof and bacterium-resist material, or you will get many trouble from it.

 

[SamBlack]

This is great, I came on here to ask a similar thing as our bathroom walls have mould on them. I'm pretty certain it wasn't bathroom paint that was used.

 

[wilsonspaints1990]

Eggshell is sort of right but in particular you want Acrylic Eggshell, whenever you see "Kitchen Paint" or "Bathroom Paint" it is just Acrylic Eggshell. The NHS uses it for everything Restaurant kitchens, etc whenever hygiene/cleanliness is concerned then Acrylic Eggshell is used. It is a durable finish with a slight sheen to it similar to that of an egg as the name suggests and is solvent free. You may have heard of Acrylic Eggshell in retail brands like I said as something like "Kitchen and Bathroom Paint" or even in Dulux's case "Satinwood" but these are retail names. There are two grades of paint "retail" and "Trade" retail is the Tesco value of the paint world which will cover loosely and not perform well and last not as long as it should etc whereas if you buy something from the exact same manufacturers but it says TRADE underneath the logo you're looking at the Tesco Finest version that will work exactly how you want if not better and there is very little difference in price. Crown Dulux Sandtex etc do both types so look for the word TRADE otherwise you'll be sorry.

 

[dcdec]

Errrrr….

Quote " two coats of trade acrylic eggshell "

I hope you run your business with a little more attention to detail.

 

[wilsonspaints1990]

Oh yeah missed that post I apologise

 

[C0z1]

I checked out Farrow and Ball. Their eggshell is supposedly for wood? and I'm after something for the walls.
Also I'll sound a bit lazy here but do I have to sand down what I did 2 years ago? the finish was pretty good, its just that the 'bathroom' paint wasn't up to the job and let damp through. Provided its dried out after being left for a month, Cant I just paint over the top of it with eggshell?

 

[dcdec]

F&B eggshell is fine to go on a wall or ceiling.
Its always worth giving the walls a rub down just to de nib and take off any high spots

 

[dominicstar]

I have recently repainted our bathroom and have the same problem. I sealed the plaster with mist coats originally and used Dulux bathroom paint, Natural Hessian. That sat fine for 9 years with no signs of problems. Then now I haved put 2 new coats of Dulux bathroom Overt Olive on, there appears to be moisture trapped around the top 3-4 inches of the wall all the way along the bath wall and the window wall. Occasionally the outline of breeze blocks can be seen elsewhere but they dry out.