My Favorite Go-To Painting Products For DIYers (Updated 2023)

Favourite Normal Use Paint — Behr Premium Plus

That is my normal go-to paint for nearly every little thing. I’ll use it for furnishings, partitions, trim, and cupboards. You’ll discover that it’s the mid-range paint from Behr, and never the highest vary, most costly paint that Behr makes.

I’ve tried these different paints which might be supposedly larger high quality, and I’ve all the time come again to this one. I’ve personally by no means discovered an incredible distinction that justifies the elevated value. I simply actually like and like this one.

For portray partitions, I nearly all the time use an eggshell end, and for portray trim (baseboards, crown molding), I exploit a satin end. That’s not normal, as most individuals use a semi-gloss for trim, however I’m not a fan of tremendous shiny paint finishes. I desire a satin end for my trim. Don’t be afraid to step exterior of the “guidelines” on your own residence. In the event you’re like me, and also you don’t like shiny trim (or shiny anything as a normal rule), don’t suppose you need to observe some rule about utilizing semi-gloss or shiny paint on your trim.

After I use this product to color cupboards or furnishings or bookcases/bookshelves, I all the time use my favourite topcoat at the least on the tops and cabinets of the furnishings items that can get used and the place I’d place objects on the with my favourite clear coat, which you’ll discover under. So, for instance, the entire surfaces in our music room are painted with Behr Premium Plus — the trim, wainscoting, higher partitions, ceiling, doorways, and bookcases. However on the precise bookshelves the place I needed to put ornamental objects, I used a transparent topcoat for added safety.

Favourite Ceiling Paint — Behr Inside Ceiling Flat

It’s uncommon for me to color a ceiling a colour apart from white. I actually like how a white ceiling retains the room trying open and brilliant, so I solely use colour on a ceiling in very uncommon conditions.

I bear in mind the primary time I painted the ceiling in the lounge of our present home, and I believed it might be an amazing concept to hold the trim colour (Behr Polar Bear) proper from the crown molding onto the ceiling. It was terrible. For some purpose, the Polar Bear on the ceiling had very noticeable crimson undertones that have been by no means noticeable on the trim. So at a sure time each single day, it regarded like I had painted the ceiling pink. I like pink, however not on my ceilings! Polar Bear has been my go-to trim colour since our apartment days (so over a decade), and I’ve by no means observed any crimson undertones in it. But it surely positive turned pink on my front room ceiling.

So ever since then, I simply use pure white tremendous flat Behr ceiling paint proper out of the can, and I like that tremendous flat end on the ceiling that may conceal imperfections in contrast to the next sheen paint.

Favourite Paint For Darkish Colour Flat Partitions — Benjamin Moore Aura Matte End

For many of my life, I prevented matte end paints simply because they’re so finicky, particularly in darker colours. I imply, you simply brush your hand throughout them, and it’ll go away mild streaks which might be then just about unattainable to take away.

However then I found Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint, and it’s wonderful. After I desire a matte end on a wall (typically to cover imperfections that can present with the next sheen paint), Aura is my go-to for a phenomenal, washable matte end wall. It’s not low cost, however after I completely desire a matte end, it’s the one one I’ll use. That is the paint I used for the flat end darkish teal wall in our entryway.

Favourite Kitchen Cupboard Paint — Benjamin Moore Advance

Benjamin Moore Advance paint is an exceptional paint for kitchen cupboards. It goes on fantastically, dries to a sturdy end, and is straightforward to wash.

My one complain about this paint is that the bottom sheen accessible is satin, and to my eye (at the least when utilized in darker colours) it appears to be like extra like a semi-gloss. And with solely uncommon exceptions, I don’t like shiny paint finishes. So for me personally, Benjamin Moore Advance is a paint that I might select provided that I have been portray cupboards in a lightweight colour. In the event you’re portray your cupboards white, that is an incredible paint for that. In the event you’re portray your cupboards in a darker, richer colour, it’s nonetheless an incredible selection so long as you want a end that’s someplace between satin and semi-gloss.

