Rejuvenate Your Home With The Best House Paint in 2022

Painting your house seems like a simple project until you take a trip to the paint store or lumberyard. Seeing the wide variety of paints available can easily take what you thought would be an easy job and turn it into something that makes you want to turn tail and run. In reality, very few individuals turn and run, but that doesn’t mean they have a lot of confidence in their decision on what type of paint to use. In this buyer's guide, I’m going to alleviate your fears and give you an idea of how to pick out the right paint for your paint job.

Obviously, the first decision most people make is the color they want to use. I’m not going to bother discussing colors here in this article, because this is really an interior decorating decision, and I don’t consider myself an interior decorator. I’m confident you can make this decision without my help.

Before we get into talking about specific paint types, let me mention something about paint quality. Like many other things, paint falls into the category of “you get what you pay for.” Generally speaking, higher-cost paints will be thicker in viscosity with baser tint. This allows them to cover in fewer coats, laying a thicker coat of paint on the substrate, which will last you longer. If you decide to use a lesser-cost paint, you had better count on repainting your house sooner.

Let’s start by talking about the different types of paint that are out there; what they are, and why they might be picked for a particular project (please note: I’m not going to talk about paints that aren’t used for household applications).

Paint Materials

Latex

By far, latex-based paints are the most popular option on the market today. Latex is literally a rubber that functions as a base to ensure the paint maintains integrity; basically sticking together and not turning into dust. Latex paints are water-based, meaning that they can be cleaned up with water.

Acrylic-latex

These are essentially evolutionary improvements on latex paints. Acrylic is a plastic added to the latex paint which makes for tougher, longer-lasting paint. Almost all quality latex paints are actually acrylic-latex paints.

Oil

Oil-based paints are “old school” paints. These paints start with a base of linseed oil with the other materials added to it. Because of this, oil-based paints need to be cleaned up with paint thinner (otherwise known as mineral spirits). For this reason alone, many do-it-yourselfers avoid using oil-based paints. However, there are certain applications where oil-based paints are a distinct advantage, and worth the extra hassle of cleaning your paintbrush with paint thinner:

High-gloss

Although there are a few acrylic-latex paints available on the market which are high gloss paints, they are extremely rare. Typically, if you need high-gloss paint, you need to buy oil-based paint.

Painting Metal

Latex and acrylic/latex paints don’t do well on metals. Essentially, metals are better heat conductors than other materials. Have you ever touched a metal gate on a hot day? It seems much hotter than wood or brick siding on the house because it transmits that heat to your hand better. This over-dries paint, essentially baking it onto the substrate. In the case of latex paints, this causes the paint to shrink, eliminating the rubbers' flexibility advantage and causing the paint to crack.

Epoxy

Epoxy paint, like epoxy adhesive, is a two-part paint. We can say it's a “thin,” tinted version of epoxy adhesive. Once the two parts are mixed together, the paint can be applied. Drying isn’t caused by evaporation, but by chemical reactions. For this reason, you can’t save the paint once you’ve mixed it. You’ve got about six hours to apply the paint to the substrate, then you might as well throw away the rest.

Interior vs Exterior Paint

You can buy many paint products such as interior or exterior paint. The major difference between the two is that the exterior paints are UV (ultraviolet) stabilized. That prevents the paint from fading over time. If interior paint is used outdoors, it will fade, unless used in a place where it won't be exposed to the sun, such as on soffits. However, exterior paints can be used indoors, without any problem.

Paint Sheen

The paint's "sheen" refers to how shiny it is. A higher shine or luster is created by making paint that has little to no porosity. Flat paints have more porosity. Typically, a high gloss paint needs a better-prepared surface, as it will show blemishes much easier than a flat paint will.

Flat

Flat paint finishes are the best thing to use when you have imperfections in your wall’s finish, which you want to hide. If your home is old, or if your wall texture isn’t as consistent as you’d like, this is what you want. Since the light reflects less off of these paints, they'll do the best job of hiding those imperfections. On the other hand, these paints are more porous, which causes them to both absorb more moisture from the air and stain easier. For these reasons, it’s best to avoid using them in kitchens and bathrooms.

