Bathroom paint: everything you need to know

CHOOSING the colour paint you want when you're decorating or re-decorating a room can be overwhelming. But when you're doing your bathroom, you have even more than aesthetics to take into consideration as you need to make sure that the paint you choose is up to the job of withstanding the heat, moisture and steam from a bathroom. We asked the experts at Colourtrend paints to guide us through the process of picking the perfect bathroom paint. Here are our top tips.

Wall: Colortrend Black Licorice 0529 in Colortrend Ceramic Matt finish.
Colortrend Premium Quality Paints are available exclusively through a network of expert stockists nationwide – go to www.colortrend.ie to find your nearest Colortrend expert.

• Choose a paint that's durable and washable and that offers protection from condensation. Colourtrend - which is a proud Irish brand just like SONAS Bathrooms - has acrylic resin in its paints and recommends its Soft Sheen product for bathrooms or en-suites, which is more washable than the Interior Matt range.

• Another product from Colourtrend is Ceramic Matt, which has a flat matt finish but is scrubbable like the soft sheen. The Colourtrend expert told us: "For a bathroom that suffers from bad condensation from the shower or from mildew (obviously after treating it) then we would recommend sticking with a Soft Sheen finish.  The Ceramic is perfect for, say, downstairs bathrooms with no shower, for those who don’t like a light sheen finish."

• For painting any wood or doors in the bathroom - or any panelling for example  - Satin or Gloss paint is recommended and it's available in all colours in the Colourtrend range. All the colour collections (contemporary and historic) can be seen here.

• If your bathroom suffers from mould or mildew, Colourtrend has some tips for treating it before you apply your paint. It involves using a 3:1 mixture of water and household bleach and leaving it on the affected area for at least 20 minutes. You'll need to reapply if it dries. If you don't leave it on for a minimum of 20 minutes, the mildew will not be killed, although it might appear to disappear to the naked eye. Be sure to protect your eyes, breathing and skin during application and rinsing. When the correct time has elapsed, rinse off the area thoroughly.  Wash the area and rinse again and allow to dry fully.  For best results, apply an epoxy primer and follow with two coats of Colourtrend Soft Sheen in your chosen colour.

So there you have it. The bottom line is that when painting your bathroom, do your homework and pick a paint that will withstand the test of time in your bathroom. A little bit of research in the beginning will ensure that your project goes as smoothly as possible.