If you’ve come across the term ‘breathable paint’ but aren’t quite sure what it means, or whether it’s right for your home, you’re not alone.
Put simply, breathable paint can help create a healthier, more comfortable living environment while protecting your home’s interior and exterior from moisture-related issues.
From reducing the risk of damp and mould to helping traditional and older properties perform at their best, breathable paint offers a range of benefits. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what breathable paint is, why it matters, and when it’s worth considering for your home.
What are breathable paints?
Breathable paint allows moisture vapour to pass through walls, helping to prevent dampness, mould and potential structural issues. Standard emulsion paints can trap moisture and lead to problems like bubbling or peeling.
Breathable paints create a healthier indoor environment by promoting natural airflow. This can be particularly beneficial if you’re decorating a period property, an A-rated or passive house.
Breathable interior wall paint
Claypaint is our most breathable paint for interior walls and ceilings. It has a distinctive ultra flat matt finish and comes in a beautiful array of colours.
Breathable exterior paint
For exterior walls, our Silicate Masonry Paint is a vapour permeable alternative to conventional masonry paint and limewash. It’s durable, dries to a classic matt finish and is available in 48 colours.
When should you use breathable paint?
Heritage properties and old houses: Traditional buildings often use materials like lime plaster, distemper and render which are inherently breathable. Applying moisture sealing or ‘plastic’ paints can trap moisture, leading to damp issues and deterioration. Using breathable paint with these materials can help preserve the building’s integrity.
Lime render and lime plaster surfaces: Lime-based surfaces are porous and allow moisture to evaporate. To maintain this breathability, it’s essential to use paints that won’t seal the surface. That ensures longevity and prevents moisture related issues.
Passive houses / Passivhaus: Energy efficient homes, such as passive houses, focus on airtightness and proper ventilation. Incorporating moisture regulating paints helps manage indoor humidity levels, contributing to a comfortable and healthy living space.
Damp walls: Damp walls can have many causes, but the most common are non-breathable building materials and poor ventilation. A common approach to treating damp is to use water-resistant or sealing materials to waterproof the space. This may provide a quick fix, but over time, moisture will find its way in and get trapped beneath the surface. This moisture build up can lead to peeling paint and mould growth.
Benefits of breathable paint over standard emulsion paint
Moisture regulation: Breathable paints help prevent moisture build up within walls, reducing the risk of damp and mould growth.
Enhanced durability: By allowing walls to breathe, these paints minimise common issues like bubbling, peeling or cracking associated with trapped moisture.
Healthier indoor environment: Ingredients in moisture-regulating paints often result in lower VOCs which helps to improve indoor air quality. Many modern paints contain pigments, binders and solvents with nasty chemicals in them.
Our Claypaint has virtually zero VOCs and has achieved the Eurofins Air Comfort Gold accreditation, making it ideal for asthma and allergy sufferers too.
Where can I use breathable paint?
Anywhere! You can use it indoors and outdoors. It’s ideal for homes with lime plaster, especially older buildings with solid wall construction. Use it on internal walls in areas prone to humidity, like bathrooms, and modern sustainable builds.
Our Claypaint is an ultra flat matt interior paint, that comes in over 80 colours. It’s complemented by our durable exterior paint: Silicate Masonry Paint, available in 48 colours.
What is breathable masonry paint?
Masonry paint is generally used for exterior walls. Like breathable interior paint, breathable masonry paints allow moisture or water vapour to escape through it. That means the moisture doesn’t get trapped within the exterior wall.
Our Silicate Masonry Paint is highly breathable masonry paint suitable for lime, concrete, brick, stone and pebbledash.
Find answers to your questions on Earthborn Silicate Masonry Paint
How does breathable paint improve indoor air quality?
Breathable paint improves your indoor air quality in two main ways.
- It helps prevent damp and mould. When moisture builds up, it creates ideal conditions for mould and mildew to grow. Mould releases spores into the air. That can trigger allergies, worsen asthma and cause irritation. Breathable paint doesn’t trap moisture. Instead, it lets it escape.
- It tends to have fewer harmful chemicals. Breathable paint doesn’t have the hidden nasties that many modern paints do. Those chemicals can mean poorer indoor air quality. And you can end up with headaches, dizziness or feeling generally unwell as a result.
Our Claypaint is breathable, with no horrible smells and no nasty emissions. It has virtually zero VOCs too, which is better for you and the environment.
Can breathable paint stop damp on its own?
Damp walls are are a common problem, particularly in old houses. They often come with that recognisable musty smell, which is usually casued by mould and mildew growing in damp conditions.
While it’s tempting to cover damp walls with waterproof or non-breathable materials, this often only masks the problem. Trapped moisture can build up behind the surface, and the damp is likely to return over time.
It’s important to remember that breathable paint is not a cure for damp on its own. The underlying cause of the damp must first be identified and fixed. Whether the issue is a leak, rising damp, blocked gutters or poor ventilation, moisture will continue to affect the property until the source is properly addressed.
Once the cause has been rectified, breathable building materials can help walls manage moisture more effectively. A combination of lime plaster and breathable finishes such as limewash or Claypaint allows moisture to flow freely through the wall and evaporate naturally, helping to regulate humidity levels.
Breathable paint can help to reduce condensation and mould. It’s even more effective when it’s used alongside other breathable building materials like lime plaster, especially in older and solid-wall properties.
Can I apply breathable paint over existing paint?
If your walls have already been painted and you want to know how to remove previous layers, you can do so by sanding, scraping or using a paint stripper. But that can mean using harsh chemicals, so look out for an eco friendly paint stripper.
However, this requires a lot of time and effort. In many older properties, removing paint down to bare plaster may damage the integrity of the wall. Your best option may be to apply a moisture-regulating paint, such as Claypaint, over the existing paint.
How can I tell if it’s a breathable paint?
If you're comparing breathable paints, look for the Sd value. That provides a standard way of checking how well different products allow walls to breathe. Basically, it measures how much of a barrier the material is to water vapour. A paint is generally considered breathable when it has an Sd value of 1 or below. The lower the Sd value, the more easily water vapour can pass through.
It's also worth checking the Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate (MVTR), which indicates the amount of moisture that can move through a surface over a 24-hour period. In contrast to the Sd value, a higher MVTR rating signifies better breathability and moisture transfer.
Switch to breathable paint and feel the benefits
Using breathable paint in your property ensures better moisture management, more durability and a healthier living environment.
Whether renovating a historic building or constructing a new eco friendly home, choosing the right paint is crucial for long-term comfort and preservation.
Our most breathable paint for interior walls and ceilings is Claypaint. Whilst Silicate Masonry Paint is an ideal exterior paint for breathability.
