- Use eggshell on most walls, satin in busy rooms, and semi-gloss on trim, doors and cabinets.
- Water-based acrylic paint is the right choice for nearly all interior walls and home exteriors.
- Prime bare surfaces, patches, stains, glossy or oil-based surfaces, and big color changes.
- Test large color samples on the wall and check them at different times of day.
- A gallon covers about 350–400 sq ft per coat; plan on two coats.
Choosing paint isn’t just picking a color. The sheen, the type of paint and whether the surface needs primer decide how good a room looks, how easy it is to clean, and how long the finish lasts. This guide walks through each choice the way our painters do on every project in Lancaster County and South Central Pennsylvania.
Paint sheens, explained
Sheen is how much light the dried paint reflects. More sheen means a tougher, easier-to-clean surface, but it also shows every dent and patch. Here’s how the five common sheens compare:
| Sheen | Looks | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Flat / matte | No shine; hides imperfections | Ceilings, low-traffic walls, older walls with patches |
| Eggshell | Soft, low glow; wipeable | Living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms |
| Satin | Smooth, slightly pearly; scrubbable | Hallways, kids’ rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms |
| Semi-gloss | Noticeable shine; very durable | Trim, doors, baseboards, cabinets, bathrooms |
| Gloss | High shine; toughest finish | Railings, high-wear trim, accent shiplap |
A classic combination you’ll see in a lot of our work: eggshell on the walls and semi-gloss on the trim. The walls stay soft and forgiving while the trim gets a crisp, wipeable edge that stands up to shoes, vacuums and fingerprints.
Types of interior paint
Water-based (latex and acrylic) paint
Almost every interior wall today is painted with water-based paint. It dries fast, has little odor, cleans up with water, stays flexible and doesn’t yellow over time. Premium acrylic paints cover better and resist scuffs and stains, which matters most in busy rooms.
Oil-based and alkyd enamels
Oil-based paint levels out to a very hard, smooth finish, which is why it was long the standard for trim, doors and cabinets. It also takes much longer to dry, has a strong odor and tends to yellow in rooms without much sunlight. Many painters now use waterborne enamels on trim and cabinets instead: they give a hard, smooth finish like oil with the easier cleanup and non-yellowing color of water-based paint.
Specialty paints
- Mildew-resistant paint for bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms, where steam and humidity can lead to mold. See our kitchen and bathroom painting.
- Floor and porch paint for basement steps, porch floors and other surfaces that get walked on.
- Chalkboard paint for writable walls in kitchens, kids’ rooms and offices. See our chalkboard wall painting.
Types of exterior paint
Exterior paint has to handle sun, rain and Pennsylvania’s freeze-thaw winters, so it’s formulated to stay flexible and resist fading and mildew.
- 100% acrylic exterior paint is the go-to for siding and trim. It flexes as wood and siding expand and contract, holds its color and lets moisture escape.
- Oil-based exterior paint still has a place on some metal and heavily weathered wood, but it gets brittle over time and is used much less than it used to be.
- Exterior stains (transparent, semi-transparent or solid) are made for decks and fences. They soak into the wood instead of forming a film that can peel.
For most homes we recommend two coats of a quality exterior paint over a properly prepped surface. Done right, an exterior paint job typically lasts 10 to 15 years, depending on the location and weather it sees.
When you need primer
Primer is the step crews skip most often to save time, and it’s the reason so many paint jobs peel or bubble within a year. You need primer when you’re painting:
- Bare surfaces: new drywall, bare wood, or spots sanded down to the substrate.
- Repairs: patched drywall and puttied holes, so they don’t show through (“flash”) the finish coat.
- Stains and wood knots: water stains, smoke, crayon or knots need a stain-blocking primer or they bleed through.
- Glossy or oil-based surfaces: old oil trim needs scuff-sanding and a bonding primer before water-based paint will stick.
- Big color changes: going from dark to light (or the reverse) is faster and more even over a primer.
On every job, our painters scan the walls and trim, mark the spots that need primer, sand them and prime them before any paint goes on. It’s part of our interior painting process, and it’s the difference you notice a year later.
How to choose paint colors for your home
- Start with what stays. Floors, countertops, cabinets, stone and furniture have their own undertones. Pick paint that works with them.
- Test real samples. Paint large swatches on two or three walls and look at them in the morning, afternoon and at night. Colors shift a lot with light.
- Watch the undertone. Whites and grays lean warm (yellow, red) or cool (blue, green). Compare samples side by side to see it.
- Think about flow. Rooms you can see from one another look better in related colors. Many homes use one main wall color with accent walls or bolder colors in a few rooms.
- Use contrast on purpose. Crisp white trim and ceilings make wall colors look cleaner; a dark accent wall or ceiling adds drama.
How much paint you need
Most interior paints cover roughly 350 to 400 square feet per gallon per coat on smooth, primed walls. To estimate a room, multiply the length of all the walls by the ceiling height, subtract about 20 square feet per door and 15 per window, then divide by 350. Plan on two coats, and more for porous or textured surfaces or a big color change.
How we choose paint for your project
At Detail Painting Services, we buy our paint from Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams and PPG and match the product to each surface rather than using one paint for everything. During your free on-site estimate we’ll walk through each room with you, talk through colors and sheens, and recommend the right primer and paint for the job.
