Choosing colour
How do I pick a colour that suits my room?
Start with what is already there. A rug, artwork or fabric you like often contains colours that work well together, and permanent features such as cabinets, tile, flooring or a brick fireplace have undertones your wall colour needs to sit comfortably with. Then consider the room’s size, how much natural light it gets and how you want it to feel.
Some general guidelines paint makers and designers commonly give:
- Lighter colours tend to make a small room feel more open.
- Darker colours can make a large room feel more enclosed and cosy.
- Warm colours often suit social spaces, and cooler blues, greens and soft neutrals are often chosen for bedrooms, bathrooms and offices. This is a convention, not a rule.
- Using one neutral or one white on all trim and doors helps link rooms together.
- If you are mixing warm and cool shades, mixing warm and cool tones explains how to keep one temperature dominant.
What colour makes a house look expensive?
There is no single answer, and taste varies. Interiors that look polished usually share a few traits rather than one colour: a restrained palette, colours with some depth (soft greys, warm neutrals, muted greens or deep tones used with intention rather than stark, flat whites), consistent trim colour and a clean paint finish with sharp edges. Colour choice matters less than careful prep and application. A well-applied neutral generally looks better than a trendy colour with patchy coverage.
How do I test a colour before committing?
Do not choose from a small paper swatch alone. Paint a large patch on the wall, or use a large sample, and move it to different spots. Look at it in the morning, afternoon and evening, and with lamps on. Light, flooring and furniture all change how a colour reads, so give yourself a few days with your top choices.
Choosing paint and sheen
What type of paint is best for interior walls?
Most homeowners use water-based acrylic or latex paint. It is easy to apply, dries relatively quickly and cleans up with soap and water. Oil-based paint is less common indoors today, though some people still use it on trim for a hard finish. Low-VOC and zero-VOC options exist if you want less odour while painting.
Which sheen should I choose?
From least to most shiny: flat or matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss and gloss. Flat hides wall flaws but is harder to clean. Eggshell is a popular general-purpose choice for living areas and bedrooms. Satin and semi-gloss hold up better to wiping and are often used in kitchens, bathrooms, trim and doors. Check the manufacturer’s guidance for the specific product.
Do I need primer?
Often, but not always. Primer is typically helpful on new drywall, patched areas, stains, glossy surfaces and big colour changes. Paint-and-primer products can work well on clean, sound, already painted walls, but they do not replace a stain-blocking primer where one is needed.
How much paint do I need?
Many paints cover roughly 350 to 400 square feet per gallon per coat. Measure the wall area you will actually paint, subtract large openings if you like, and plan for two coats. The label and the paint store can help you confirm. Keep a small amount for touch-ups.
Doing the job
How do I paint my interior?
In short: clean and repair the walls, protect floors and fittings, prime where needed, cut in around the edges with a brush, roll the walls, let the paint dry, apply a second coat and finish with trim. Our interior painting checklist walks through each stage with a supplies list.
How long does it take?
A single room might take one to two days when you include prep and drying between coats. A whole-house repaint can take several days to a week or more, especially with repairs. Drying time depends on the product and conditions. Humid or cool rooms dry more slowly, as explained in interior painting and humidity.
Can I stay in the house while painting?
Usually, yes. Painters commonly work room by room so households can carry on. Ventilate the area, and consider low-VOC paints if odour is a concern. If anyone in the home is sensitive to fumes, is pregnant or has a respiratory condition, follow the product’s safety guidance and consider staying elsewhere for a short time.
Which rooms should I paint first?
There is no required order. Many people start with the rooms they use most or the ones that need the biggest change, or finish rooms in a sequence that limits furniture shuffling. If you are painting before guests arrive, entryways, living areas and dining rooms often take priority.
After painting
What if something goes wrong?
Peeling, bubbling, streaks and stains are fixable in most cases once you know the cause. See our guide to interior wall paint problems and fixes.
Does humidity matter?
Yes. High humidity can slow drying and affect adhesion and finish. See interior painting and humidity for more detail.
A few curiosities
What is the rarest colour of paint?
This is hard to answer reliably. Rarity could mean pigments that are expensive or historically hard to obtain, such as some traditional artist pigments, or simply colours that are seldom ordered. For household wall paint, most colours can be mixed on demand, so there is no widely agreed “rarest” shade.
Are there interesting facts about painting?
A few safe ones: paint colour can look different from wet to dry, the same colour can look different in different light, and curing continues for days or weeks after the surface feels dry. That last point is why newly painted walls are best treated gently for a while.