We stock both and apply both on paying jobs in Singapore, so we have no reason to talk one of them up. Here is what each is good at, what it costs per litre, and which one we would put on your wall.
Zinsser Perma-White costs S$109 for a 3.78L gallon (about S$29 per litre) and is a self-priming, scrubbable eggshell for bathrooms, kitchens and service yards. Gush Care costs S$31 for 1L or S$101 for 5L (about S$20 per litre) and Gush Clean Care S$34 for 1L, both low-odour interior paints better suited to bedrooms, nurseries and dry walls. Gush is the cheaper and gentler choice; Zinsser is the tougher, more washable film for wet rooms. On our own jobs we use both.
| Zinsser Perma-White | Gush Care | Gush Clean Care | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smallest tin and price | 3.78L — S$109 | 1L — S$31 | 1L — S$34 |
| Roughly per litre | ~S$29 white / ~S$42 tinted | ~S$20 at 5L | ~S$23 at 5L |
| Tin sizes | 3.78L gallon | 1L · 5L · 20L | 1L · 5L · 20L |
| Finish | Interior Eggshell — low lustre, scrubbable | Interior wall emulsion — washable | Interior wall emulsion — washable |
| Self-priming | Yes, over sound painted surfaces | No — prime with Gush MouldSeal | No — prime with Gush MouldSeal |
| Coverage per coat | 28–33 sqm per gallon | 50–60 sqm per 5L | 50–60 sqm per 5L |
| Odour | Noticeable while wet; ventilate well | Low odour, low VOC | Low odour, low VOC |
| Colour range | White plus 265 tinted shades (+S$50) | Full Gush range, same price any colour | Full Gush range, same price any colour |
| Extra function | 5-year mould & mildew-proof film warranty | Anti-mould film | Anti-mould film plus air purifying |
| Delivery | Flat S$20 island-wide | Free over S$100, S$15 below | Free over S$100, S$15 below |
| We specify it for | Bathrooms, kitchens, service yards, laundry | Bedrooms, living rooms, whole-flat repaints | Bedrooms, nurseries, studies |
Both of these products resist mould growing on the paint film. Neither kills mould already living in the wall, and neither stops water reaching the surface. The most common way a Singapore repaint fails is not the paint — it is a leaking pipe behind the wall, a bathroom with no working exhaust, or a bedroom wall against an air-conditioned ledge that condenses every night.
Our own sequence is fixed for that reason: treat the mould, correct the moisture source, prime with Gush MouldSeal, then top-coat. If you skip the first two steps, the brand on the tin makes no difference to how long the wall stays clean.
Neither is better outright — they solve different problems. Zinsser Perma-White is the tougher, self-priming, scrubbable eggshell you want on a bathroom or kitchen wall. Gush is the cheaper, lower-odour interior paint you want in a bedroom, nursery or across a whole flat. We stock and apply both.
Gush, clearly. A 5L tin of Gush Care at S$101 works out around S$20 per litre, against roughly S$29 per litre for white Perma-White and about S$42 per litre once tinted. If you are painting several rooms, Gush is the lower spend.
Yes, and people do. Gush Care in a bathroom is fine as long as the mould has been treated and primed first. Zinsser in a bedroom works too, though you are paying for scrub resistance you will not use and you will want the room aired out while it dries.
No. Both resist mould growing on the paint film. Neither kills mould living in or behind the wall, and neither fixes the moisture that caused it. Treat the source first — if the patch is larger than half an A4 sheet, that is a job for a remediator rather than a paint tin.
Our Essential tier uses Gush MouldSeal as primer with Gush Core as the topcoat. Our Signature tier uses Gush Care or Zinsser Perma-White over Gush MouldSeal. The anti-mould additive is blended into the top coat as a standard step on both.
Breathe is the other anti-mould paint sold in Singapore that we rate, and our independent guide compares all three. We do not stock it, so what you read here is our honest view of two products we do sell and one we do not.