What's the best paint?
What’s the best paint is a question that crops up all the time. Well to get the answer we need to refine the question a little.
For a start, there are a lot of excellent paints on the market so to find out what’s the best paint for you we need to know what exactly you want to paint. For example, the best paint for a living room ceiling won’t be the same as the best paint for a bathroom ceiling.
So without further ado here’s what I feel are the best answers to what’s the best paint.
What’s the best paint for ceilings?
- Crown Cover Matt.
- Dulux Trade Super Matt.
There are specialist paints for ceilings, there are standard emulsions and there are even paints that go on pink then turn white. With ceiling paint, if you are looking for a nice white finish, my money is on either Dulux Supermatt or Crown cover matt. They both have good covering power and are middle of the road when it comes to cost.
What’s the best paint for walls?
- Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion
- Little Greene Matt Emulsion.
- Colortrend Matt
- Dulux vinyl matt.
You have quite a few options when it comes to interior wall paint. If you need a paint to be durable and stand up to a lot of knocks and scrapes then a Diamond or Ceramic Matt is the paint for you, in light colours only though ( Dark colours tend to mark easily, read more about this here). Alternatively, you can use soft sheen, this is a good strong paint that is easy to wipe down. If it’s good quality paint you want then Colourtrend paint is a great choice. Colourtrend is a good quality paint with lots of colours and finishes to choose from. Farrow & Ball paint is quite costly but comes in 132 shades and really stands the test of time.
What’s the best paint for fresh plaster?
- Any standard matt emulsion watered down about 40% for the first coat.
There are paints you can buy to prime fresh interior plaster but in my opinion, there’s no need to spend the extra money. Just use a good standard matt emulsion, like Fleetwood Extra Plus for example, and water it down about 40% for the first coat. Once primed you can topcoat with the finish paint. Alternatively, you can water down the first coat of your finish, say Farrow & Ball, then apply a couple of coats neat i.e. without water. This will cost you a lot more without any added benefit though!
What’s the best paint for wood?
For the exterior oil-based is harder wearing, in my opinion.
Oil-Based:
- Little greene eggshell
- Tikkurila Miranol
- Rubbol Satura Plus semi gloss/ satin
Water-based:
- Farrow & Ball – Eggshell.
- Little Greene Intelligent eggshell
- Fleetwood Advanced Satinwood.
- Colortrend eggshell or satinwood.
You have the option of using oil-based or water-based paint for woodwork with most paint brands but because of the VOC legislation the oil-based paint just doesn’t hold it’s colour anymore. This is especially true for white oil-based paint for woodwork. The best water-based brands would be Little Greene, Colourtrend eggshell is really good and Fleetwood Advanced is an excellent paint too, Fleetwood Advanced comes in an eggshell, satinwood or gloss finish.
What’s the best paint for a bathroom ceiling?
- Zinsser Permawhite.
- Soft sheen paint by Colortrend, Fleetwood or Dulux paints.
For a bathroom ceiling, you should really use paint with a sheen. If the paint doesn’t have a sheen the moisture from your bath or shower will eventually seep through and undermine your ceiling paint, causing it to crack and flake away. For my money, the best paint you can use for a bathroom ceiling is Zinsser Permawhite. This paint also has anti-fungal properties or biocides which will help prevent mould. You can buy this paint at Stillorgan Decor.
What’s the best paint for kitchen or bathroom walls?
- Zinsser Permawhite (It can be tinted to the colour of your choice).
- Colortrend Soft sheen.
- Dulux/Fleetwood Soft sheen.
A soft sheen, silk or eggshell finish is what you really need on your kitchen or bathroom walls. Zinsser Permawhite eggshell is a great paint for kitchens & bathrooms that have a lot of moisture. Colortrend, Farrow & Ball, Fleetwood or Dulux do good quality soft sheens. You can buy these paints at Stillorgan Decor.
What’s the best paint for water stain, smoke stains and general stain blocking?
- Zinsser B-I-N primer.
- Zinsser Coverstain
When you need to block a stain, any kind of stain at all, before repainting then look no further than Zinsser B-I-N primer or Coverstain primer. They’re best stain blockers you can get. You can buy Zinsser B-I-N primer at Stillorgan Decor.
What’s the best paint, water based, for hand painting kitchen Cabinets?
- Little Greene Intelligent eggshell.
- Colortrend Satin wood.
- Fleetwood Advanced Satinwood.
Little Greene eggshell is a great water based paint for kitchen cabinets followed closely by Farrow & Ball Modern eggshell and Fleetwood Advanced satinwood.
What’s the best paint for furniture?
Same as above
Whats the best paint for spraying kitchen cabinets?
- Renner
- Sayerlack
- Caparol haftprimer and Caparol PU-Satin for top coat
Our favourite paint for spraying kitchen cabinets has to be Renner. Renner primer is high build and great to sand smooth. The Renner top coat sprays really well and leaves a great hard wearing finish.
Whats the best paint for exterior render?
- Dulux weather shield.
- Fleetwood weather clad.
- Colortrend exterior masonry paint.
- Farrow & Ball limewash – for lime-based mortar.
If it’s a modern render, as distinct from a lime-based render, you have a few options. Dulux weather shield, Colortrend exterior masonry or even Fleetwood weather clad. These are all great exterior paints. If it’s a lime based mortar, usually found on pre-20th century buildings, then you will need a breathable paint, a Keim or mineral paint will be your best option. You can buy these paints at Stillorgan Decor.
What’s the best paint for exterior wood and metal?
- Sikkens Rubbol Satura Plus – This paint is the best solvent based and is far ahead of the competition in terms of durability. It costs more though you really get what you pay for!
- Tikurrila Miranol.
- Sandtex Oil Based.
- Fleetwood Advanced satinwood/gloss.
In terms of a long-lasting finish, I would recommend Rubbol Satura, its the hardest wearing finish.