Favourite Entrance Door Paint — Benjamin Moore Aura Grand Entrance

That is my go-to paint for exterior doorways. All of my exterior doorways are metallic, and I’ve all the time had a tough time getting a extremely fairly streak-free paint end on metallic doorways till I discovered Grand Entrance.

This paint is really easy to brush on, and it leaves a stunning end. I’ve discovered that it’s additionally very straightforward to wash, which is essential for exterior doorways. It’s not low cost, however I discover that the associated fee is definitely worth the ease-of-use, the sturdiness, and the cleanability.

Favourite Home Exterior Paint — Sherwin Williams Period

Relating to portray issues, I’ve the least quantity of expertise with portray home exteriors. However after performing some analysis on the outside paints which might be accessible, I went with Period from Sherwin Williams for our home, and I’ve been more than happy with it. I might select it once more with none hesitation. I used it on the pre-primed Hardiplank siding, the railings, trim, and columns on the entrance porch, and the shutters. Our home was painted in January 2018, and it has held up fantastically via the new Texas summers, and nonetheless appears to be like nice nearly 5.5 years later.

What has impressed me essentially the most is how properly it’s held up on my PVC shutters. I used to be warned by many individuals that I can’t paint PVC boards in a darkish colour, particularly not with our sizzling summers, and with a number of the shutters being in direct daylight throughout a lot of the day. However they’ve held up completely. I used to be noticing simply the opposite day how the colour hasn’t light, chipped, or peeled one single bit on these PVC shutters. It nonetheless appears to be like nice!

Favourite Water-Primarily based Clear Topcoat — Normal Finishes Excessive Efficiency Topcoat

That is the magic proper right here, y’all. That is it. That is my absolute favourite, always-have-on-hand, water-based topcoat. I’ve used this on furnishings, cupboards, doorways, frames and different small DIY tasks. I might coat every little thing in my life on this if I might. I purchase it proper right here on Amazon.

I merely can’t overstate how a lot I like this product. I attempted different water-based polyurethanes for years, and at last gave up on them. Regardless of how I attempted making use of the end — spray, brush, curler — I used to be by no means happy. I wound up with streaks or bubbles or cloudy areas.

Then somebody (and sadly, I can’t bear in mind who) advised me about Normal Finishes Excessive Efficiency Topcoat, and I’ve by no means regarded again. I might merely by no means think about using one other clear topcoat. If I’m out of this product, and my decisions are to attend a couple of days for an Amazon order of Normal Finishes, or go to Dwelling Depot and decide up no matter they’ve available, I’ll wait the few days. And that’s saying rather a lot for somebody like me who nearly all the time chooses speedy gratification.

After I painted the lavatory door within the studio toilet black, each time I touched it, it might go away marks behind simply from my fingers. So I topcoated it with the GF topcoat, and that stopped occurring. It fully modifications the texture of the paint, and makes it really easy to wash.

I painted my kitchen cupboards teal (they have been beforehand inexperienced) in 2017, and nonetheless, the end is almost excellent on them. I’m very tough on surfaces, however after six years, these cupboards solely have two tiny chips within the paint, and one in all them is on the cupboard door that’s opened and closed a number of instances a day (the one below the sink). I’ve by no means touched up the paint on these cupboards, and apart from these two tiny chips (concerning the dimension of a grain of rice), the end remains to be lovely.

This topcoat is so amazingly sturdy that I really feel fully snug portray kitchen cupboards with Behr Premium Plus, after which topcoating them with Normal Finishes, and figuring out that the end goes to final. If I have been to decide on one paint/end product that I couldn’t dwell with out, this might be it.

Favourite Primer For Furnishings And Naked Wooden — Zinsser Oil-Primarily based Cowl Stain Primer

That is my go-to primer for every little thing besides unprimed drywall. Because the identify suggests, it covers stains amazingly properly, and it’s a should for me when portray uncooked wooden. I nearly all the time brush it on, let it dry for a couple of hours (or in a single day, relying on the climate and how briskly it dries), after which it sands fantastically with 220-grit sandpaper. It’s simply so excellent for getting an amazing floor for a phenomenal painted end.

