Anti mould paint for a bathroom
Updated: 22 October 2026
The black spots are on the bathroom ceiling, usually above the shower, and you want to know whether a tin of anti mould paint will hold once the room steams up again. In most UK bathrooms that pattern is condensation: warm moist air hits a cold surface and leaves the water that mould uses. Paint can cover a dry ceiling. It does not extract the steam, and it does not repair a leaking seal. The [anti-mould paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/anti-mould-paint) ranks the five white matt tins. Peter F. compared amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. A purchase through the comparison can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
The black spots are on the bathroom ceiling, usually above the shower, and you want to know whether a tin of anti mould paint will hold once the room steams up again.
The black spots are on the bathroom ceiling, usually above the shower, and you want to know whether a tin of anti mould paint will hold once the room steams up again. In most UK bathrooms that pattern is condensation: warm moist air hits a cold surface and leaves the water that mould uses. Paint can cover a dry ceiling. It does not extract the steam, and it does not repair a leaking seal. The anti-mould paint comparison ranks the five white matt tins. Peter F. compared amazon.co.uk listings and public UK sources on 19 October 2026. We did not run a lab test. A purchase through the comparison can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Tin size | Listed coverage | amazon.co.uk reviews | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Zinsser Zinsser Perma-White matt white 2.5 litres | 2.5 litres | 12.5 m²/tin | 4.7 from 521 | 9.4 | about £39.53 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Ronseal Ronseal anti-mould paint white matt 750 ml | 750 ml | 13 m²/litre | 4.5 from 4,020 | 9.0 | about £19.21 | View offer |
| Best value |  Ronseal Ronseal anti-mould paint white matt 2.5 litres | 2.5 litres | 12 m²/litre | 4.5 from 854 | 9.0 | about £34.19 | View offer |
On this page
A bathroom ceiling is usually condensation
After a shower the mirror fogs and the ceiling above the cubicle stays dull for an hour. That water is in the air, not behind the plaster. Anti-mould paint is sold for that case: a film that resists new growth once you have removed what is already there and the surface has dried. Ronseal names bathrooms as a use. Reviewers of the 750 ml tin describe en-suite ceilings. Polar reviews describe a small shower or toilet cubicle finished in two coats. Those are condensation jobs, or at least jobs where the surface was dry enough to paint.
A leak looks different. Failed silicone, a dripping pipe, or a stain that stays wet after the fan has run is water arriving from somewhere else. GOV.UK's guidance is that wiping mould off, without fixing the cause, does not stop it returning. Paint on a leaking seal will blister or spot again, because the film is not a sealant. One Ronseal review reports mould back after about eight weeks on a wet outside-wall larder. The room was not a bathroom, and the lesson still applies: a wall that stays wet defeats the tin. If the ceiling is only damp for an hour after a shower and then dries, you are in the condensation case. If a corner never dries, stop and find the water before you choose a brand.
Which tin fits the ceiling, not the whole room
A 2 m by 2.5 m ceiling is 5 square metres. Ronseal rates the 750 ml tin at 4–5 m² with two coats, so a plain ceiling of that size is the decision the 750 ml tin was built for, and it can still fall short. One review describes a ceiling of about 6 m² that the 750 ml tin did not cover as expected. Texture, a second coat that soaks in, and a strip down each wall all eat into the same tin. On 19 October 2026 that tin was about £19.21, about £25.61 per litre, with 4.5 from 4,020 reviews. It is the most-reviewed ceiling paint in this set. It is not an aerosol, even though the listing says Spray.
The 2.5 litre Ronseal is rated at 13–16 m² with two coats, at about £34.19, about £13.68 per litre. That is a ceiling plus some wall, not every surface in the room. Zinsser Perma-White is the other 2.5 litre tin, at about £39.53 and 4.7 from 521 reviews. Amazon says 12.5 m² for the whole tin, which is not the maker's per-litre figure. Use best anti-mould paint to choose between those two, and keep this page for the ceiling rather than painting the whole bathroom.
A 500 ml tin is the cubicle, not the ceiling. Polar at about £15.99, 4.4 from 1,670 reviews, is the one reviewers finish a small shower or toilet in two coats. Mould Solve, also about £15.99, lists 4.6 m² for the tin and has only 29 reviews. Both are about £31.98 per litre. Buy 500 ml when the black is confined to the cubicle and you have measured that patch. Do not buy it because £15.99 is the smallest number on the shelf and then try to stretch it across a 5 m² ceiling twice.
