Do You Have to Paint Over Perma-White Ceiling Paint?

What Perma-White Paint Does

• Perma-White is one of several paint formulas created specifically to address issues of mold and mildew. Formulated in exterior, as well as interior varieties, Perma-White contains biocide chemicals that prevent growth of mild and mildew spores on vulnerable surfaces like shaded, damp exterior surfaces, basements and interior ceilings. Whether ceilings have shown active mold and mildew activity or are vulnerable because of damp conditions in areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, mildew-killing paints prevent the growth of several varieties of common spores.

How Perma-White Works

• In additional to containing biocides, Perma-White is thicker and more viscous than other paints. Taking its cue from the penetrating finish of oil paints, this water-based paint is intended to provide an impenetrable coat between the air and the surfaces it covers. By blocking out moisture, it maximizes opportunities to clean mold-vulnerable surfaces before spores take hold.

Why Paint Over Perma-White?

• The main reason to paint over Perma-White appears to be aesthetic. Zinsser, the manufacturer, has responded to this concern by providing compatible pigments to tint the white a pastel shade or even a moderate earth-tone. A Perma-White user is therefore not condemned to an endless succession of white ceilings. Pigments may not provide an exact match to custom-mixed colors, but near-matches and blending shades lessen the always-white problem.

Why Not Paint over Perma-White?

• Putting another paint over Perma-White is both unnecessary and unwise. Neither manufacturers nor home-improvement advisers suggest top coating Perma-White with another paint. Because original mold and mildew problems may have been aggravated by a previous paint choice, there is no reason to repeat the mistake. Other mold-mildew abatement strategies involve washing surfaces with biocides and using regular oil-based or latex paint, but Perma-White is designed to stand alone.