It’s oil-based, so it does stink. I attempt to use it exterior, or if that’s not doable, I’ll use it inside with a fan on and the window open. But it surely’s the principle go-to primer that I exploit, except I’m needing to prime new drywall or I would like a specialty primer for a selected use.

Favourite Primer For New Drywall — Zinsser Bullseye 123

And talking of recent, unpainted drywall, that is what I exploit to get it prepared for its first coat of paint. New, unpainted drywall is actually the one factor I ever use water-based primer on. For every little thing else (besides flooring and different very particular makes use of), I exploit oil-based Zinsser Cowl Stain.

However let me stress that I solely use this on new, unpainted drywall. If I had a state of affairs the place I had a beforehand painted wall that had one thing on it that is likely to be tough to cowl (like my music room partitions which have a design drawn with black Sharpie markers), I might use the oil-based Zinsser Cowl Stain to cowl it. This water-based product wouldn’t stand as much as Sharpie marker. So once more, this water-based primer is one which I’ll solely use with model new, unpainted drywall.

Favourite Primer For Flooring — Zinsser B-I-N Shellac-Primarily based Primer

This can be a new addition to my listing for 2023. I first used this primer to seal the knots within the entrance porch ceiling earlier than repainting it earlier this yr. It took a bit for me to get used to the product. It’s a lot thinner in consistency than the oil-based primer I used to be used to utilizing. However after getting used to it, I actually appreciated it, and it coated these knots (that had beforehand bled via the painted ceiling) very properly. I haven’t seen any of these knots reappear via the brand new paint.

So whereas I used to be happy with the way it labored on these knots on the porch ceiling, what actually offered me on this primer was how properly it labored on my studio flooring. After sanding the unique end to present it some “tooth”, I primed the ground with this primer earlier than portray it. These things is so extremely sturdy that it even stood as much as my very hyper 100-pound canine who all the time has lengthy claws as a result of he received’t let me (or anybody else) contact his toes. After I noticed that, I used to be offered! I don’t paint wooden floors typically, however any time I do any more, I received’t use any primer however this one.

Favourite Flooring Paint — Behr Low-Lustre Porch & Patio Flooring Paint

That is one other addition to my listing for 2023. I did a lot analysis on numerous paints and merchandise for portray flooring earlier than I began on my studio flooring, and let me let you know, the extra analysis I did, the extra confused and annoyed I turned. So lastly, based mostly on buyer critiques, I made a decision to present this Behr Porch & Patio Flooring Paint a go. I used to be actually involved as a result of I had determined to not use a topcoat on the ground since I needed touchups to be quite simple. So I might simply have the painted end with no clear protecting coating.

I do know it’s solely been a short time since I painted the primary half of the room, however I’ve been so unbelievably impressed with this paint. It’s not costly, so to be sincere, I wasn’t anticipating a lot. Effectively, it’s wonderful paint! At the least, that’s been my expertise.

Two days after I completed portray the primary half of the room, my canine was within the studio, and he was in his regular hyper kind. He was working and twirling and leaping on that flooring, and I used to be very nervous that he was going to scratch or chip or peel the paint along with his claws. He didn’t! After I lastly wrangled him out of the room, the paint was nonetheless excellent! I couldn’t imagine it. Most paint takes 30 days to totally treatment, and this was simply two days after I completed portray. That impressed the heck out of me.

I like how briskly this paint dries, too. I had to make use of painters tape to tape off the design, and I might solely do half of the design at a time, paint it, let it dry, after which paint off the opposite half of the design. I didn’t even wait 24 hours between these. After I was portray the again entry, I taped the second half of the design the identical day, and the painters tape didn’t peel up any of the paint in any respect. It’s wonderful stuff!!

So these are my important go-to merchandise, however I’m positive I’m leaving one thing out. When you have any explicit questions on portray (partitions, furnishings, cupboards…something), I’d love that will help you out! Over my 30+ years of DIYing, I’ve tried portray absolutely anything that can stand nonetheless, so I’ve realized fairly a bit about what works and what doesn’t work.

And if I’ve left something off of this “go-to merchandise” listing, I’ll add them as they arrive to thoughts, or as your questions deliver issues to thoughts.