The best Anti-mould paints, compared.
Top pick: Zinsser Perma-White matt white 2.5 litres – Highest listing score among tins with at least 500 reviews: 4.7 from 521, on a self-priming 2.5 litre title. Best value: Ronseal anti-mould paint white matt 2.5 litres – Lowest price per litre in the set, about £13.68, with 4.5 from 854 reviews. Updated October 2026.
Anti-mould paint is a water-based white matt emulsion sold to stop mould growing on the dried film after you have wiped what is already there. You tell a suitable tin by the job in front of you, the review volume, and coverage you can turn into litres. UK buyers use it on a bathroom ceiling, a cold outside wall or a steamy kitchen. The film suits condensation that dries between showers, together with airflow. A leak, a failed gutter or rising damp is a repair first. GOV.UK says wiping mould off, without fixing the cause, does not stop it returning. Measure the square metres and plan two coats. A ceiling of 2 m by 2.5 m is 5 m², so 500 ml is a patch and a room needs a larger tin. Keep the coverage field on the listing beside the maker's figure, because the two numbers are not always the same. Litres, coats and the leak test are set out in the [anti-mould paint buying guide](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/anti-mould-paint/sub/anti-mould-paint-buying-guide). The ready-mixed tins are white.
Anti-mould paint is a water-based white matt emulsion sold to stop mould growing on the dried film after you have wiped what is already there.
18 products checked · 61 hrs invested · +22,400 readers
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Personal buying guide
Question 1 of 2
How large is the area?
Zinsser Perma-White matt white is a 2.5 litre acrylic at £39.53 on amazon.co.uk, about £15.81 per litre, with 4.7 from 521 reviews. Reviewers use it in bathrooms and other humid rooms, and one parents' bedroom painted in 2014 still showed only modest mould after about 11 years. Brushing is often called easy, with little smell, once the tin is stirred, and two coats have covered magnolia. The white is described as a cold, slightly blue white. One reviewer said it did not adhere over Zinsser Gardz, and bare drywall still needed a sealer and extra coats despite the self-priming title. Mould came back after a few months for someone who cleaned with vinegar first, and several reviewers say it is too soon to judge. It is the top pick here on listing score among tins with hundreds of reviews, and it is the wrong tin if you only need a patch and want the lowest shelf price.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A large ceiling or a whole humid room where you want the strongest star line in this set and can live with a cool white.
Less suitable: A shower cubicle, a coloured finish, or a wall that is still wet from a leak.
Specifications
Common questions
Does the listing say this tin is self-priming?
Yes. The title says self-priming interior matt white, 2.5 litres. One UK review still sealed bare drywall first.
What coverage and dry time does Amazon list?
Coverage is 12.5 m² per 2.5 litres. Dry time is 1 hour and full cure is 24 hours. Those are listing fields.
How many UK reviews sit behind the score?
4.7 out of 5 from 521 reviews, the highest score here among tins with hundreds of reviews.
Mould Solve's matt white 500 ml tin, made by Britannia Paints, is £15.99, about £31.98 per litre, with 4.6 from 29 reviews. It is the only tin here with a VOC figure on the listing, 25 g/l, and the colour code is RAL 9016. Reviewers used two coats on small areas: a porch, a skylight, a bathroom by the fan and a loft hatch, and they mention low smell and a bright matt white. People who cleaned and dried first were happy in the first weeks. Several say it is too soon to judge, from three weeks toward a year, and £15.99 feels dear for 500 ml. The listing has no dry-time number. Waterproof is false, while water resistance says water resistant, and the title also says anti-condensation. Twenty-nine reviews are not a settled sample beside Ronseal's 4,020 or Zinsser's 521. Treat it as a small-patch listing, not as the top pick.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A small patch where you want a stated VOC and you will not treat 29 reviews as a long-term result.
Less suitable: A whole ceiling or room, or a shopper choosing on review volume.
Specifications
Common questions
Who makes this tin?
Brand is Mould Solve. Manufacturer is Britannia Paints Ltd. Part number MS-AM-Paint-MW-0.5L.
Is it listed as waterproof?
Waterproof is false. Water resistance is water resistant. The title also says anti-condensation formula.
Why not treat 4.6 stars as the top score?
The listing has 29 reviews. Ronseal 750 ml has 4,020 and Zinsser has 521.
