How to Choose the Right Interior Wall Paint

Choosing the Right Paint Finish

Before deciding on a brand, it is important to choose the correct finish for the room you are decorating.

Different rooms experience different levels of wear, moisture and cleaning, so selecting the right finish first will always produce better long-term results.

Matt Emulsion

Matt Emulsion remains the most popular finish for interior walls.

Its low-reflective surface creates a modern appearance while helping disguise small imperfections in plaster.

Matt paint is ideal for living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, home offices and ceilings.

If your walls are in good condition and do not require frequent cleaning, matt emulsion is often the first choice.

Durable Matt

Durable Matt offers the appearance of traditional matt paint while providing improved resistance to scuffs, stains and everyday wear.

It is designed for areas where walls are more likely to be touched, knocked or cleaned.

Ideal rooms include hallways, children's bedrooms, family living rooms, utility rooms and busy households.

For many modern homes, Durable Matt has become one of the most popular finishes because it combines a contemporary appearance with practical durability.

Soft Sheen

Soft Sheen sits between matt and silk finishes.

It has a subtle low-sheen appearance while remaining easier to wipe clean than traditional matt paint.

Many homeowners choose Soft Sheen when they want a washable surface without the higher level of shine associated with silk paint.

Soft Sheen is ideal for hallways, children's bedrooms, family living rooms, stairways and busy homes.

Vinyl Silk

Vinyl Silk produces a durable finish with a noticeable sheen that reflects more light than matt or soft sheen paints.

Although it was once one of the UK's most popular wall finishes, it is now generally chosen where easy cleaning is more important than achieving a completely flat decorative appearance.

Vinyl Silk is commonly used in kitchens, utility rooms, commercial buildings, schools and corridors.

Because of its reflective finish, Vinyl Silk can highlight imperfections in walls more than matt paints, so it performs best on smooth, well-prepared surfaces.

Kitchen Paint

Kitchen Paint walls are exposed to grease, steam and regular cleaning.

Kitchen paints are specially formulated to cope with these conditions while remaining easy to wipe clean.

Ideal for kitchens, utility rooms and open-plan kitchen diners.

Bathroom Paint

Bathroom Paint experiences high levels of moisture and condensation.

Bathroom paints are formulated to resist mould growth while standing up to humid conditions and regular cleaning.

Perfect for bathrooms, en-suites, shower rooms and cloakrooms.

Choosing the Right Paint Brand

Once you've selected the correct finish, you can decide which paint brand best suits your decorating project, budget and personal style.

Designer Paints

Designer Paints are chosen for much more than their colour.

They offer carefully curated palettes, exceptional depth of pigment and premium finishes that help create beautifully coordinated interiors.

Whether you're decorating a period property or a contemporary home, designer paints are often selected for their distinctive colours, luxurious finish and carefully developed colour collections.

Farrow & Ball

Farrow & Ball is renowned for its rich pigments and timeless colour palette.

Its carefully selected colours work beautifully together, making it easy to create coordinated interiors throughout the home.

Little Greene

Little Greene combines beautiful colour with excellent durability.

Its collection includes both heritage-inspired shades and contemporary colours suitable for traditional and modern interiors.

Paint Library

Paint Library has become a favourite with interior designers thanks to its sophisticated range of understated neutrals and elegant contemporary shades.

Its carefully developed palette makes creating balanced colour schemes simple.

Craig & Rose

Craig & Rose is one of Britain's oldest paint manufacturers and is well known for heritage-inspired colours and distinctive decorative finishes.

It is ideal for anyone looking to create character and individuality within their home.

Dulux Heritage

Dulux Heritage combines timeless colours with modern paint technology, offering a carefully selected palette inspired by classic British interiors.

Its elegant collection of heritage shades makes it an excellent choice for both traditional and contemporary homes, while its durable finishes provide the practicality required for everyday living.

Crown Crafted

Crown Crafted combines premium quality with a carefully curated range of sophisticated colours.

Designed for homeowners looking to achieve a high-end finish, the collection brings together excellent durability with contemporary and timeless shades suitable for every room.

Professional Trade Paint

Professional decorators choose trade paints because they are designed for reliable coverage, excellent durability and consistent performance.

Dulux Trade is one of the UK's most recognised professional decorating brands, offering outstanding coverage and excellent durability.

Johnstones Trade is a trusted professional brand with an extensive colour range and products suitable for both domestic and commercial decorating.

Crown Trade combines professional performance with an impressive choice of colours for projects of every size.

Macphersons

Macphersons combines professional performance with excellent value.

It is particularly popular for larger decorating projects, rental properties and commercial environments where durability, coverage and affordability are equally important.

As part of the mixed-to-order range at Paintstop, Macphersons provides access to thousands of colours while maintaining the quality expected from a professional decorating product.

DIY Paint

DIY paint ranges are designed to make decorating straightforward for homeowners.

Dulux Retail includes specialist products such as Washable & Tough, Kitchen Paint, Bathroom Paint and Trim Paint, making it easier to choose the correct finish for each room.

Crown Retail offers a wide selection of ready-made colours suitable for everyday decorating projects.

Johnstones Retail provides a broad range of ready-made colours together with the MyColour collection.

Mixed-to-Order Paint

One of the biggest advantages of buying paint from a specialist decorating retailer is access to mixed-to-order colours.

Mixed-to-order paint allows thousands of colours to be created across a wide range of professional and designer paint brands, giving you far greater colour choice than standard ready-made paints.

At Paintstop, the following brands are available as mixed-to-order paints:

• Farrow & Ball
• Little Greene
• Paint Library
• Craig & Rose
• Dulux Heritage
• Dulux Trade
• Johnstones Trade
• Crown Trade
• Macphersons

Crown Retail and Johnstones Retail are supplied as manufacturer-produced colours and are not available as mixed-to-order paints.

Mixed-to-order paint provides greater flexibility when matching existing colours or creating a coordinated colour scheme throughout your home.

When to Use Specialist Paints

Some decorating projects require more than a standard wall paint.

Using the correct specialist product at the preparation stage often saves time, improves durability and prevents problems later.

Contract Matt

Contract Matt is primarily designed for freshly plastered walls and ceilings.

Unlike standard emulsions, it allows new plaster to continue drying naturally while providing an initial decorative finish.

Contract Matt is commonly used for new build homes, extensions, fresh plaster and newly skimmed ceilings.

Once the plaster has fully dried, decorators usually apply their chosen decorative finish.

Stain Blocking Primers

One of the most common decorating frustrations is seeing old stains reappear after painting.

Water marks, nicotine, smoke damage, grease, marker pen, crayon and even knot stains can often bleed through ordinary wall paint if they are not treated correctly first.

Stain Blocking Primers seal affected areas before decorating and prevent stains from bleeding through the new paint finish.

They are particularly useful for water stains, smoke damage, nicotine staining, grease marks, marker pen, crayon, ink, rust stains, tannin stains and knot bleed.

Although applying a stain blocker may seem like an extra step, it often saves both time and paint while producing a much better final result.

Which Paint Is Best for Each Room?

Common Mistakes When Choosing Paint

Some of the most common decorating mistakes include:

• Choosing paint based purely on colour.
• Using standard matt paint in high-traffic areas.
• Painting over stains without using a stain blocker.
• Using ordinary wall paint in bathrooms.
• Applying Vinyl Silk to poorly prepared walls.
• Decorating fresh plaster with the wrong type of paint.
• Forgetting how much natural light affects colour.

Frequently Asked Questions