The fan still has to run
The tin does not move air. If the ceiling drips after every shower, the film is being asked to live in a room that stays wet. Approved Document F, for building work in England, cites 15 litres per second for an intermittent bathroom extract. That figure is a ventilation standard for building work. It is not a rule that every existing flat without that rate is illegal. It is the reason a ceiling that never dries will beat any of these tins. Run the fan during the shower and for long enough afterwards that the mirror clears.
Timing matters the night you paint. Ronseal says wait 24 hours before condensation. A shower the same evening puts steam on a film that has had its recoat but not its cure. Zinsser's listing full cure is also 24 hours. Leave the bathroom out of use for that night, or shower elsewhere. The kill-and-two-coats order is on how to apply anti-mould paint.
Where not to put the paint
Zinsser's UK technical material says Perma-White is not for shower enclosures, saunas or steam rooms. The amazon.co.uk title does not print that limit. Treat it as the manufacturer's sheet, not as an Amazon bullet you can ignore because the title says bathrooms. A bathroom ceiling and the dry walls are the intended surface. The inside of a shower enclosure, where water runs down the tile every day, is a different duty. Tile, grout and a waterproof system belong there.
Silicone is the other boundary. Paint does not restore failed sealant. If the mould is a black line in the joint between the bath and the tile, cutting out the seal and resealing is the repair. Brushing anti-mould paint along the bead leaves a film that water gets behind. Grout that has crumbled is the same class of job. You can paint the ceiling above that shower once the joint is sound and the ceiling is dry. You cannot paint the joint and call the leak finished.
Ronseal's film, if that is the tin you used on the ceiling, has to stay the top coat. A coloured bathroom emulsion over it is the overcoat the maker forbids. If you want colour on the walls, decide that before you paint, rather than covering a white anti-mould ceiling a month later.
Common questions
What anti-mould paint should I use on a bathroom ceiling?
For a ceiling around 5 m², the 750 ml Ronseal is the size reviewers use on en-suite ceilings, at 4.5 from 4,020 reviews, and Ronseal rates it at 4–5 m² with two coats. It can fall short on a larger or textured ceiling. If you are also painting walls, look at the 2.5 litre Ronseal or Zinsser. None of these tins replaces the fan.
Can I paint inside the shower?
Not as a substitute for the shower system. Zinsser's manufacturer material says Perma-White is not for shower enclosures, saunas or steam rooms. Tile and a working seal take the running water. Paint the dry ceiling above the shower after the mould is killed, and leave the enclosure itself alone.
Do I still need an extractor?
Yes, if the ceiling is wet because of steam. The paint does not extract air. Approved Document F cites 15 litres per second for intermittent bathroom extract in building work. That is a building-work figure, not a fine for an older flat, and a ceiling that stays wet will still mark a fresh film. Run whatever fan you have, and for long enough that the room dries.
How long before I can shower after painting?
Wait 24 hours before condensation if you are using Ronseal. Zinsser's listing also cites a 24-hour full cure. Touch dry is not the same as ready for steam. Showering the same evening is the mistake that puts water back on the new film.
The mould is only in one corner. Is 500 ml enough?
It can be, if you have measured the patch and it is a cubicle rather than the whole ceiling. Polar's reviews are the ones that finish a small shower or toilet in two coats. At about £15.99 you are paying about £31.98 per litre. A 5 m² ceiling painted twice is beyond that tin.
Will paint fix a leaking seal or a cold outside wall?
No. A leaking seal needs new sealant. A cold wall that never dries needs the moisture dealt with, which may be ventilation or a building repair. Paint on either surface spots again. GOV.UK's point stands: wiping or covering mould without fixing the cause does not stop it returning.
Related pages
Sources
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.
- GOV.UK: damp and mould health risks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Awaab's Law for social-housing tenants (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SI 2025/1042 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- VOC Regulations 2012, Schedule 2 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE: biocides and COPR (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Ronseal: 6 Year Anti Mould Paint (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Zinsser UK: Perma-White (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Healthier Together (NHS): damp and mould (retrieved 19 October 2026)