Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

Matt emulsion for bathrooms and kitchens

Updated: 23 October 2026

You like a flat finish, and the room that still looks tired is the bathroom or the kitchen: steam on the outside wall, splash marks by the bath, or grease above the hob. Matt emulsion for a bathroom is the wrong default when the tin is ordinary matt and waterproof is false. A bullet that names kitchens and bathrooms does not replace a product the maker specifies for moisture or grease. This page is that room. It does not rank bedroom whites. The listings are the [matt emulsion paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/matt-emulsion-paint). There is no mould test here. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You like a flat finish, and the room that still looks tired is the bathroom or the kitchen: steam on the outside wall, splash marks by the bath, or grease above the hob.

Our top picks

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L

Best overall

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L
9.0/10about £17.01
View offer
Johnstone's Johnstone's Natural Sage matt 2.5 L

Alternative

Johnstone's Johnstone's Natural Sage matt 2.5 L
9.0/10about £17.18
View offer
Paintsmiths Paintsmiths magnolia touch-up 30 ml

Alternative

Paintsmiths Paintsmiths magnolia touch-up 30 ml
8.0/10about £8.79
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What these listings actually say
  2. 2.When a different tin is the one to buy
  3. 3.Do not paint over live mould
  4. 4.Steam, grease, and calling someone

What these listings actually say

Every full-size tin in this extract has waterproof marked false, including Johnstone's brilliant white, Natural Sage, Manhattan Grey, and Ivory Spray. The bullets still name kitchens and bathrooms. Sage contradicts itself: waterproof is false, and the water-resistance line says waterproof. The white says water repellent. No listing prints BS EN 13300. Dulux's 7 litre at £27.05 and Crown's 10 litre at £20.87 are not water resistant. The only waterproof-true listing is the Paintsmiths magnolia, a 30 millilitre touch-up at £8.79. A cap brush is not a bathroom system. A dry hall that only needs wiping belongs on matt or silk emulsion.

When a different tin is the one to buy

Dulux's Easycare guidance is plain. A washable matt can be used around the house, and a bathroom should use a bathroom paint, a kitchen a kitchen paint. Those tins are not in this comparison. Crown sells kitchen matt and a bathroom mid-sheen as separate products. Wickes says avoid standard matt where moisture is high. None of that is a test of the Johnstone's retail matt here. Grease by the hob needs a finish you can wash without burnishing the flat surface. Steam on a cold outside wall needs ventilation and, where mould is already feeding, a product sold for that after the growth is removed. Litres for a dry room are on the matt emulsion buying guide.
Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L

Testsieger

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L
9.0/10about £17.01
View offer

Do not paint over live mould

Do not paint over live mould. Clean it off and find out why it is growing. Paint hides the colour for a coat or two and leaves the damp in the wall. A window that pours condensation all winter needs the ventilation looked at before another tin of brilliant white from this set.

Steam, grease, and calling someone

A bathroom ceiling takes less splash than the walls by the bath. Ordinary matt still fails if waterproof is false and the room stays wet. A flat white on a dry ceiling only works when the ceiling is not growing black spots and the extractor runs. Keep the ordinary matt in this file for the bedroom. How to apply matt emulsion is for a sound, dry, previously painted wall. Call someone when the plaster is soft, the skirting is swollen, or the mould returns after you cleaned it. Suspected asbestos texture is a stop, not a sanding job.

Common questions

Can I use the Johnstone's matt in this set in a bathroom?
The bullets say kitchens and bathrooms. Waterproof on those listings is false, and the bathroom question is not answered yes. Sage's water-resistance line says waterproof while the boolean says false. Dulux tells you to use a bathroom paint in a bathroom. Treat these Johnstone's tins as dry-room matt unless the can in your hand is a different, moisture-specified product. A flat look is still available. It is a different tin.
What does waterproof false mean if the bullet mentions bathrooms?
The structured field and the bullet disagree, and the bullet should not win. Water repellent, water resistant, and waterproof appear as different strings, sometimes on the same ASIN. None is paired with a scrub class. One Manhattan Grey reviewer saw marks return after a few weeks. That is the sort of result a false waterproof field allows, not a promise it will happen in a fortnight.
Will a flat matt stop mould?
No. Ordinary matt does not kill mould, and no year-count was printed on these listings. Clean existing mould first and deal with the steam or the leak. Anti-mould paints are a further product, not one of these eight. This page has not tested one. If condensation is severe, ventilation matters more than another coat of brilliant white.
Is kitchen paint the same as bathroom paint?
Makers sell them separately. Dulux points kitchens at a kitchen paint and bathrooms at a bathroom paint. Crown separates kitchen matt from a bathroom mid-sheen. Grease needs washing. Steam needs a moisture-specified finish, often with more sheen or a mould-resistant formula. One kitchens-and-bathrooms bullet does not collapse those jobs into one vinyl matt.
Should I paint over mould?
No. Remove it, let the surface dry, then paint with a product meant for that room. Painting a live stain leaves the growth under a film ordinary matt does not claim to protect. If it returns, you are looking at damp or condensation. Stop decorating and get the cause checked, especially if the plaster is soft or the flat is rented.
Is silk automatically the bathroom choice?
No. Silk wipes more easily than matt and shows every bump, and it is still not a bathroom system. Wickes treats vinyl silk as low moisture resistance and keeps it out of bathrooms. Use a bathroom-specified paint when the room steams. A higher sheen does not replace an extractor.
When is a bathroom ceiling different from the walls?
When the ceiling stays dry, the extractor runs, and the mould is not overhead. A flat white is then easier to live with, because joins flash less. If black spots form on the ceiling, it needs the same cleaning and the same specified paint as the wet wall. Ordinary matt from this set, with waterproof marked false, is not that paint.

Related pages

Best matt emulsion paint

Matt emulsion paint

Matt emulsion buying guide: litres, wipe and colour

How to apply matt emulsion: prep, cut in, and roll

Matt or silk emulsion for bedrooms, ceilings and halls

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was lab-tested.

  1. VOC Regulations 2012, Schedule 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. VOC in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products Regulations 2012 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 13300:2022 preview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Dulux: painting on new plaster (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Dulux Matt (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Johnstone's matt emulsion (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Crown Trade vinyl matt emulsion (retrieved 22 October 2026)