Picking paint can be a daunting task. Besides color, there is the sheen, oil vs latex, and many brands and types of paint. We often get asked what is the best interior paint for the job. Let’s take a look at some of the products that we use and recommend.

All-Around Latex Paint For Walls

This is what we paint the most of, and it is nearly always a latex paint. Self-priming paints are especially popular. They provide good hide and coverage, and are especially useful when changing room colors. The most popular paints that we use in this category are Sherwin-Williams “Superpaint” and Behr “Premium Plus Ultra”. A majority of all our interior painting jobs include one of these great all-around paints for the walls. They come in a full range of paint sheens and colors and are readily available products.

Ceiling Paints

A ceiling can be painted with any latex paint, but traditionally are painted flat white. Behr and Sherwin-Williams both make paint that is specially formulated for ceilings. These qualities usually involve stain-blocking features and a flat white finish.

Behr Premium Plus Flat Ceiling Paint is a great all-around ceiling paint that has these qualities, and is also low-VOC and low odor. Sherwin-Williams Eminence Ceiling Paint has these qualities as well. Both are an excellent value and a great choice for most ceilings.

Depending on your taste and style, you can also paint the ceilings to match or contrast your wall color. When using color on a ceiling, we always recommend priming the ceiling, or using paints that include primer.

Primers

Paint primers can be vital for a number of reasons. They protect a surface, blocks stains and tannins from showing through paint, and give better cohesion to the finished paint layer. Bare wood should always be primed before painting. Newly textured and floated drywall will also require a layer of primer before painting. A primer is also necessary when changing from a dark color to a light color.

For the majority of jobs, we use Kilz brand primers. For heavily-stained areas such as ceiling with water stains or smoke marks, we will use a stain-blocking primer such as Zinsser. There are also numerous specialty primers such as mold-blocking and odor-killing products.

Oil-Based Paints For Trim And Cabinets

Oil-based products are still the best interior paint choice for heavily used areas, such as doors and kitchen cabinets. These surfaces require a harder, more durable solution that is still best provided by oil-based paint. One of our favorite oil-based paints is Sherwin-Williams “Pro Classic”. This paint has a reasonable drying time, and a beautiful smooth finish. Pro Classic is best-used when sprayed, especially on cabinet doors.

Earth-Friendly Solutions

Modern paint is much more Earth-friendly than its counterparts from yesteryear. For example, the majority of the best interior paint is now non-toxic and water-soluble. Even the solvent-based products have improved their reputation. But there are even special paints that go above and beyond, providing even better performance as well as being better for us.

Sherwin-Williams Harmony is a very popular choice for customers looking for a product that is a step up. This paint is not only a low-odor Zero-VOC product, it is actually formulated to help reduce other indoor odors as well. This acrylic latex is even Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified, as well as being certified for use in schools. It has a beautiful, durable finish and is available in a full range of paint sheens.

High-Performance Latex Paints

Love the finish of oil-based paint, but too sensitive to the odor? High-performance latex paints can approach the finish of oil without all the VOC’s. These water-based paints are a great choice for trim and doors, providing a gorgeous and long-lasting finish. Two of our favorites are the Emerald and Water-Based Pro Classic Paints from Sherwin-Williams.

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