Neutral paint recommendations please

Legacy_user

I've got to paint a 4 bed house from top to bottom to include the ceilings and all of the woodwork.
It's a rental property and so was wanting to ask if anybody has any recommendations for a specific good quality paint to paint the entire house with.

I want the colours to be nice but very "neutral" so most people will like them

Thank you

Norman_Castle

Do the ceilings and woodwork white, it lightens the room. Sand, fill and paint the woodwork, no need to strip, wear a mask as old paint can contain lead.

Magnolia is standard for rentals, do a tidy job and call it country cream.

Sedge123

Polished pebble by dulux and white for ceilings. Looks really fresh without being dated.

Slinky

Barley White

We have Barley White by Dulux on lots of our walls in our current (and previous) home. We also used it on the house we will move to but currently rent out. It's a nice warm but neutral colour and is available in 5L pot sizes which makes it economic to buy in large quantities. We were exceedingly fortunate that the one area we couldn't repaint in our rental home, due to not having access to long ladders to do the stairwell, turned out by sheer coincidence to be painted in Barley White matt, so we got away with touching up the odd marks.


We painted the ceilings white.

greenbee

Natural Calico

Dulux natural calico is an offwhite with a grey tone so it doesn't influence other colours.

Magnolia has a pinky undertone, Gardenia is yellow-toned.

If you are using whites/creams on the walls you can do the ceilings the same colour which saves time and effort.

I'd use matt paint on the walls, and also a matt option on woodwork as it is less hassle to apply (and I don't like shiny paint). If you are painting everything white, then make sure you use the same white on the woodwork. If using magnolia/gardenia/calico or other 'off white' paints then either go with brilliant white or choose a darker/contrasting colour. Greys work well with natural calico.

Heedtheadvice

Agree with Norman.
Neutral colours are best. There are quite a range of cold close to magnolia that will give similar effect but a slight variation such as bedrooms slightly warmer and kitchen, if well lit with natural light, slightly greyer.

Do use moisture resistant paint in kitchen and bathroom.


All areas can be water based paint. Less smelly, easier to clean brushes etc. faster to dry and therefore do the job. Matt emulsion for walks and suggest satin finish for woodwork - the finish of water based paint applied by brush is not as smooth as solvent based as it shows benchmarks more so satin makes them much less obvious.


As mentioned above preparation is key. Several brands of 'trade' paint available and can be cheaper but also a bit hit and miss in terms of quality and covering power.

bris

It's a no brainer, white ceilings and magnolia walls. White woodwork.


Don't overthink it. It's a renters and house builders default.


I use Leyland trade paint.

glennevis

I used Screwfix matt emulsion to freshen up my previous house. Used magnolia on walls, white on ceilings. £10 for 10 litres and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I can't comment on gloss paint since I didn't need to do the woodwork.

dunroving

Dulux Egyptian cotton is classy but inoffensive.

lucywillow

Another vote for Dulux Egyptian cotton. It's neutral but warm and looks good in all lights.
I bought the easycare matt version and it has stood up well to being washed where scuffs & marks have occurred.

Rodders53

Advice from the professionals that had to redecorate here after water escape is to use one of the Professional paints... less need for many coats to cover properly; also drip less.

They used Dulux Professional and/or Armstead Professional paints (another brand from the same company).

Woodwork: water based satin white is my preference. Not full gloss but still has a sheen.

Colours - your choice entirely. All white means no need for care when cutting into the wall-ceiling junctions and might suit some of the smaller rooms better?