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Top 5 Best Interior Paints (2021 Review)
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By Pro Painter Phil Ash
- Last Updated On February 12, 2022
Are you looking for the best interior paint for your upcoming paint project? Look no further!
In this ProPaintCorner Review, you’ll discover:
- What the different kinds of interior paint are
- How to select the best interior paint
- Our top interior paint picks
And much more!
| Image | Product | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Top Pick  | Our Top Pick | Prestige Paints P500
|
| View on Amazon |
Best Budget  | Best Budget | Glidden Interior Paint + Primer
|
| View on Amazon |
Best High End  | Best High End | KILZ Tribute
|
| View on Amazon |
 | Recolor Interior Paint
|
| View on Amazon | |
 | The Spruce Best Home
|
| View on Amazon |
Our Overall #1 Rated Top Pick
(updated 6/10/2020)
Sure, you may have never heard of the Prestige Paints brand name. While not the household name of a Valspar or Behr, this paint absolutely holds its own.
Buyers of this paint have repeatedly compared it to Sherwin-Williams; so take it from the crowd on that one!
The comparison, from customer feedback, is to do with how both brands cover well and have good color accuracy.
What's In This Guide?
Top 5 Best Interior Paints
In a hurry? Check out our Top 5 picks below! Keep reading to discover more about these top interior paints.
What Are The Different Types of Interior Paint?
Each interior paint has its own pros and cons. You’ll have to consider each paint job or DIY project and what particular paint is appropriate.
Latex Paint
Most interior paint is acrylic and latex-based. It goes on easily, is generally low-VOC, can be tinted and is affordable.
Acrylic paint provides great coverage and easy cleanup for high-traffic areas.
One Coat Paint & Primer In One
Nearly every paint manufacturer advertises some version of a guaranteed one-coat coverage paint.
One coat paints are just thick paint. That’s all there really is to it.
Sure, they may cost you almost double what another seemingly similar gallon of paint would. If you’re painting a similar color over your old paint, a one-coat might be the best and cheapest way to do it.
Ceiling Paint
There’s not much to know here aside from the fact that specific paint formulations exist for painting ceilings in particular.
The good news is that they are generally about the cheapest interior paint you’ll ever buy.
The not-so-good news is that they’re really only good for painting ceilings.
A ceiling paint has a particular finish that’s ideal for dampening ambient light in a room.
Mold-resistance
Mold and mildew-resistant paints are a must-have for bathroom paint jobs. It’s also a great quality to have in your paint that you put around your kitchen backsplash, and in your laundry area as well.
You’ll pay a small premium over a blend that doesn’t advertise mildew resistance, but for those areas of the house, there’s no room for compromise.
Rust-Oleum makes a nice mildew-resistant paint called Perma-White. Another slightly cheaper option is the Diamond Brite Kitchen and Bath Semi-Gloss.
Read More >> What Are The Ultimate Paint Primers?
What To Have in Mind When Buying Interior Paint?
Reputation matters. Without the research you’re doing now, you’d be going off whatever reputation you’ve garnered from advertising and whomever you bump into at the local hardware store should you attempt a visit.
Our findings are based on actual feedback from verified customer purchases.
Interior paint is about the most common type of paint in the world. Here are some finer details you may easily overlook if you’ve been quick to the brush before doing homework in the past.
VOC Rating
Put in simple terms; the higher VOC (volatile organic compounds) in a paint, the more it stinks. And beyond stinking, high-VOC paints are hazardous to your health if should you inhale the fumes they emit.
Some paints have VOC ratings so high they can’t even be sold in certain states, like California. Many other Northeast states have also more or less followed suit.
Ideally, you’re able to find the qualities you desire in either a low odor, low-VOC or zero-VOC paint.
How It Looks On Your Wall
A paint swatch under florescent home depot store lighting is not an accurate picture of what paint colors will look like once painted on your walls.
Mitigate this by conducting an in-home test. Grab the largest possible paint chips for the colors you’re considering and bring them home. Tape or Fun-Tak them onto your walls near a piece of trim.
Make sure your swatches are also placed where they will get natural light and any artificial light sources that are in the room. Observe the way these colors appear throughout the day as lighting conditions change.
Do this for multiple days before deciding if that particular shade is the one you want.
Read More >> How Do You Paint A Wall Like A Pro?
Mix and Apply Samples
This step is completely optional, but it is one that would be done in every situation, ideally.
A physical swatch, and especially online paint color previews, are just not reliable enough to trust.
The best way to see how a particular paint color, finish and brand will look on your wall is to actually paint a small sample area on your wall.