The Ronseal 750 ml white matt tin is £19.21, about £25.61 per litre, and it is the most-reviewed product here at 4.5 from 4,020 reviews. Reviewers describe bathroom and en-suite ceilings, including one room that stayed clear for about six years until it was refurbished, and one wardrobe-and-outside-wall spot still clear after three years. Brushing is often called easy and quick-drying, though several reviews call the paint thin, runny or not non-drip, and two coats are the usual report. Coverage disappointed people, including one ceiling of about 6 m². Smell is split: several say minimal, one says awful. Mould returned after about eight weeks on a wet outside-wall larder, after about 1.5 years on one en-suite ceiling, and within about a month where the source was not painted. The attribute table says Spray and Exterior; the item is a 750 ml liquid tin with a brush. It suits a ceiling if you accept the higher price per litre, and it is the wrong buy if you need every wall.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A bathroom or en-suite ceiling when you want the review volume and you will apply two coats.
Less suitable: Every wall in the room, or anyone who reads Spray as an aerosol.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this an aerosol?
Paint type says Spray, but the form is Liquid, the size is 750 ml, and a brush is included. Treat Spray as a bad attribute.
Does the listing confirm bathroom use?
The attribute table does not answer its own bathroom question. Indoor/outdoor says Indoor and specific uses say Exterior. Reviews often describe bathroom ceilings.
How many reviews are on the listing?
4.5 out of 5 from 4,020 reviews. The captured price is £19.21.
The Ronseal white matt 2.5 litre tin is £34.19, about £13.68 per litre, with 4.5 from 854 reviews. Reviewers call this the practical size for bathrooms, utility rooms and steamy rooms, and one review title calls it the best value. Mould stayed away for months, including a first winter, when the instructions were followed, and two coats hid previous light colours for some people. A minority needed extra coats before the colour looked finished, and some say it works but not as well as the six-year line suggested. Tins arrived leaking or with paint on the box. One review title reports severe peeling after 9–12 months, and one reviewer used the whole 2.5 litres on a single wall. A bullet says LARGE 25L SIZE; the size field is 2.5 litres. It is the best value in this set on price per litre, and a poor match if you only have a shower cubicle.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A bathroom or utility room where you need more than a patch and want the lowest price per litre.
Less suitable: A single cubicle, or a job where you plan to overcoat the film with coloured emulsion.
Specifications
Common questions
Is this a 25 litre tin?
No. A bullet says LARGE 25L SIZE. The size and volume fields say 2.5 litres.
What does the listing say it is for?
Specific uses say Interior, indoor/outdoor says Indoor, and the bullets name bathrooms and kitchens.
Why is this the best value tin in the set?
£34.19 for 2.5 litres is about £13.68 per litre, the lowest of the five, with 4.5 from 854 reviews. That is listing arithmetic, not a lab test.
Polar's white matt 500 ml tin is £15.99, about £31.98 per litre, with 4.4 from 1,670 reviews. Reviewers call it thick and low-drip, easy with a brush or roller, and a small shower or toilet cubicle is the job that finishes in two coats. Low smell and quick drying come up often, and it has helped bathroom ceilings and bought time on cold bedroom walls. The tin is smaller than many reviewers expected. A water stain still showed after three coats in one review, and small mould patches returned after about a month on cold bedroom walls that stayed damp. Features say 5 year protection while a bullet says up to 10 years, and another bullet calls it damp proof paint while the title is anti-mould paint. The coverage field has no number; the bullets say up to 11 m² per litre. It is a patch tin, and the £15.99 shelf price is not the cheap way to paint a bathroom.
Pros
Cons
Best for: A shower or toilet cubicle, or a small ceiling patch, when you already know 500 ml is the limit.
Less suitable: A whole bathroom, a water stain you need to hide, or a wall that stays cold and damp.
Specifications
Common questions
How much paint is in the tin?
500 ml. At £15.99 that is about £31.98 per litre. Reviews often say the tin is smaller than expected.
Which durability number is on the listing?
Features say 5 year protection. A bullet says up to 10 years. Both are listing claims.
What coverage can you quote?
The coverage field has no number. The bullets say up to 11 m² per litre, touch dry in 2–3 hours, and a second coat after 4 hours.
Five amazon.co.uk anti-mould paint listings, captured on 19 October 2026, were scored from the stored pages. This is not a laboratory test. A tin needs at least 500 reviews before its stars can set the top pick. Price per litre is the captured shelf price divided by the size field, 2.5 litres, 750 ml or 500 ml. Listing extras are a self-priming title or a stated VOC. The applied scores are 94, 92, 90, 90 and 88. Star line and review depth carry the most weight, price per litre is the value part, and listing extras are the smaller share. The weights below sum to 100.
Star line and review depth
60%The largest share is the amazon.co.uk star line read with the review count. A tin needs at least 500 reviews before its stars can set the top pick. A 4.6 from 29 stays off that badge. Stars are the stored listing, not a mould trial.
