When it comes to humid, high moisture rooms in your home such as the bathroom, it is important that your walls are properly prepared to withstand moisture or you will end up with a larger problem on your hands.
If you don’t take the proper precautions to prime your bathroom ceiling and walls with a paint primer, then you will end up with mildew and mold growing in your house which is incredibly difficult to get rid of once it starts.
Paint primers lay the foundation and give the surface a uniform finish. If you are looking for a way to protect your ceiling whilst also achieving a sleek looking paint job, then primers are the way to go.
Keep reading to find out the five best paint primers for bathroom ceilings.
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5 Best Paint Primers For Bathroom Ceiling
KILZ L204511 Kitchen & Bath Interior Latex Primer
The KILZ L204511 Kitchen & Bath Interior Latex Primer is specially designed for interior, residential surfaces in high-humidity, moisture and temperature environments including kitchens and bathrooms!
This primer offers a high hide for color changes, blocks light to medium stains, promotes adhesion, and seals porous surfaces.
This KILZ primer provides an enhanced mildew-resistant film that helps prevent mildew growth on the primer surface which may otherwise get “trapped” between the primer and paint coats.
PROS
- Mildew resistant – Helps protect the primer from mildew growth, meaning that you’re helping to minimize the risk of mold.
- Safe to use – GREENGUARD certified for its low emissions of VOCs, so you don’t have to worry about the fumes around your family.
- Quick drying – Can be recoated after one hour for your convenience.
CONS
- A few customers claimed that this particular paint primer arrived damaged.
KILZ Interior/Exterior Basement and Masonry Waterproofing Paint
The KILZ Interior/Exterior Basement and Masonry Waterproofing Paint is formulated to waterproof and seal porous concrete and masonry surfaces both inside and outside your home.
This primer is versatile! Whether there's a high-moisture area on the exterior or the interior of your home, this primer will help you protect your walls and your paint job from mildew and mold in the long-term!
Using nanotechnology, this paint forms a barrier to help stop water infiltration while an alkali-resistant coating provides a long-lasting, durable, and decorative finish.
PROS
- Alkali resistant coating – Provides a long-lasting, durable, and decorative finish, so there’s no need to reapply.
- Versatile – Formulated to be a good waterproof paint for shower and seal porous concrete inside and outside.
- Quick drying – Paint dries to touch in one hour for your convenience!
CONS
- One customer noted that they found this primer difficult to apply.
Rust-Oleum 276087 Mold Killing Primer Quart
The Rust-Oleum 276087 Mold Killing Primer is specially formulated to paint over and kill existing mold, mildew, moss, fungi, and odor causing bacteria on non-porous interior and exterior surfaces.
This low odor, water-based coating cleans up easily with soap and water, so you don’t have to worry about making a mess in your home!
The mold killing primer also aids in covering residual microbiological and fungal stains.
PROS
- Contains an EPA registered antimicrobial – Prevent further growth of mold, mildew, and other fungal organisms.
- Universal – This prime conveniently works with any topcoat, so you don’t have to worry about being limited by a few paints or color choices.
- Quick drying – Dries to the touch in 30 minutes and recoats within one hour for quick project completion so you don’t need to waste any time!
CONS
- A couple of customers struggled to use this specific primer as it had a tendency to separate.
Rust-Oleum 2774 Zinsser Interior Eggshell, Perma White
The Rust-Oleum 2274 Zinsser primer is specially formulated for use in bathrooms!
This paint primer contains a mildewcide to prevent the growth of mold and mildew on the paint film, so you don’t have to worry about any mildew build-up in your humid, steamy bathroom.
Easy clean-up! The finish is conveniently washable and scrubbable with soap and water.
PROS
- Water-resistant – This paint primer allows you to enhance and protect moisture-prone areas in your home with ease!
- Self-priming formula – Conveniently sticks to the surface that you’re painting without any need for sanding!
- Paint & primer in one – This versatile product can be used alone and in conjunction with another top coat if you prefer.
CONS
- One customer claimed that this particular paint primer was prone to clumping, which they struggled to thin out.
RUST-OLEUM 5001 Mold/Mildew Paint 1-Gallon
The Rust-Oleum 5001 Mold/Mildew Paint is designed for your convenience to take the hassle out of DIY!
This ultra-low odor oil-based formula has even less odor than latex paint, so you don’t have to worry about fumes in your home.
Contains a mildewcide that prevents the growth of mold and mildew on the paint for up to 5 years, so you don’t have to worry about reapplying and repainting once the job is done!
PROS
- 5-year guarantee – With a mold and mildew proof guarantee and lifetime waterproof guarantee, this paint primer is a product that you can put your trust in.
- Versatility – apply to dry and wet walls, interior or exterior.
- Guaranteed to stop up to 34 PSI of water pressure – This makes this paint primer twice the strength of other waterproofers.
CONS
- One customer claimed that the packaging of this particular paint primer was flawed and there was room for improvement.
Buyer’s Guide
There are a few things to consider when purchasing paint primer for bathroom ceilings, but it mainly comes down to the type of primer, the paint finish, and whether it’s water resistant.
If you're painting on bare wood, plaster, or metal surfaces, you'll get a better result if you use a primer first. It provides a surface to which the paint can bond and stops the paint from being absorbed.
It is important that you pick a water-resistant primer for your bathroom ceiling because your paint will be able to withstand the condensation and moisture caused by hot showers. If you don’t, you are likely to end up with mildew or mold.