Eggshell

Eggshell is the next step up in gloss from pure flat paint. Some manufacturers use the terms eggshell and satin interchangeably; however, in reality, they aren’t the same. These two sheets are the most commonly used for both interior and exterior applications in a home. For the interior, this sheen of paint cleans much easier than flat paints. But for the exterior, this sheen of paint resists water much better than flat paints.

Satin

Just as the satin fabric has more shine than an eggshell does, satin finish paint is slightly shinier than eggshell finish paint and they're essentially used for the same purpose. Which one you use is a matter of personal preference more than anything else.

Semi-gloss

When you want your woodwork to stand out or you want superior washability, the clear choice is to use semi-gloss paint. These paints are most commonly used for painted woodwork (as opposed to stained and varnished woodwork), or kitchen and bathroom walls. The drawback in using semi-gloss paints over satin finish paints is imperfections will stand out much more. It is essential when using semi-gloss or high gloss paints that you properly prepare your substrate, especially nail holes and drywall seams, to ensure a smooth surface your paint is applied.

High gloss

High gloss paints are typically only used for painted wood trim and wrought iron, providing a finish that stands out much more. As such, the only ones who use it for painted wood trim are individuals putting in wide, expensive trim.

Additionally, high gloss paints are used in some specialty applications where high washability and stain resistance are necessary. The only places you might see this would be in a home would be a utility room or a garage floor. Additionally, although it isn’t a residential usage, you occasionally find this in commercial kitchens.

Primers

There are some basic types of primers used in residential painting. I mention them because proper priming of your substrate is an important part of ensuring a long-lasting paint finish:

Regular primers

Almost all surfaces used in the building of home are porous. That means that the paint will soak into the surface, especially when it is new. Since paint can be expensive, this isn’t necessarily a good use of paint. Primers typically cost less than paints and seal porous surfaces to ensure your paint stays on top of the substrate. The other effect primers have is to form a good bond between the substrate and the paint, adding to the paint's lifespan. This is especially important with non-porous surfaces such as metals.

Stain-covering primers

These are used for repainting, especially repainting interior surfaces. Any stains on walls and woodwork (crayon, mildew, rust) tend to soak through the paint and show up, even after a new paint job. These primers, which are quick drying and tinted white, don’t allow the stain to soak through, instead of covering it up and sealing it off.

Block fillers

Although not really a primer, I’ve included this here with the primers, because it needs to be mentioned. Cement block, sometimes known as cinderblock, is highly porous. When painting with any normal paint, the paint both soaks into the block and doesn’t have enough viscosity to bridge over the larger dips in the surface. Block filler is an extremely thick primer that works to fill those dips and seal off the surface. Unlike other paints and primers, block filler is only good for about 75 square feet per gallon.

Block filler is also one of the hardest paint products there is to apply. You'll either need to use a 3/4" nap roller or a brush. When applying block filler with a brush, you need to stab at the block with the tips of the bristles, not just brush over it. This tends to destroy paintbrushes. So, you might want to buy a medium-grade brush just for the job, and then throw it away later.

Aluminum primer

Aluminum is one of the hardest substrates to paint as most paints, even oil-based ones, won’t stick to it. However, almost all houses have aluminum flashing on the roofs. While the flashing on the roof usually isn’t painted, it is painted when it comes down to meet a deck, or a lower roof, such as a separate roof around the porch of a two-story house. The normal procedure to paint aluminum is to acid-etch it first, and then rinse off the acid. Once the aluminum is dry, a special primer is applied before painting.

Which Paint For Which Application?

Okay, we finally get down to answering the real question, which paint should you use for what?

