Good interior paint that won't break the bank?

[DisneyBill]

If you're truly looking for superior washability and stain resistance, resulting in less frequent repainting and therefore better value, you owe it to yourself to use California's 2010 Super Scrub.

 

[RachaelA]

We did every single wall in a 2500 sq. ft house with Valspar from Lowes. 4 5 gallon buckets and 10 1 gallon cans! We repainted the already painted trim with Valspar, but we had to paint the stained trim (we painted it white) with Sherwin Williams paint because it covered much better.

We would have loved to do the whole house in Sherwin Williams paint, but it was just too expensive.

We were overall very happy with the Valspar paint.

 

[Purseval]

Our house is only 6 1/2 years old, but the builder used flat paint, which is pretty much impossible to clean.

They use flat paint because it's easy to match. You can paint a wall then come back later and do touchups. Try doing that with semi-gloss or gloss and you'll see why they use flat.

 

[disneymarie]

Our house is only 6 1/2 years old, but the builder used flat paint, which is pretty much impossible to clean. So, the entire house BADLY needs painted, and I'm hoping that the hubby can get it all done before the baby arrives in May.

In the past we've used Sherwin Williams paint, but at around $40 a gallon, it will cost a small fortune to paint the entire house. I was reading an issue of Consumer Reports at the doctor's office a few months ago, and remember reading an article about which interior paints were recommended. I recall that a couple of them were less expensive paints.

Does anyone have the old issue of Consumer Reports that had that article? Or, can you recommend a good, durable, and decently priced interior paint? We plan on using satin/eggshell on the walls; semi-gloss on the trim and doors; and ceiling paint on the ceiling.

Thanks!

I always had the best results with SEAR's.
Washes well, one coat, durable, touch ups the paint always matches and great selections. Plus they are always on sale.

 

[battricia]

i'm not sure why you can't wash your flat paint walls. we always paint w/ flat paint and have never had that problem. i have even used mr. clean erasers on the walls and it works fine.

as for paint I would only recommend behr. it's not super cheap but it's not 40$ a gallon either, and in my experience it has always covered totally with 2 coats.

 

[Kat77]

Another vote for Valspar! Lowes and Valspar have been good friends to me.
I also reccommend the Wagoner Paint Roller. It's very user friendly and fast.

 

[SA53]

I love, love, love Kilz paint. I have used Behr and Valspar but Kilz is still my favorite. Never needed to do a second coat, but I was also painting over white/cream cheap contractor paint, nothing dark. I do miss the Kilz nice plastic paint jugs, but they had to go back to cans because the jugs weren't mixing the paint properly--that's what they told me anyway...

Have fun. I have a great room to figure out how to paint with 19 foot high ceilings and cut outs here and there...Eeks!!!!

K in SA

 

[dpratt68]

I only use Behr paint.

I agree. We will only buy BEHR from Home Depot.

 

[lovemygoofy]

I haven't wanted to spend alot on paint as this is a temporary home but I needed good quality paint to go over this horrible paint job. I have used ALOT of behr paint from home depot in the last couple months.

I really REALLY like the premium behr paint that doesn't require primer. It's mostly just me painting and I do not like to paint. I'd leave it alone and just wear sunglases in my family room in the morning but we entertain alot and seeing people's faces when they see the bright orange that someone chose has motivated me to change the family room.

It seems like anytime there is a holiday weekend Home Depot and Behr have a sale on their paint with rebates about $5 or more a can. I've bought several cans during these sales and had no problems with the rebates. Also, I love being able to buy the sample cans to take home. Right now my house looks like paint swatches all over. I have a hard time committing to a color. Anyone that is bored can come paint my house.

 

[dawson5]

we used behr in this family room and the dining room at the old house. I loved the paint and how well it covered. I will never buy it again though, had issues with HD when I went to buy paint to do this kitchen. I have used the valspar also, I personally think it is comparable to the behr--cost, coverage & quality. Benjamin Moore also makes a great paint, not cheap though. Also we finished the basement in our house two houses ago, did the whole basement in the walmart $15/can. It covered great and did well but it was also a "clear slate." We had primed it prior to painting, we were selling and didn't want to break the bank for someone else to come in and just change the color.

