The 5 Best Internal Paints 2020

There are lots of reasons to repaint the interior of your home: from normal wear and tear to re-purposing a room or keeping up with new trends. It’s an easy and fairly cheap way to give your home a new lease of life, and the job can be done without needing to hire a professional contractor. To ensure that you end up with the exact finish that you had in mind, it’s important to consider a few factors when shopping for paint. These paints are suitable for both rolls and paint sprayers and airbrushes with proper thinning..

• Pick your finish – Glossy paint reflects light so will look brighter, whereas flat finishes will look darker and will hide more imperfections. For a happy medium, eggshell and satin finishes are a good choice, and they also stand up well to cleaning which makes them good for high-traffic areas. Semi-gloss is a long-time popular choice for trim, and will hide imperfections, but trends are now moving towards more matte finishes for skirting boards and picture rails.
  
  
• Choose your color – This might sound obvious, but remember that the store’s lighting will affect how the paint looks. Take samples home and see how they look on your walls in the room you are decorating, to ensure that the shade looks how you want it to.
  
  
• Performance – Higher quality paints are less likely to yellow over time, providing better durability. Check how long the manufacturer’s warranty is for, as a shorter warranty is often indicative of lower quality.
  
  
• Paint type – Latex paint is acrylic or water-based, and is a good option if you’re a novice as clean-up is quick and easy. Oil-based paints are less common and take much longer to dry, but that extended drying time gives the paint a chance to level out and rid itself of brush strokes and other imperfections.
  
  
• Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) – Repeated exposure to paints with high levels of VOC’s can lead to symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Go for zero or low VOC’s wherever possible, and always keep the room being painted well-ventilated.

It contains zero VOC’s, too, so is ideal if your room isn’t well ventilated, or you have a family to consider. This paint isn’t cheap and it’s only available at dedicated paint retailers and specialist hardware stores, but it’s worth tracking down and shelling out for if you want a perfect professional finish. If you can’t track down Regal Select, Sherwin-Williams’ Cashmere paint is another favorite of the professionals. Two coats of this acrylic latex paint will give a great finish that will stand the test of time, is very easy to work with, and is fairly forgiving; so will give you great coverage, even if you’re a bit of a novice. This formula does contain VOC’s though, so you might notice an odor lingering after you’ve finished the job.

Cross linking technology repels stains, and it’s easy to clean, too; most stains will wipe clean with water so your paint job will look fresh for years. Sherwin-Williams are known as an expensive brand, but it’s worth shelling out considering that you won’t have to paint again for a very long time. PPG Pittsburgh Paints’ Regency paint is another long-lasting option that is great for high-traffic areas. Adhesion is great and application is easy, so this is a good option if you’re not very experienced with a paintbrush. The formula is resistant to most household stains and will stand up to however often you need to clean it.

It’s cheaper than Behr in almost all cases (the pro line is more expensive), and it delivers a brilliantly smooth application and texture. The latex formula is low-VOC and low-odor, and the mildew resistant formula keeps your paint job looking fresh. And, if you’re worried about choosing a cheaper brand and ending up with cheap-looking results, just bear in mind that Glidden makes Ralph Lauren paints.
A great way of keeping costs down is to go for a professional-grade paint. This usually means that the product is thinner-bodied than consumer-grade paints, so splatter is much more likely at the hands of a DIY novice. But, if you have the patience and the knack for it, Valspar Professional is a brilliant choice. The water-based formula cleans up easily and you’ll get a nice smooth finish if you apply it with a roller.

The Aura formula paint dries twice as thick as other brands’ offerings, so you can achieve a beautiful finish with just one coat. The inbuilt primer also helps to ensure that your paint-job really does need only one coat. Benjamin Moore’s Proprietary Color Lock® technology keeps colors richer for longer, and the paint can stand up to multiple washes and wipes, making it a good choice for high-traffic areas like living rooms. For a quick and long lasting paint-job, Benjamin Moore really cannot be beaten.
Behr’s Premium Plus Ultra paint is also great for providing good hide and strong coverage in a single coat. Behr’s NANOGUARD technology gives great surface protection against stains, which is handy if you have children in the home that are prone to impromptu ‘decorating’, and is Greenguard certified, so you don’t have to worry about harmful chemical emissions seeping into your indoor air during the paintjob. 

If you’re going for a gloss finish, choose a paint made specifically for trim to ensure you get the best finish. Glidden’s specialty paint features Gel-flow™ technology which helps to eliminate drips and brush marks for a professional finish, even if your painting skills are far from professional. The thick formula fills dents and covers imperfections easily, which is handy if you are working on old or damaged skirting boards or picture rails. The ultra-thick consistency still goes a long way, and a tin will easily cover up to 150 feet of trim as well as two doors.
Dutch Boy Dura Clean Cabinet, Door and Trim is a good choice if you also have exterior areas that needing painting, as this formula is suitable for both indoors and outdoors. This paint is brilliantly long-lasting, and is resistant to the scuffs and scratches that plague doorways and lower level trim. Otherwise you could also check paints for external use.

There is a reason that Benjamin Moore paint has a high price point, and that reason is superiority. For high-quality internal paint jobs, you can’t go wrong with their Regal Select formula. It might be trickier to find in stores than some other formulas, but it’s worth the effort. No matter how handy with a paintbrush you are, you’re guaranteed a finish that you’ll want to show off to the neighbors.