Given our most recent paint adventures with our backdoor to our library built-ins, I wanted to answer some frequent questions we get regarding paint, and that is what paint colors do we have in our home currently. I would love for it to be as easy as giving one answer for the color paint but we use a lot of different paints in our home so it definitely required a whole blog post, and even then there are still thing to talk about regarding paint… but I hope that this is super helpful to you guys & that you are able to use this to help you pick the right type of paint for your project.
Sheen before color…
Before we get to the color options, we cannot overlook the different sheen options there are and where to use them. Sheen is the amount of “shine” paint has for lack of better words. Flat or Matte or those paints with little to no shine to it once it’s dry. As you move through the list below the amount of shine increases all the way to High-Gloss which essentially looks like its freshly painted or wet. Here is a general list of the basic sheens interior and exterior that paints come in.
- Flat or Matte
- Eggshell
- Satin
- Semi-Gloss
- High-Gloss
Flat paint or Matte paint has little to no shine to it. Considered to absorb light rather than reflect it, meant for low-traffic areas. You cannot clean these paints if it’s damaged or becomes dirty. If I had it my way our entire house would be in flat paint, but that is not very practical especially with a one-year-old running around with one-year-old hands… The recommended “general” use for this for bedrooms, with the exception of active children bedrooms. Other areas that won’t see a lot of children traffic like offices, dens, studies, or libraries are recommended. Full disclosure, with the exception of our kitchen, bathrooms, and Cope’s bedroom, we have flat paint on all the walls in our home. So far, Cope doesn’t really touch the walls, and (so far) we keep all dirty hands in the dining room. As he grows and become more free around the home this will probably change but I can attest as a new parent, you are okay with flat paint in your home with a kid one and younger.
The kitchen and Cope’s bedroom are painted with Satin paint. You are able to wipe down surfaces in the kitchen from cooking splashes anywhere around the kitchen without affecting the paint. The floors are painted with Behr Porch and Floor “Low Luster” which is essentially a satin paint as well. Semi-gloss is best used in spaces with moisture, and our bathrooms (that we haven’t tackled yet) are painted in Semi-gloss paint.
High-Gloss isn’t really used in most spaces these days, with the exception of a shiny garage floor. Semi-Gloss is a common sheen for kitchens if you want a little more durable paint and eggshell is a great sheen for those that want a little bit more durable paint then flat. Okay, let’s move on to the paint colors in our home, and what type of paint we matched the color and mixed it in.
Behr Premium Plus Ultra or Magnolia Home for interior walls in our home! In particular, I would recommend this paint if you have kids or pets that might ding up the paint a little bit. It is great quality paint and I love using this in our home. It is a bit cheaper than the other paints & makes it easier on your budget if you have to repaint due to kids or pets!
Behr Marquee is the next level up and works great on the interior walls of your home. This is the level of paint I would recommend if you don’t think your walls will easily be dinged up! It’s the next price level up but will last longer and is a bit better of quality, and also have a collection of one-coat colors if you are looking for a quick project without 2 or 3 layers.
Each Room in our Home
- Kitchen & Sunroom: Shiplap Walls are Sherwin Williams Pure White (color mixed in Behr Premium Plus), Trim & Ceilings are Magnolia Home True White
- Living Room: Shiplap Walls are Sherwin Williams Pure White (color mixed in Behr Premium Plus)
- Sitting Room/Library: Shiplap Walls are Sherwin Williams Pure White (color mixed in Behr Premium Plus)
- Master Bedroom: Farrow And Ball James White
Flooring
We painted the floors in our entire house using Behr Porch and Floor Paint Low Luster Enamel Paint. We absolutely love this paint for our floors and anytime we need to repaint we will use this type of paint again. Our floors are sealed with Pro Finisher Polyurethane. We used three coats of paint and two coats of sealer when painting our floors. To read more about our painted floors head over here!
Main Floor: Benjamin Moore Feather Down (mixed in Behr Porch and Patio Floor)
Upstairs Floor: Benjamin Moore Tapestry Beige (mixed in Behr Porch and Patio Floor)
Mudroom Floors: Benjamin Moore Feather Down (light color) & Benjamin Moore Grant Beige (dark color) (both colors mixed in Behr Porch and Patio Floor)
Furniture
We love using Fusion Mineral Paint and Magnolia Home Furniture Paint when painting furniture. I’ve found that they both are really great quality paint and I tend to switch between them just based on the color I want for a specific piece. We use Fusion Mineral Putty for all of the interior doors in our home and Fusion Mineral Champlain for our current kitchen island. I’ve used Magnolia Home Furniture Paint for different furniture pieces we’ve had in our home throughout the years! I personally love both of them and either would be a great option for painting furniture.
Special Surfaces
For special surfaces that you want a really high-quality finish Farrow And Ball Paint is a great option. I would use this to paint cabinets, bookshelves, or permanent furniture pieces in your home! This paint is a bit more expensive but looks like it is professionally sprayed on when you are finished.
I really really hope this answers the questions regarding what paint we have in our home as well as help you pick the right paint sheens for your house. We are clearly no strangers to painting spaces in our home so please feel free to ask us questions here or on our socials. We know how much paint can change a space, and absolutely love that everyone can take on a paint project. Thank you so much for stopping by the blog today and every other day.
