Whether it be the bathroom, kitchen, or laundry room, certain areas of your home have elevated levels of humidity. Taking a shower or bath, running the washer, and cooking, among other regular activities, lead to excessive moisture in these rooms. While this is a normal aspect of any home, it can make you think twice before painting high-moisture areas.
Peeling, poor adhesion, and mold are common concerns relating to painting humid areas. While these are valid concerns, it’s possible to beautifully paint these areas of your home and avoid moisture damage.
If your next Denver home painting project involves high-moisture areas, read on to learn how to successfully complete this task.
The Best Finishes For High-Moisture Areas
For the high-moisture areas of your home, there’s more than one paint finish that will work well. This gives you the chance to select a paint finish to suit your aesthetic preferences.
Paint finishes that you can choose from for high-moisture areas of your home include:
- Eggshell
Many homeowners want a matte paint finish, especially in the bathroom. High-sheen paint finishes can reflect in bathroom mirrors and make any flaws in the paint job obvious. However, matte or flat paint finishes aren’t ideal for high-moisture rooms because they don’t provide protection against humidity. Eggshell finishes are a good alternative. This low-sheen finish provides a matte-like look along with excellent moisture protection. Plus, an eggshell finish won’t appear shiny when reflected in a bathroom mirror, providing a more flattering appearance.
- Satin and Semi-Gloss
Satin and semi-gloss paint finishes offer a harder finish than matte paints. The harder the finish, the greater the moisture resistance. Plus, satin and semi-gloss finishes are highly washable. You can scrub these paint finishes without causing damage. So, homeowners who want a glossier finish with impressive moisture resistance should choose between satin and semi-gloss finishes.
Primer
Primer is an important step for most Denver painting projects, but especially when the walls to be painted are exposed to high humidity. This is because primer helps prevent peeling paint, a common issue in high-moisture areas. Peeling happens when moisture gets in between the wall and the layer of paint, causing the paint to detatch from the wall. Moisture-resistant primer can prevent this issue and spare you from frequent paint touch-ups.
Fix Surface Defects
Before you start painting surfaces in high-humidity areas, make sure to fix up any defects in the walls. Cracks and dents, no matter how small, can compromise paint adhesion and increase the risk of peeling. Fill the defects with a filler, like drywall compound, allow it to dry, sand it down so that it’s perfectly flush with the surface, and remove all of the dust. Starting with a smooth surface will largely improve your chance of success in painting walls in a humid room.
Antimicrobial Paints
Mold is a key concern in high-humidity rooms for homeowners. Since mold thrives in wet environments, it can often grow in bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. To offset this issue, many paint manufacturers have developed paint with antimicrobial properties. Additives in these paints kill existing mold and stop new mold from developing, which can help homeowners avoid mold in high-moisture areas. Originally, antimicrobial paints were mainly used in health care settings, but have been increasingly added to residential painting projects.
Existing Mold
If there’s existing mold on the surface that you’re planning to paint, it’s crucial to get rid of all the mold before you paint the surface. Painting over the mold will cover the issue, but not fix it. Mold can be cleaned relatively easily with a solution of water and bleach.
Time To Dry
Surfaces in high-moisture environments should receive at least two coats. In between coats, you’ll likely need to allow four to six hours for the paint to dry. So long as you use primer and a minimum of two coats of paint, the painted surface should do a good job at resisting moisture.
For professional home painting services in Denver, contact Brush Strokes Painting today.
