What each product actually does
| Product | What it does | What it will not do |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-mould / fungicidal paint | Resists growth on the painted film | Stop moisture arriving from behind |
| Anti-condensation paint | Slightly warmer, more absorbent surface; delays condensing | Replace ventilation or insulation |
| Damp-seal / stain-block | Seals the surface, stops old stains bleeding through | Treat rising or penetrating damp |
| Waterproofing masonry paint | Sheds water on an exterior face | Work on a wall that needs to breathe |
| Breathable mineral paint | Lets the wall dry outward | Stop water entering through a defect |
Where it is genuinely worth using
- In a bathroom or kitchen after ventilation has been sorted, as a belt-and-braces finish
- On a north-facing bedroom wall that condenses, alongside insulation work rather than instead of it
- As a stain-block over a resolved and fully dried leak stain
- In a cupboard or utility space with limited air movement
In every one of those the paint is the last step, applied to a surface that is already dry and to a problem that is already fixed.
Where it makes things worse
On an older solid wall that needs to breathe, a low-permeability coating traps moisture in the masonry. The wall does not get drier — the moisture accumulates behind the film until the plaster fails, at which point the repair is much larger than the one you avoided.
Used over rising damp, it seals the surface while groundwater keeps arriving. The salts keep coming with it, and salts under a paint film lift it. This is the most common wasted purchase in the whole damp category.
The rest of the shelf — membranes, repellents, tanking — is sorted by family on waterproofing products in South Africa.
If a wall is wet enough that you are considering a specialist paint to deal with it, the paint is not the answer. Find out which fault it is on the four types of damp first.
A fungicidal coating buys time on a dry wall and fails on a wet one within a season. If the wall is wet, what it needs is damp proofing in Cape Town.
Related reading
Start with Mould on Walls for the overview, or:
- How to Remove Mould From Walls
- Black Mould on Ceilings
- How to Remove Mould from a Bathroom
- Is Black Mould Dangerous?
Common questions
Does anti-mould paint actually work?
On the painted surface, yes — the fungicide in the film genuinely discourages growth. Against moisture arriving from behind the wall, no. It is a finish, not a treatment.
Can I paint over damp with damp-seal paint?
You can, and it will look fine for a few months. Sealing the surface does not stop the moisture arriving; it accumulates behind the film until the coating and usually some plaster comes away.
What paint should I use on a wall that has had damp?
Once the cause is fixed and the wall is dry, a breathable mineral or silicate paint on older solid walls, so the masonry can continue to dry outward. On modern cavity construction a standard emulsion is fine.