Most paint retailers will sell a smaller sample-size of their paint for any given color and finish. If a sample size isn’t available, risking it on a gallon may still be worth your investment even if you end up changing your mind after your test patch dries.
Test samples, while time and financially consuming, also give you that peace of mind that comes from knowing that you will, in fact, like the paint once it’s applied and dried.
Paint Finishes
Satin, eggshell, and semi-gloss paint are your primary finish options.
Pick a semi-gloss to make your walls more stain-resistant and easier to clean.
Fingerprints, oil from hands, and other stains set into matte-finish walls far more easily than glossy ones. Flat finishes might be used for accent walls, furniture, and cabinetry.
Use semi-gloss mildew-resistant paint in bathrooms and other high-moisture areas.
The finish you select will be largely determined by the particular details of your project.
Read More >> What Are The Top Primers For Covering Dark Paint?
Our Reviews Of The Best Interior Paint
If you’re looking for interior paint that covers well and easy to apply, the Prestige Paints P500 is an excellent option.
Prestige Paints P500 comes in at nearly half of what a similar Sherwin-Williams gallon would cost.
On a large paint job, these savings quickly stack up.
As with any paint that may be new to you, test it first. Use it on an area, that’s out of the way, in a place you won’t mind if a little paint gets there and later has to be touched up.
- Pros
- Premium coverage
- Great value
- Low VOC
- Cons
- Some color discrepancies
- Satin looks like semi-gloss
Here’s our overall best value pick. You get one coat coverage at a seemingly discount price point.
It being a one-coat formula, you know it’s high-build. Scrub hard, this finish is designed to see action.
The trade-off with the Glidden is their relatively limited color selection. However, the colors are varied, attractive, and were selected by design professionals.
- Pros
- Washable
- One coat coverage
- Low VOC
- Cons
- Paint can hard-to-open
- Color accuracy concern
- Limited color selection
A brand once immediately associated with stain-blocking primers, KILZ is now making its foray into the top-coat interior paint realm. KILZ Tribute is their pale horse.
Priced at about $10 less than you’d expect to pay per gallon of a premium interior paint like this, the Tribute is a pretty good value.
- Pros
- Excellent coverage
- Curated color palette
- Mildew-resistant finish
- Cons
- Limited color selection
- Some color discrepancies
This interior paint from Recolor absolutely makes our best interior paint list. Another value-buy that lays down thick and easy, but costs almost half what some big-name paint brands charge on a per-gallon basis.
If a dark color is what you’re after, their pebble and barn is a beautiful hue.
The recolor palette consists of 16 charming and distinct tones. And yes, their palette does include a few white options.
- Pros
- Environmentally friendly
- Low odor
- Fast dry time
- Cons
- Color accuracy concern
- On the thinner side
The Spruce’s Best Home paint makes a great living room paint.
It certainly has a color palette that lends itself nicely to bold accent walls as well as somber lukewarm teals and faded milky yellows, like Sundream.
Available through Amazon, you can trust the customer service and easy returns should anything go amiss.
Did we mention that the “The Spruce” line is produced by KILZ? Well, it is, so you can trust the quality reputation beyond this upstart spinoff.
- Pros
- 32 designer-approved colors
- Fast dry time
- Highly washable
- Cons
- Limited color selection
- Some color discrepancies
Prestige Paints’ P500 interior paint has earned our top pick in this 2020 best interior paint breakdown.
A great all-around great latex paint for high-traffic areas, this stain-resistant value brand is perfect for DIY painters.
It stands up great to scrubbing, so it’s a perfect pick for painting kitchens, dining areas, and living room interior painting projects.
Plus, it’s an excellent value for the money! Check the low price now on Amazon.
Final Thoughts on The Best Interior Paints
Choosing the right paint is a very personal matter. No doubt, you’ve learned this by now.
Have we mentioned that testing your color and finish on the actual wall is a great idea, and generally a best practice? Yes, we have mentioned it, and it is true. Unless you’re in a hurry, always test on the wall, and allow that test area to dry 24-48 hours.
Read on >> Top 5 Best Exterior Paint Primers
Now that you’ve discovered some of the best interior paints and learned a little about how to select paint, you’re pretty much all set.
Have a quick review of these basic best practices to employ when painting a room, and you’ll truly be ready to go!
Meet Your Pro Paint Corner Author
Phil Ash
After running my own painting business and 20+ years of painting experience, I’m still learning new things everyday about how to nail the perfect paint job. In addition to myself, I started Pro Paint Corner to connect you with painting experts to provide unbiased answers to all your painting questions.
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