Exterior walls

Your easiest and the best bet will be an acrylic-latex flat or satin paint. If you are painting the house for the first time, make sure to use a quality primer/sealer before painting; some wood products even come pre-primed. If you are painting your home for the first time, count on two coats, likewise if you're making a drastic color change. If you’re covering a dark paint with a light one, count on three coats, although you might be able to do it in two. Be sure to clean the exterior if you're repainting your house, preferably with a pressure washer, before painting.

Exterior trim

You can use either satin or flat acrylic-latex paint for your exterior trim. If you’re painting your home for the first time, be sure to prime the wood with a quality primer/sealer before painting. All cracks split between the wood and sunken nail holes need to be caulked before painting. Be sure to scrape off any loose paint, especially if the wood is weathered, before painting.

Exterior aluminum

Acid etches the aluminum, and then rinse it off with clean water. Once dry, you can paint it with either acrylic-latex paint or oil-based paint. Since the aluminum is primed, latex and acrylic-latex paints will stick to the metal. For the best long-term results, I recommend using oil-based paint.

Exterior doors

Of anything on your house, the exterior doors and door frames take the most abuse. Two things, in particular, are common causes of damage to a door’s paint job which include keys, and shoes from kicking the door open or closed. For the sake of toughness, I recommend painting exterior doors with oil-based paints. Latex paints will work, but you’ll be repainting your door at least once a year to keep it looking nice.

Garage doors

This is the exception to the case that you should use oil-based paints on aluminum. You can use acrylic-latex paints on garage doors as long as they are pre-primed without worrying about the paint blistering and peeling.

Wrought iron fences & gates

Before painting new wrought iron, I recommend cleaning it well with a strong degreaser since steel mills use oil as a lubricant in the extrusion and forming of steel components. After cleaning, a follow-up phosphate treatment is recommended. This looks like light green water which you can buy in the hardware store, lumberyard, or paint store and is available under several trade names. The easiest way to apply your phosphate treatment is with a spray bottle. It will cause the surface of the metal to turn an uneven black as it dries. The final painting of the wrought iron (steel) should be done with two coats of oil-based paint.

Garage floors

The best thing for painting garage floors is epoxy paint. While a little pricey, it will give you the longest-lasting, chemical/oil resistant finish you can get. Before applying your paint, clean any oil and grease thoroughly off of the floor with a product designed for cleaning concrete. Once again, there are a number of these available on the market. If you can’t find them elsewhere, try your local auto parts store. Try and apply two coats of epoxy paint if you can; you’ll need to split your material in half, and only mix half of it at a time.

Interior walls for living areas

Personally, I prefer flat latex paint for interior walls; however, most people prefer satin finish latex paint. If you're painting on new construction, be sure to use a quality primer/sealer under your paint. Otherwise, your first coat of paint will soak right into the wall, acting as the primer. You will need to use two coats of paint for new construction. If you are repainting your home, one coat will work in most cases, except where you are making a drastic change in color, such as an accent wall. However, even in these cases, high-quality paints will often cover in only one coat.

Kitchen & bathroom walls

For ease in washing and resistance to moisture, you want to use semi-gloss acrylic-latex paint in these areas. While it's possible to paint them with satin paint, it won’t stay clean as well. See the section above on interior walls for information on priming and paint coats.

Interior trim

Depending on your personal preference, you can use either semi-gloss or high gloss paint for your interior trim. It is not necessary to use oil-based paint for this, as it really won’t add anything to the life expectancy in this case. If you are building your home, prime and apply the first coat of paint to your trim before installing it. This makes it so you only have to apply one coat of paint with it installed which is a great time saver. When repainting a surface, interior trim may need two coats depending upon the amount of damage to the existing paint job.

Children’s furniture

Most children’s furniture is painted with high gloss oil-based paint. This is done more than anything for durability. You don’t want that paint chipping and peeling. Once again, make sure you use a quality primer/sealer before painting. If refinishing, be sure to properly fill and sand all dings, cracks, and nail holes; prime those areas before painting.