When it comes to painting the interior of your home, price is often a significant factor. However, does a higher price guarantee better performance? In this article, we will test 11 different types of flat interior latex paints, some costing up to four times more than the least expensive option, to determine if price truly makes a difference in paint performance.
The Paints Tested
We will be evaluating the following paints:
- Valspar Pro Express Coat - $12.98
- Color Place Interior Paint - $16.84
- Glidden Premium Interior Paint and Primer - $18.98
- Pittsburgh Paramount Paint - $21.98
- Dutch Boy Forever Paint - $29.98
- PPG Timeless Interior Paint and Primer - $33.98
- Valspar Signature - $38.98
- HGTV Home Showcase Paint - $40.98
- Behr Marquee - $44.98
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald - $50.04
Each paint will be tested for one coat coverage, stain resistance, cleanability, and performance on wood paneling.
Testing Methodology
One Coat Coverage
The first test involved applying each paint over dark green stripes to assess which provided the best one coat coverage. After allowing the paints to cure for 24 hours, we evaluated the results:
- Valspar Pro: Poor coverage; dark color still visible.
- Color Place: Better than Valspar Pro but still some shadowing.
- Glidden Premium: Good coverage for a budget paint.
- Pittsburgh Paramount: Slightly better than Glidden.
- PPG Timeless: Better than most budget options but still some shadowing.
- Valspar Signature: Slightly better than PPG Timeless.
- Behr Marquee: Excellent coverage, very thick consistency.
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald: Best overall coverage with minimal shadowing.
Next, we tested the paints on unprimed wood paneling to see how well they prevented yellow bleed-through:
- Valspar Pro: Poor coverage, minimal yellowing.
- Color Place: Better coverage but some yellowing.
- Glidden: Similar to Color Place with slight yellowing.
- Pittsburgh: Good coverage but noticeable yellowing.
- PPG Timeless: Good coverage with some yellowing.
- Valspar Signature: Better than PPG Timeless with less yellowing.
- Behr Marquee: Good coverage but more yellowing than Valspar Signature.
- Emerald: Best performance with minimal yellowing.
Stain Resistance and Cleanability
We applied various stains (crayon, permanent marker, and grease) to evaluate how well each paint could cover and clean these marks:
- Valspar Pro: Struggled with all stains.
- Color Place: Better than Valspar Pro but still visible stains.
- Glidden Premium: Similar performance to Color Place.
- Pittsburgh: Good at covering stains but some remained.
- PPG Timeless: Performed well, better than budget options.
- Valspar Signature: Good performance, slightly better than PPG Timeless.
- Behr Marquee: Excellent at stain removal.
- Emerald: Best overall performance in stain resistance and cleanability.
Final Rankings
After evaluating all tests, the final rankings for overall performance are:
- Sherwin-Williams Emerald: Best overall performance in coverage, stain resistance, and cleanability.
- Behr Marquee: Excellent coverage and good stain resistance.
- Valspar Signature: Strong performance, especially in coverage.
- PPG Timeless: Good all-around performance.
- HGTV Home: Decent performance but not as strong as the top contenders.
- Pittsburgh Paramount: Good value for the price.
- Dutch Boy Forever: Comparable to Pittsburgh but slightly less effective.
- Glidden Premium: Good for budget options but not the best.
- Color Place: Better than Valspar Pro but still lacking.
- Valspar Pro: The least effective in all tests.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you're looking for the best paint and are willing to invest, Sherwin-Williams Emerald is the top choice. For those seeking quality at a lower price, Behr Marquee and Valspar Signature are excellent alternatives. If you're on a tight budget, Pittsburgh Paramount offers good performance without breaking the bank. Ultimately, the right paint for your project will depend on your specific needs and budget, but this testing provides a clear picture of what to expect from each option.