Price per litre
25%The value part is the captured shelf price divided by the size field. It does not override a thin review file. The lowest price per litre in this set is the best value badge.
Listing extras
15%A smaller share covers a self-priming title, a printed VOC, and whether coverage and dry time are on the page. Conflicting attributes and a coverage field with no number pull a score down. They do not replace the review file.
Name the water first, then the square metres and two coats, then whether the coverage field matches the maker, then review volume and price per litre. The notes below follow that order. None of these five tins was tested in a lab.
Anti-mould paint on a UK listing is ready-mixed white matt emulsion for interior walls and ceilings. It is sold to resist mould on the dried film after you have wiped what is already there. An additive is a concentrate you stir into another paint so you can keep a colour, and it is not one of these tins. Leave bathroom emulsion, anti-condensation paint, a damp-seal, a fungicidal wash and trade eggshell off this job.
The film is for after you have wiped what is already there. Ronseal says kill mould first and do not sand it. Painting over live growth, or judging the result after a fortnight, is a common miss. Reviews also report mould back in weeks on a wet wall.
A 2 m by 2.5 m ceiling is 5 m². Ronseal rates 750 ml at 4–5 m² with two coats, so 500 ml is a patch. The £15.99 shelf price is about £31.98 per litre, the dear way to paint a room.
The film suits condensation, not a leak, a failed gutter or rising damp. GOV.UK says wiping mould off, without fixing the cause, does not stop it returning. Paint does not discharge a landlord's repair duty.
Name the water before you name a tin. Condensation that dries between showers can suit this film plus airflow. A leak, a failed gutter or rising damp is a repair first. GOV.UK says wiping mould off, without fixing the cause, does not stop it returning. Then measure square metres and plan two coats. Ronseal rates 750 ml at 4–5 m² with two coats and 2.5 litres at 13–16 m² with two coats. A 2 m by 2.5 m ceiling is 5 m², so 500 ml is a patch and a room wants a larger tin.
Prefer review volume. Ronseal 750 ml is 4.5 from 4,020. Zinsser is 4.7 from 521. Mould Solve is 4.6 from 29, too small to treat as settled, so those stars do not set the top pick. Price per litre on the stored 19 October 2026 listings is about £31.98 for 500 ml at £15.99, £25.61 for Ronseal 750 ml, £13.68 for Ronseal 2.5 litres and £15.81 for Zinsser. The lowest price per litre is the value comparison. It does not override a thin review file. Durability lines conflict on the same pages.
Three typical situations, each with a recommendation from this comparison.
You are painting a ceiling or a whole humid room and you want the strongest star line among tins with at least 500 reviews. Zinsser Perma-White matt white, 2.5 litres, is £39.53 with 4.7 from 521 reviews. The white is described as a cold, slightly blue white, and the Amazon coverage field is 12.5 m² for the tin.
You need more than a patch and you want the lowest price per litre. The Ronseal white matt 2.5 litre tin is £34.19, about £13.68 per litre, with 4.5 from 854 reviews. A bullet says 25 litres. The size field says 2.5 litres.
You already know 500 ml is the limit, for a shower or toilet cubicle or a small ceiling patch. Polar's white matt 500 ml tin is £15.99, about £31.98 per litre, with 4.4 from 1,670 reviews. Reviewers describe a thick, low-drip film. The tin is smaller than many reviewers expected.
The top pick is Zinsser Perma-White matt white, 2.5 litres, at £39.53, with 4.7 from 521 reviews. It has the highest listing score among tins with at least 500 reviews, and the title says self-priming. That is a reading of the stored amazon.co.uk page, not a laboratory test. A cold-white complaint, and an Amazon coverage field of 12.5 m² for the tin, keep it off a perfect score. The best value is the Ronseal white matt 2.5 litre tin at £34.19, about £13.68 per litre, with 4.5 from 854 reviews, the lowest price per litre in the set. A bullet that says 25 litres, and a review title reporting peeling after 9–12 months, keep it below the top score.
Zinsser Perma-White matt white 2.5 litres
Highest listing score among tins with at least 500 reviews: 4.7 from 521, on a self-priming 2.5 litre title.
Ronseal anti-mould paint white matt 2.5 litres
Lowest price per litre in the set, about £13.68, with 4.5 from 854 reviews.
Editorial
Peter F. is the editor for DIY & tools at productscompared.co.uk. Comparisons in this category are checked against amazon.co.uk listings, review evidence and public UK sources.
Guides on what to look for, how to use a product, and common mistakes.
Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. Scores are a reading of those listings, not a laboratory test.
This page contains affiliate links to amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures from 19 October 2026, not a live crawl. We did not test these tins in a lab.
