Do I need to seal my bathroom ceiling before painting?

Hiya Kat, It sounds like you keep windows closed after you"ve had bath ;or shower, this is not a good idea. However, it might pay you to seal the ceiling with PVA (GLUE) and let it dry thoroughly, then put on a thin coat of paint first, let that dry, then add on a thicker coat. May I suggest paints used for Bathrooms, showers etc and note the reason why the paint comes away from the ceiling ;or walls is because the paint is not for bathrooms, showers but possibly a cheap version and if not a cheap version then learn to open window after bath ;or shower. The reason why paint comes away is because the old paint was not allowed to dry in proper drying conditions and it could be possible that the job was done rapidly without proper ventilation for paint to dry.

Anthony Tovey
September 2010

Give it a coat of "primer sealer" (oil based), this will seal the plaster surface surface. Or paint with 50/50 water/emulsion solution (water based), this will do the same job.

Trevor
June 2010