Interior House Paint Guide: Choosing Type, Sheen and Colour

Which interior house paint should you choose?

The interior house paint that suits most homes is a water-based acrylic made for indoor use. Pick a version that is low in odour, washable and mould-resistant, then choose the sheen by how each room is used: matt or satin for calm rooms, satin to semi-gloss for rooms that get dirty or damp. This interior house paint guide is part of the painting and colour guides from Phuket Pro Painters.

Phuket is hot and humid all year, so interior walls hold more moisture than walls in a dry climate. The effect is strongest in rooms that stay shut for long periods, which is common in holiday homes and condos whose owners live abroad for part of the year. Choosing interior paint therefore means looking at three things together: the type of paint, the sheen level, and the extra properties that suit the room.

What types of interior paint are there, and what is each one for?

Paints used inside a home fall into a few main groups, by what they are thinned with and which surfaces they go on.

Walls and ceilings make up most of the area in an interior job, and both take water-based acrylic. Timber and steel take products made for those materials. Oil-based paint gives a hard surface that stands up to hands, but the smell is stronger and the room needs longer to air. The rest of this guide concentrates on wall and ceiling paint.

In Thai paint shops, wall paint is normally sold in two sizes: a gallon can for small rooms and touch-ups, and a 5-gallon bucket for whole floors. The exact volume and the area a can covers are printed on the label, and those figures are what a painter uses to work out the quantity.

How do matt, satin and semi-gloss interior paints differ?

The sheen of interior house paint affects both how a wall looks and how easy the wall is to keep clean. The general rule: the glossier the paint, the easier to wash, but the more clearly ripples and filler patches show.

Manufacturers do not all use the same names for sheen levels. One company's "sheen" can be close to another's "satin" or "eggshell". Look at a real dried sample in the shop, or ask for a sample card, before deciding. Older walls with several repaired areas usually look tidier in matt or satin.

Which interior paint suits each room?

What paint suits bedrooms and living rooms?

Bedrooms and living rooms are rooms people spend many hours in. Use a water-based acrylic interior paint in matt or satin, in a version whose label says low odour and low in volatile compounds. Pale shades make a room look larger and brighter. One feature wall can take a deeper shade without making the room feel closed in.

What paint suits kitchens and bathrooms?

Kitchens and bathrooms face steam, grease and frequent wiping, so use a satin to semi-gloss interior paint that is labelled washable and mould-resistant. Wall areas that take water directly, such as a shower zone, should be tiled or finished in a material designed for wet areas, because ordinary wall paint is not made to stay wet.

What paint suits ceilings?

Ceilings take a matt ceiling paint in white or off-white, which does not reflect lamps and hides the joints between plasterboard sheets. If a ceiling has a ring-shaped water stain, the source of the water has to be dealt with first. A stain-blocking primer then goes on before the top coats; otherwise the stain bleeds back through.

How is a condo unit different from a house?

Condo units often have limited ventilation and rely on air conditioning, so low-odour paint matters more than usual. The work also has to follow the hours set by the juristic person, the legal body that manages a Thai condominium for its co-owners. Owners planning to repaint a unit can read how the job runs on the condo painting service page.

How do you choose an interior colour without regretting it?

A colour on a small sample card usually looks paler than the same colour across a whole wall, and the shade shifts with the light in the room. These steps reduce the chance of a wrong choice.

1. Look at which way the room faces. A room that takes afternoon sun makes colours look warmer and deeper; a dim room makes colours look duller.
2. Start from what is hard to change, such as the floor, built-in furniture and curtains, then match the wall colour to those.
3. Choose a pale or mid-tone main colour and keep deep shades for a feature wall or for furnishings.
4. Paint a good-sized sample patch on the real wall and look at the patch in the morning, in the afternoon and under lamps at night.
5. Decide only when the sample is fully dry, because water-based paint is a different shade wet and dry.

White and pale colours are popular in Phuket because they feel airy and cool. White comes in yellow-leaning and blue-leaning versions, so compare the wall white with the ceiling and the skirting and keep them in the same family.

How does Phuket's humidity affect interior paint?

High humidity lets mould grow in room corners, behind wardrobes and on bathroom walls. An interior paint with mould-resistant properties slows the problem but cannot remove the cause. If a wall is damp because water is coming in from outside or a pipe is leaking, the paint film blisters and peels whatever grade of paint is used. Phuket Pro Painters does not take on waterproofing, structural crack repair or leak repair. The owner needs a specialist to fix the problem and the wall needs to dry before our painters can start.

A home that is closed up for long stretches should be aired from time to time, or run a dehumidifier at intervals. Regular airing does more for the life of interior paint than a higher paint grade alone.

What makes the cost of interior painting vary?

The cost of interior painting depends on the measured area of walls and ceilings, the condition of the existing surface, the number of coats, the paint grade and the hiring option. A higher grade costs more per can, but usually covers better and stays washable for longer. A neutral way to compare grades is set out in the guide to paint grades and brands in Thailand. Estimated rates are on the house painting prices page.

Should you paint the interior yourself or hire painters?

A single room with sound walls is a job an owner can do with time and the right tools. A whole house, high ceilings, or walls that need old paint scraped and many spots filled will get a more even finish from a painting team. Phuket Pro Painters offers an interior painting service that starts with a free on-site survey and measurement and a written quotation before work begins. You can buy the paint yourself or have the paint included.

If the outside walls are being painted in the same project, read the guide to exterior paint that stands up to sun and rain next, because exterior paint is chosen on different criteria from interior paint.