Browse the factors below before choosing a paint primer for your bathroom ceiling.
Type of Primer
An important factor to take into consideration when choosing a paint primer for your bathroom ceiling is the type of primer.
Whether you're painting interior or exterior surfaces, primers ensure that the painting surface has an ideal, uniform texture (slightly coarse) so that paint adheres effectively. There are three basic types of primers: oil-based, latex, and pigmented shellac primer.
Oil-based – These primers work with both oil paints and latex paints, making them very versatile and applicable to a wide array of surfaces.
Shellac primers – Good for interior decorating, shellac-based primers are arguably the best stain-blocking primers, working well on severe water and smoke damage to walls and surfaces.
Latex-based – Latex primers are water-based and perfect for prepping unfinished drywall for painting. Generally, they are more flexible and fast drying, and are less brittle than oil-based primers, making them less susceptible to peeling and cracking over time.
Different surfaces need different primers, so make sure you choose the right one and if you have any doubts, always follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully to avoid making any mistakes. If you have bare plaster, for example, a plaster sealer is the right option, as it seals the porous surface and stops the paint from sinking in. Without it, you'll need to use a lot more coats of paint.
If you're in a hurry, it's a good idea to use quick-drying primer – you can paint over some of these in just an hour, but you will need to check the dry time to be safe.
You should always do your own research and make sure that you’re happy before carrying out your DIY project at home.
Water Resistant
An important factor to take into account when searching for the right paint primer for your bathroom ceiling is whether it is water resistant or not.
The bathroom is a humid, moist environment that you need to take proper care of if you’re not going to deal with the circumstances. A water-resistant primer is an essential step in preparing your bathroom ceiling for paint, as it will minimize the risk of mildew and mold from growing.
As this is the main reason you’re prepping your bathroom ceiling, it would be a misstep to not choose water-resistant paint primer.
Project Environment & Formula
Something to take into consideration when purchasing paint primer is the project environment and formula, as not all primers are designed for the same environments. Typically speaking, paint primers come in three formulas: interior, exterior, and interior/exterior.
Whilst interior is suitable for indoors, and exterior for outdoors, interior/exterior is an all-rounder primer that is suitable for both environments.
Interior/exterior and exterior primers contain additives that are designed to help with UV-fading and mold problems from occurring. These additives also add to their flexibility as it makes them more able to withstand changing temperatures outdoors without the paint peeling or cracking.
Interior formulas, on the other hand, do not contain these additives, and thus, are only suitable to use indoors. Although you are in the market for a paint primer to decorate your bathroom ceiling, you might find that you would prefer to invest in a primer that is suitable to carry out all your jobs with.
If this is the case, interior/exterior formulas are ideal if you plan to be doing a range of different jobs around the house as well as paint your bathroom ceiling!
Whichever primer you go for, you should weigh up the project environment and formula and choose accordingly. The best primer for you will be the one that suits your lifestyle and the jobs that you intend to be carrying out the most, so choose wisely to avoid having to buy multiple different primers for different jobs!
Durability
Something that you should take into account when purchasing a paint primer for your bathroom ceiling is how durable it is.
A good indication of whether a product is durable or not is to check the product reviews section. If a customer claims they have had issues with the primer itself peeling or not being the finish that they were hoping for, it is likely that they will tell you so in the product review section.
They will also inform you of any customer service issues that they have experienced. Although problems occur that are sometimes out of a company’s control, such as the delivery of a product arriving broken after transit, how they rectify that issue reveals a lot about a business. If a customer has experienced bad customer service, the easiest place to find that information is in their review.
Always do your own research and make sure that you are satisfied with the product reviews before going ahead with your purchase.
Dry Time
Dry time is something you’ll also have to weigh up when you're choosing the right paint primer. If you have a large family and a busy household, finding the time to do a DIY could be tricky, especially if the shower is going to be out of action whilst the paint dries.
Typically speaking, the average paint primer will take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. However, occasionally you will find that when you use specific primers you can’t use your shower for up to 24 hours! This could be a problem depending on your household.
If the time it takes to dry will affect when you can next use your shower, then it’s going to be important to make the right choice!
It’s not convenient to have your bathroom out of action for hours let alone days, so you’ll need to weigh up whether the primer is worth the duration of time that it takes to dry. After all, you don’t want to be in a scenario whereby you are inconveniencing your whole household.
As a result, you should always make sure that the dry time of the primer that you choose aligns with your lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of paint primer should I use on a bathroom ceiling?
Paint primer is an essential step of preparation when it comes to decorating your bathroom ceiling. To prevent peeling, you ideally will want to apply a coat of moisture-resistant primer to the ceiling before applying your mold and mildew resistant paint.
Mildew and mold are common problems, which occur when moisture from unventilated areas like showers seeps between the paint and its surface.
However, although it is common, you ideally want to avoid a situation whereby you have it in your house at all costs as it can be incredibly difficult to get rid of mold once it grows and will need consistent cleaning to maintain it.
Do you need special paint for a bathroom ceiling?
The answer to this question is, yes! To prevent mold and mildew from growing, you need to think carefully about the paint on your bathroom ceiling. This is because your bathroom is a hot, humid environment, so the paint will need to be able to resist moisture.
While you might be tempted to go for a cheap and quick coat of flat white, the best paint for bathroom ceilings is one that is water resistant to prevent mildew. Pick a satin or semi-gloss paint finish for your bathroom ceilings.
