Best Paint and Paint Reviews

The short answer

Most people start a paint search by asking “what is the best paint,” then buy whatever the store puts on sale. That works about as often as you would expect. The honest answer is that the best paint is the one matched to your surface, your sheen, and the wear that room will actually see. A washable eggshell in a hallway is a different product than a flat ceiling paint in a bedroom, and a cheap paint that hides well on one wall can look patchy on the next.

If you want a safe default for interior walls, start with a premium acrylic line: Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Aura, Sherwin-Williams Emerald or Duration, or Behr Marquee or Ultra. All of them are broadly available, easy to clean, and backed by manufacturers that state their coverage and durability clearly. Once you pick a tier, your finish choice and your surface prep matter more than the brand name on the can. If you are new to this, read our start here guide before you open a single can.

What matters when buying paint

Salespeople lead with price per gallon. That number matters less than these six, which are the ones we score when we test.

• Coverage. How many square feet a gallon actually covers per coat. Manufacturers state a theoretical spread, often around 350 to 400 square feet per gallon. In practice, texture and porosity cut into that, which is why you estimate from the surface, not the label. Our paint calculator walks through the math.
• Hide. Whether one or two coats fully cover the old color. Hide is where premium paints usually earn their price, especially over dark or bold colors.
• Washability. How well a cured finish resists stains and survives scrubbing. High-traffic rooms, kitchens, and homes with kids or pets reward paint that wipes clean without burnishing.
• VOC. Volatile organic compounds affect indoor air during and after application. Many premium lines now ship in low- or zero-VOC formulas, a real benefit if you are painting a room you sleep in.
• Finish. Sheen changes everything: flat hides flaws but shows every smudge, while satin and semi-gloss clean better but highlight imperfect walls. Match sheen to the surface and the room’s use.
• Price per square foot. A $50 gallon that covers 400 square feet costs less per wall than a $35 gallon that covers 250. Divide price by real-world coverage, then add a second coat for most color changes.

Prep tilts every one of these numbers in your favor. A clean, primed, well-sanded surface hides better and lasts longer no matter what you spray or roll on. See our surface preparation guide for the checklist.

The paint brands we test

These are the lines we buy and run through the same protocol. Prices are approximate retail per gallon and shift with sales and region, so treat them as a bracket, not a quote.

This is a starting grid, not a ranking. We are buying and testing these lines now, and the standings will come from measured coverage, hide, washability, and cost per square foot rather than from marketing claims. For the moment, pick the tier that fits your budget and the finish that fits your wall.

What’s coming in Wave 2

Our first wave covers the core paint categories. The next wave expands into specific surfaces and situations. These tests are in the queue and will publish as results come in — coming soon, not yet linked:

• Best exterior paint and best interior paint
• Paint for bathrooms, ceilings, trim, and doors
• Paint for wood, metal, concrete, garage floors, and basements
• Paint for decks, fences, porches, and brick
• Furniture paint and chalk paint
• Eco and low-VOC paint, one-coat paint, and washable paint
• The best white paint and paint for rental properties
• Comparisons: eggshell vs satin, flat vs matte, satin vs semi-gloss
• A full sheen guide and head-to-head brand comparisons

How to choose a paint in 10 minutes

Work through these steps in order and you will leave the store with the right product instead of the one on sale.

1. Name the surface and room. Drywall wall, ceiling, trim, or door? Kitchen, bath, hallway, or bedroom? This decides sheen and durability tier before price ever enters.
2. Pick the finish. Flat or matte for ceilings and low-traffic walls, eggshell or satin for most living spaces, semi-gloss for trim and doors that get wiped down.
3. Set a durability requirement. If the room gets scrubbed, go premium. If it is a rarely touched ceiling, a mid-tier flat is fine.
4. Measure the room. Wall area is length times height, minus doors and windows. Multiply by two for two coats, then divide by roughly 350 square feet per gallon. Add 10 percent for waste.
5. Check VOC. For bedrooms and occupied homes, look for a low- or zero-VOC formula.
6. Compare price per square foot. Divide the gallon price by the coverage you will actually get, not the label’s best case.
7. Commit to prep. Budget a third of your time for cleaning, patching, and priming. It returns more than any upgrade in the can.

How we test paint

We buy every product at retail so no manufacturer can hand us a ringer. Panels go through the same controlled application, dry, and cure schedule, then we measure coverage, hide, washability, and cost per square foot on identical substrates. The full method, including how we handle manufacturer-supplied samples, lives in our paint testing protocol. You can also see the broader approach on our how we test page.

Until those numbers publish, treat this page as the map, not the verdict. If a wall starts cracking, peeling, or flashing after you paint, our painting problems section walks through the likely causes and fixes.

Frequently asked questions

PaintReviews buys the products it tests at retail. Manufacturer-supplied samples are labeled and tested under the same protocol. Some links may be affiliate links that support testing; they never change rankings. See our commercial disclosure policy.