High gloss ceilings acceptable? Waterproof?

5 years ago

Hi all, our contractor painted our bathroom ceiling a high gloss white paint, (which he claims to be semi gloss. ) But it sure is reflective! .....He claims that this is the only paint finish that should be used in a bathroom that will prevent mold and seal out humidity.

I am all for preventing mold but in all honesty I’ve never seen bathrooms in houses with high-gloss ceilings like this in my life! ....Which is why I am asking if this is normal or if this is our contractor being lazy and not wanting to change it to matte finish as we have every other paint finish in the house matte and have also made it clear to him that we do not like high-gloss anything on the walls.

Would love your input on this, I also tried to take the best images to capture the reflectivity of the ceilings for your reference.

Featured Answer

cat_ky

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

I use semi gloss in bathrooms, because, of personal preference. A good fan should prevent mold, and that fan should be vented to the exterior of the house, not just left blowing into the attic. Since this is your house and your contractor is working for you, tell him, you dont want it, and have it redone in what you want.

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Comments (10)

PRO
Rockin' Fine Finish
5 years ago
You would better chance of not getting mold and better moisture protection but that being said it's more about the extractor fan you have in there make sure that is high quality. As for sheen you could aura spa and bath in a matte
chispa
5 years ago
Benjamin Moore makes a matte paint specifically for bathrooms. I've used it before and was pleased with it, BUT the key to real humidity control in a bathroom is proper ventilation and not paint sheen!

https://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/interior-exterior-paints-stains/product-catalog/abs/aura-bath-and-spa-paint

Your contractor has some strange ideas and it makes you wonder what else he doesn't know!
whyisrenosostressful thanked chispa
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whyisrenosostressful
Original Author
5 years ago
I was scratching my head on this one because for the past 20 years ( since they renovated) my parents have two bathrooms with matte ceiling paint and never had and mold issues during that time. So to hear that matte paint would be an issue in the bathroom got me wondering.
mdefree
5 years ago
I have a steam shower and when I open my shower door lots of steam comes into the bathroom. I have never had a mold issue or any staining on my ceiling and I always paint my ceilings flat. My house is 15 years old, too. I would go all flat ceilings in your house, eggshell on the walls, and semi gloss for moldings and trim. Also, satin is also pretty on trim. The “in” thing for paint is low sheen! Everyone wants a flat look. Even the front door most paint experts want you to paint your front door satin.
whyisrenosostressful thanked mdefree
recordaras
5 years ago
Our contractor did semi-gloss ceilings in the kitchen, powder room and bathrooms by default for the same reason - I had him redo the kitchen and PR in flat and we will be remodeling the two bathrooms and switching to flat there too, not a fan of the look at all (we have low ceilings in the bathrooms too, which doesn’t help).
whyisrenosostressful thanked recordaras
whyisrenosostressful
Original Author
5 years ago
@recordaras Same here with the low ceilings, It feels like I can almost see my reflection in the ceiling ( at least whatever colors i'm wearing if were not being dramatic) ... I dont love it. Maybe over time I will get used to it?
recordaras
5 years ago
I did stop noticing it after a while, however if it really bugs you I’d just have the ceilings repainted - in our case I knew the kitchen and powder room ceilings would drive me nuts and I’m happy I had that done! The bathrooms I knew we’d be redoing soon, plus I don’t spend as much time there so I kept the glossy ceilings. It’s absolutely a first world problem, but considering it’s an easy fix I’d just get it done.
cat_ky
5 years ago
Have him redo it to what you want. Its not his bathroom, its yours.
Fori
5 years ago

From what I see in the photos, that ceiling is gorgeous. It looks perfectly smooth.

I would love that ceiling. I bet your GC was just so proud of the finish on it and wanted to show it off. :) But if you don't like it, it's pretty darn simple to slap a coat of whatever you want on top in the same color.

It used to be common to do kitchens with a glossier ceiling--it wipes up easier. (Yes, you can get marinara on the ceiling!) And for some reason baths used to have the same treatment.