ᐅ Ceiling above the shower – recessed LED spotlights

Created on: 22 Feb 2017 10:31
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xola123
Hello,

our bathroom is nearly finished. Next week, the tiling will be done, and then the plumbing company will install the sink, toilet, and heating.

The shower we are talking about is walk-in, with the floor already installed.
The ceiling above the shower (76x86 cm (30x34 inches)) had to be lowered because we wanted to install empty conduit pipes in the wall next to it. In the end, it wasn’t possible without lowering the ceiling by 8 cm (3 inches).

In this lowered ceiling, I would like to install LED spotlights—3 or 4 units. The wiring and electrical setup are already prepared.

The lowered ceiling above the shower currently consists of a simple green drywall (gypsum board).
Now I am wondering how best to finish this ceiling. I believe the current trend is to smooth the boards very finely with joint compound and then simply paint them.

However, since this is directly above the shower (so a “wet room” in the strict sense), I’m unsure if that is advisable here. The distance from floor to ceiling is about 240 cm (94 inches).

Of course, I have already searched the internet. The most suitable paint seems to be a silicate dispersion paint. It is vapor-permeable, allowing water vapor to pass into the drywall and then evaporate again (important for indoor air quality). But the paint is quite tricky, if I understand correctly (alkaline, etc.), and not easy to find. Also, I don’t need a 5-liter (1.3 gallon) bucket for such a small area.

However, this might be irrelevant if I apply a primer first so that the drywall does not absorb the paint unevenly.

A pure dispersion paint is said not to be completely impermeable, so it could also work. But again, with a primer, that concern might be addressed.

What experiences can you share about painted ceilings in wet rooms?
What is the best way to prime? What is the best way to paint?
Are there any suitable alternatives to painting that also allow for mounting the LED spotlights?

Thank you in advance.
Best regards, xola
Benextra26 Feb 2017 01:36
...after ten years, the gypsum board ceiling with a 12V 50W spot light IN the enclosed quarter-circle shower shows no signs of efflorescence or similar issues. The ceiling was wallpapered with textured wallpaper and painted with regular paint.

Shower enclosure with glass sliding door, white tiles, overhead shower, and hand shower.