These top-tested brands and finishes can handle any surface in the home.
By Dan DiClerico and Nikolas Greenwald Updated: Jul 23, 2024 Save Article
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Our team in the Home Improvement and Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute loves to torture paint. We scrub it with abrasives. We splatter it with stains. We roll over it with a steel rod and scrutinize the evenness of the coverage. It’s all in the name of science — and the search for the perfect paint.
Here’s the truth, though: There’s really no such thing as the perfect paint. Sure, some paints are ideal for certain applications. But this is not a one-size-fits-all product category. And so you need to choose appropriately, the same way you with any paint-related product, from painter's tape to paint sprayers.
This round-up pulls together the top eight interior paints from our latest tests. Though you'll see a top overall pick on the list, we also included choices for specific parts of the home — the kitchen, the bathroom, high-traffic hallways, the front porch and so on. Our team might to love to torture paint, but we also like to see it shine in the perfect home environment.
When people come to me asking for a solid all-around paint that can be applied on walls and ceilings throughout the house, this Behr Marquee is always one that I recommend. The Home Depot exclusive is an extremely well-balanced paint formulated to handle a range of interior projects.
During extensive Lab tests, I was particularly impressed by its smooth, even finish and one-hour drying time. The Marquee also proved highly stain resistant and it can handle abrasions — whether from scuffs or a scouring pad — with the best of them.
As for color variety, Good Housekeeping's design experts like that Behr Marquee comes in more than 1,000 hues. Though it's on the pricey side, the one-coat coverage and paint-and-primer-in-one formulation mean you’ll save on material costs and spend less time wielding a roller or brush.
Best Value
If you're on a tight budget, go for this Glidden. It costs about a half to a third as much as the majority of our top picks, but it boasts a surprisingly smooth finish, one-hour drying time and the built-in primer means you can probably skip that step (though if you're painting new drywall, we still recommend a primer coat).
Of course, the low price comes with some trade-offs in performance. For example, the Glidden wasn't as good in our tests as others at resisting coffee and tomato stains, so it's not the best choice for a busy kitchen. But in low-traffic parts of the home — or to add a fresh splash of color to a rental apartment — Glidden Premium is one of my go-to's.
Smoothest Finish
Spending more on the HGTV Infinity gets you some of the smoothest results of any tested paint, along with a host of other attributes, making it worth the splurge if you're painting a room that you want to show off, like a living room or dining room. Our panel of consumer testers gave the paint high marks for color texture and finish quality.
The Infinity's coverage (a.k.a. "hiding power") was also exceptional in our tests, so a single coat should be ample for most projects, helping to offset the higher upfront cost of the paint. That said, the drying time can be up to four hours.
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Paint that's going to be walked on all the time must be extra hard-wearing, especially if it’s being applied to a surface with some exposure to the elements, like a covered porch. Designed for interior and exterior use, Dutch Boy’s Porch & Floor stood out in our durability tests for its ability to fend off wear and tear.
The paint went on thick in our application tests and dried to a hard finish in one hour, qualities you want in a floor paint (though not necessarily with other surfaces in the home, so keep this Dutch Boy off walls and ceilings). The paint also excelled in our fade-resistance test, enduring a week in our accelerator weathering machine, where intense UV light simulates years of exposure to sunlight. The Dutch Boy paint also comes in a special anti-skid finish ideal porches and other outdoor surfaces that get slick, whether from rainfall or the morning dew.
For a long-term field test, one of our consumer testers applied the paint to a set of concrete steps leading to the basement. The paint showed excellent signs of adhesion. "One coat provided excellent coverage, while two coats enhanced the depth of the paint color significantly," she reported. Consumer testers liked the plastic container with its twist-open top, pictured, though some complained that the built-in spout was too short for mess-free pouring.
Dan DiClerico/Good Housekeeping Institute
Best for High-Traffic Areas
Surfaces that take a lot of abuse, like the walls of a kitchen, mudroom or other busy part of the home, need a paint that can withstand wear and tear and also be hit with a scrub sponge without losing its shine. Sherwin-Williams’ Scuff Tuff Interior Waterbased Enamel was formulated with those scenarios in mind.
Living up to the promise in our Lab and home tests, the Scuff Tuff shrugged off 750 passes with fine-grit sandpaper without any sign of surface damage. As part of our long-term home evaluation, Laurie Jennings, general manager of the Good Housekeeping Institute, applied the paint to a high-traffic hallway in her home, pictured. “It went on easily, with a smooth finish and no signs of streaking,” she said. Jennings also liked the fact absolutely no odor could be detected during and after painting, a point supported by the paint’s GREENGUARD certification for low chemical emissions.
There was a bit more shine to the eggshell paint than she expected, something we also noticed during Lab tests, but that’s a factor of the exceptionally durable finish. It takes up to two hours to dry.
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Laurie Jennings/Good Housekeeping
Best for Bathrooms
Between the moisture, mildew and humidity, bathrooms are extremely harsh environments for interior paints. Sherwin-Williams Emerald is one of the priciest paints we tested, but our experts say it’s worth it for this room, thanks to its exceptional durability. It’s up there with the best for stain resistance, and it can handle a good scrub without losing its sheen.
Sherwin-Williams says its Emerald formulation contains antimicrobial agents that inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on surfaces, another reason to consider it for bathroom paint projects. The consistency of its finish was slightly less than that of other top picks, so we recommend a second coat. The paint requires two hours of drying time.
