Interior Painting Tips: How to Select Paint Colors That You’ll Love!

Picking the perfect paint color is hard! So Many Choices…

If the thought of staring at the wall of paint swatches makes you want to curl up in the fetal position and pull a blanket over your head, you are not alone. Deciding how to pick paint colors for your house can be stressful! How can anyone make the right choice?!? Luckily, we’ve learned plenty of great interior painting tips over the years we’re happy to share!

INTERIOR PAINTING TIPS: How to Pick Paint Colors For Your House

It is important to consider a few things when selecting the perfect paint color for your home:

• The Finish
• Amount of Natural Lighting
• Type and Quality of Paint

Picking Paint: The Finish

The most-used finishes are flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss. Semi-gloss is generally used on trim. I’d do an eggshell finish in bathrooms due to higher levels of humidity. Flat paint will minimize drywall imperfections and is easy to touch up – it is the most used on walls and ceilings.

Take into Account the Amount of Natural Lighting

When selecting paint colors, remember that the same color can look remarkably different in different lighting. Lots of natural light is great for darker colors and whites, but we suggest avoiding white in a space with little to no natural light because it can tend to look like a dungeon. (From experience, I attest that this is true. Definitely painted my office white – and it has no windows.)

In my humble opinion, Benjamin Moore paint colors are superior, but I’ve also spec’d a good amount of Sherwin Williams interior paint colors since the beginning of our house flipping journey.

Type and Quality of Paint Matters

Types of Paint

There are two main types of paint: Latex and Oil-based. Each has different applications and characteristics.

• Latex paints are water-based and quick drying. For most interior walls, this the type of paint to go with.
• Oil-based paints are best used on items that will take more wear and tear – like wood furniture or trim. Oil-based paints will certainly last longer, but it’s important to note that these paints put off more toxic fumes.

** One of the most important interior painting tips to remember: You can’t apply latex paint over oil-based. Ask my friend, Lindsey, over at Building Blue Bird about the big lesson she learned about this.

Quality of Paint

Each brand of paint has its own levels of quality. Of course, higher-quality paint is generally more expensive, as is its longevity. For our renovation projects, we tend to use the “middle of the road” option.

A Few Other Random Interior Painting Tips …

• A consistent color throughout most of your home makes for a unified look.
• Be sparing with darker colors – keep it to accent walls.
• We’ve found Olympic One Interior paint to be the best at covering up dark colors.
• You can use different shades of the same neutral to create the perfect color palette.

Specific Paint Colors We’ve Used And RecoMmend

Here are several popular interior paint colors that we’ve used on various projects. Maybe you will be influenced towards using them on your own projects! See the first three as an example of using different shades of the same neutral, creating a cohesive palette throughout a home. Nothing is exactly the same, but it doesn’t clash either.

Paint Color: Perfect Taupe by Behr

Only used at 50% of the pigment in the bedrooms (we used 25% in the hallways), but 100% Perfect Taupe in the living room.

Paint Color: Bleached Linen by Behr

We used Bleached Linen as the trim color, the perfect compliment to Perfect Taupe: A soft off-white that is not too yellow. As seen above, in the living room and below in the dining room.

Paint Color: Seaport by Valspar Signature

Interior Paint Color: La Paloma by Benjamin Moore

This true grey color is what I used to paint the lower set of cabinets in my kitchen. (Check out more kitchen reno ideas here)!

Interior Paint Color: French Grey by Sherwin Williams

We used this modern gray color in the bathroom of this flip. It looks best with crisp white trim and lots of windows.

Interior Paint Color: Light French Grey by Sherwin Williams

The complimenting color to French Grey, used in the same flip throughout the interior of the home. Be sure to buy this paint direct from Sherwin Williams, or else it will take on a purple hue.

Paint Color: Wythe Blue by Benjamin Moore

This is a beautifully muted color for a front door or porch ceiling. I’ve used it several times, including the fruity pebbles flip.

If you do use one of our recommended colors or interior painting tips, be sure to snap a picture and tag us on Instagram! We love following along on a renovation project.