How do I choose the right paint?

Paint is chosen on colour and bought on price, and the two decisions that matter more are finish and quality. Finish determines whether the surface can be cleaned; quality determines how many coats you will be applying.

What you'll need

• Tester pots (optional)
• The room's dimensions (optional)

Step by step

1. Choose the finish before the colour.Matt hides imperfections but marks easily. Silk and satin are wipeable but show every bump. Eggshell and gloss suit woodwork. The room decides this, not preference.
2. Use a wipeable finish in kitchens, bathrooms and hallways.These are the surfaces that get touched, splashed and scuffed. Matt emulsion in a hallway will look poor within a year.
3. Use matt on ceilings and uneven walls.It scatters light and disguises imperfections. Silk on a wavy old wall makes every undulation obvious.
4. Choose the right product for the surface.Emulsion for plaster, eggshell or gloss for wood and metal, and specific products for tiles, radiators, floors and kitchen units. Using the wrong one means it peels.
5. Buy better paint rather than more coats.Cheap paint has less pigment, covers poorly, and often needs three coats where a good one needs two. The saving usually disappears.
6. Test colours properly.Paint a large patch, or a board you can move around the room, and look at it in daylight and at night. Colours change dramatically with light and with the surrounding surfaces.
7. Prime where needed.New plaster needs a mist coat of watered-down emulsion. Bare wood, metal and stain-prone surfaces need the appropriate primer or the finish coat fails.
8. Buy it all in one batch and note the code.Colour varies slightly between batches. Keep the code and a small labelled jar for touch-ups.

Tips

• Tester pots painted onto a piece of card are far more useful than patches on the wall, because you can move them around and see the colour against different light.
• Water-based products for woodwork have improved considerably and are much easier to use than oil-based, though oil still gives a harder finish.
• Check the coverage on the tin before comparing prices. A cheaper tin covering less area is not cheaper.

Common mistakes

• Using matt emulsion in a hallway or kitchen — It cannot be cleaned without damaging the surface, so it marks permanently within months.
• Buying the cheapest paint — Poor coverage often means an extra coat, which costs more in paint and considerably more in time.
• Judging colour from a small chart — Colours change dramatically at scale and in different light. A large tested patch is the only reliable way to choose.

Questions people ask