Have just drywalled a bathroom in a 100 year old home. Am replacing all lath with drywall throghout the house. Went to Sherwin Williams to buy paint for this bathroom. The clerk told me I didn't need to paint it with oil base even though there will be staem in the room from the shower. This kid looked 12 years old.. was he right?

The clerk was correct. I used a semi-gloss latex on the walls, ceiling and trim in my upstairs bathroom that has a shower and no exhaust fan. I have never had any problems. I would be more inclined to use an oil based paint on things such as kitchen cabinets and drawers that get handled a lot. Also, you always should use an oil based paint on wood flooring such as porches.

Bathroom applications should use green board not sheet rock, Green board is water & mold resistant. The primer you use to seal the drywall can be latex no problem but get a quality sealer, not just some primer on sale. The rock must be sealed. Tell your paint clerk its for a bathroom and get the Zinszer brand, I think I spelled that correctly

Just a couple more things so that everything is covered. Since this is new drywall, I would advise applying no less than two coats of a primer. And, as with most paint jobs, you will want to apply at least two coats of paint for the job to look satisfactory. In a bathroom, I would use a paint with at least a semi-gloss sheen to it so that it can be washed.

I like a semi gloss in bath areas. Laytex also. As far as oil goes I've never been a fan of it, its also not as user friendly, cleaning is more troublesome