 

[shruley]

The last Consumer Reports I read on paint (which probably wasn't this year I guess) rated Behr paint VERY high. And it's quite cheap, compared to Sherwin Williams. We've used Behr and loved it. Would never use Glidden again....horrible paint! If you have a lot of rooms to paint, SW will give you a discount. And if you buy a gallon and need more and go back, we always get 20% off that purchase. We built a house and automatically got at least 20% off (I think more like 30%) all the paint we bought there, and still did even when we went back a year later for more trim paint. Must have us in the computer or something as good customers

 

[girli565]

We just recently painted our condo and used Behr from Home Depot. We used a flat in most rooms and a satin in the bathrooms and kitchen.

 

[elcodfish]

If you don't have your heart set on a particular specific color, try home depot, lowe's or any stores that sell paint and ask if thy have any oops paint to sell. Its fine, except the color mixed was not exactly what the person wanted. I have gotten gallons of paint for about $5 each, painted my whole house with it, its great!

erica

 

[Robinrs]

If you don't have your heart set on a particular specific color, try home depot, lowe's or any stores that sell paint and ask if thy have any oops paint to sell. Its fine, except the color mixed was not exactly what the person wanted. I have gotten gallons of paint for about $5 each, painted my whole house with it, its great!

erica

I was going to post this, as well.

I've done three houses with OOPS paint. I usually go to high rent districts that have lots of decorators who pooh pooh particular colors! I've found Ralph Lauren and Behr in oops and for a quarter of the price!

 

[ilovejack02]

Honestly? I buy my paint at WalMart for about $15 a gallon and have never been dissatisfied with it. Unless you're making an extreme color change, it will cover in one coat and it's as durable as anything I've ever tried. Don't know what else you could ask a paint to do, short of being "self-applying"!

Not a fan of the walmart stuff.. Hubby convinced me to try it and we are 4 yrs into it. I dont find it near as durable as other paints.

 

[BoogasMom]

I strongly prefer Behr paint. I will NEVER use any other brand if I can help it. I have used Walmart brand and I can tell you that if you use it, don't use it in a high traffic area. It attracts dirt like a magnet just like the builder's grade paint our builder used. With small children who tend to run their hands along the walls, the smudges build up pretty quickly on it. I don't recommend Walmart brand.

I have also used Glidden paint. I don't recommend it either. We bought the Redskins red color and after 3 coats of it, it was still streaky. (and we were covering an off-white wall) Frustrated, I went and bought the Behr in a Redskins red with the primer mixed in it already and it coated like a dream with no smudges. I will never ever use any other paint that Behr.

 

[SaveTheSeaTurtles]

I worked as a purchasing agent for years in the residential homebuilding industry.

IMO, Behr is far superior to Sherwin Williams. Even when SW was what we used in the homes we built, we always went to Home Depot for Behr for our own houses.

 

[sherry7]

OP here:

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. After reading your advice, and reading a TON of reviews on the internet, I think we're going to go with the Home Depot Behr Premium Plus Eggshell for the walls, which runs around $22 a gallon. (I decided against the more expensive version with the primer already mixed in, since we will be repainting in a very similar color to what is already on the walls.)

Now for the big question...does this stuff ever go on sale? President's Day weekend is coming up soon, and I'm wondering Home Depot typically runs a paint sale then? I recall that it's always on sale for Memorial Day weekend, but I can't wait that long. We're doing the entire house, so it's going to be a lot of paint.

 

[ilovemonk]

I use Behr and Benjamin Moore. Of course, Benjamin Moore is more pricey, but it is so thick and smooth. It really is like butter. lol

Yeah, keep an eye out for sales and rebates, especially around the major holidays. That's the way to go.

 

[Jaklackus]

Using quality brushes and rollers make a huge difference too.

My husband runs a handyman business and he has a large corporate account where he takes care of 12 large buildings including paint..lots of paint...we have also painted lots of apartment/home interiors over the past few years.

He uses Purdy brushes and rollers....they hold up well...he doesn't replace them often..you just need to clean them out really well.

He also uses magic erasers to remove smudges and graffitti which cuts down on the need to repaint.

We used a lot of Behr paint on homes and apartments, but in the 12 buildings we use Sherwin Williams because it just holds up to heavy traffic much better. We have used Glidden, Valspar and WalMart paint in the past if the customer provided it, but it always required more coats and more time..a lot more time..he had to start bidding those jobs higher to actually have the job worth doing for the time and effort involved.