Best Low-VOC
Benjamin Moore is a favorite among professional painters because of its smooth, even application and fast one-hour drying time, attributes borne out in our latest tests. For people who are around paint every day, it also helps to work with materials with minimal chemical content. That's why we love this paint for homeowners and pros alike. Per its safety data sheet, Benjamin Moore's Aura had one of the lowest concentrations of hazardous materials of all tested paints, including very low volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
It also carries Benjamin Moore's Green Promise, a designation for products that meet or exceed rigorous environmental criteria regarding VOCs and emissions, including the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification. Performance-wise, the Aura proved durable in our tests, though its stain resistance was only fair.
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Good Housekeeping/Philip Friedman
Benjamin Moore's Aura paint delivered consistent coverage in our Lab tests.
Best One-Coat Paint
Exceptional coverage in a single coat distinguished the Valspar from much of the pack in our tests. That’s helpful if you’re painting over a dark color or you want to finish the job as quickly as possible. The Valspar, sold exclusively at Lowe's and available in nearly 1,600 colors, takes up to two hours to dry, but that shouldn't be an issue if you're skipping the second coat.
Some testers found the overall texture and finish quality to be rougher than other paints, a possible downside of the remarkably opaque formulation. So if you’re looking for that perfectly smooth finish, consider another pick, or at least test the Valspar Reserve on your walls first before making a final purchase.
Our product experts begin by identifying the brands and models that are widely available in stores and online. Hands-on testing in our Labs uses one-gallon containers in the same satin/eggshell sheen and shade of red to ensure consistency. Our testers start by painting sections of pre-primed drywall to assess ease of application, as pictured. We then bring in a panel of more than a dozen consumer testers to evaluate the finish and texture of the painted surfaces.
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Philip Friedman
Our durability test uses an abrasion machine that applies 750 passes with fine-grit sandpaper to simulate years of scrubbing and scratching, as pictured. To determine a paint's stain resistance, we apply oil, tomato sauce, crayon and other tough stains to a pair of test samples, allow them to set for five minutes and two hours, respectively, then try to remove the stains with a single, folded paper towel sheet and all-purpose cleaner.
We use opacity cards to determine coverage and consistency; testers use a syringe to deposit 3 milliliters of paint onto each card and then spread it with a metal applicator tool to ensure even distribution. To assess fade-resistance, we put 4"x 4" painted samples into our accelerator weathering machine for seven days, where the intense UV light simulates years of exposure to sunlight. Finally, our engineers complete a thorough review of safety sheets and technical data to determine health risks and sustainability.
Philip Friedman
Identifying the best paint brand and model for your project is an important first step, but there are still several things to consider in order to get perfect results (or as close to perfect as possible):
✔️ Figure out finish: A paint’s finish affects its performance, color and appearance. The three main options are flat, semigloss and eggshell/satin:
✔️ Choose your color: This can be the toughest decision of all, but it doesn’t have to be. Most major brands and retailers have color-finding tools on their websites that are helpful for zeroing in on the right palette for your project. Retailers also have color-matching technologies that mean you can get close to any color you crave in just about any brand. But it's always important to test a few colors out in your home. Paint chips are fine, but our experts also recommend buying small sample jars of your favorite hues and seeing how they look under the actual light conditions of your home. Painting sections of heavy paper, rather than the wall itself, will allow you to take the samples from room to room.
✔️ Calculate the amount: To determine how much paint you need, add up the total square footage of your walls, ceilings and other surfaces. A typical gallon of paint covers 350 to 400 square feet. Most brands and retailers have paint calculators that can help with the math. For large projects, buying 5-gallon containers instead of single gallons is a good way to lower material costs.
✔️ Prep the surface before you paint: Remember, the best paint in the world can't make up for shoddy prep work. Create a smooth surface by scraping away cracked or peeling paint with a putty knife. Fill gouges and gaps with caulk and spackling compound. Once all surfaces are smooth, give them a good dusting, ideally with a microfiber cloth, though a plain terry cloth towel will also work, then clean the walls with soapy water. Make sure the surfaces are completely dry before applying the first coat.
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I have covered the residential paints and coatings industry for nearly 25 years. In that time, I've tested all major brands and reported on key innovations, including the rise of low-VOC paints and the emergence of formulations that combine paint and primer in one. As director of the Home Improvement and Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute, I oversee all paint testing, working closely with our team of engineers and product analysts. I also manage any consumer surveys designed to capture homeowners' experiences with interior paints and other coatings. I'm a regular at trade shows, where I keep up with the latest industry innovations.
For this report, I worked closely with Nikolas Greenwald. As Data Engineer at the Good Housekeeping Institute, Greenwald works with all of our Labs to develop testing protocols and manage data collection and analysis. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2022, he worked in the labs of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, working on projects ranging from chemical inventory and reporting to the development of bioassays. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from Northeastern University.
Home Improvement & Outdoor DirectorHaving written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
Data EngineerAs a data engineer in the Good Housekeeping Institute, Nik (he/him) works with all of our Labs to develop testing protocols and manage data collection and analysis. Before joining Good Housekeeping in 2022, Nik worked in the labs of MIT and Regeneron, working on projects ranging from chemical inventory and reporting to the development of bioassays. He holds a degree in chemical engineering from Northeastern University.
