What type of paint would be good for internal walls ..

20122013

washable and hard wearing ..

The decorators had used  Dulux diamond egg shell on the internal walls and ceilings and the result were disappointing  and they said that the paint was the problem as shows all imperfections and Vinyl Matt would have been better. 

I then tried to DIY,  and used Dulux Trade VInyl Matt on the areas which had not been re-decorated  The finish was (just) okay, as it was matt shows less imperfectiions but  new fresh water marks was showing. I had skimmed the paint on first coat and then applied 3 coats. 

Once dried I had painted 4th coat with B&Q  GoodHome Ultra Cover White Matt Emulsion. This is a one coat paint (very thick). I had also skimmed this paint. The walls looks patchy with orange peel effect.  I thought it was due to the 26C but even painting in 23C it had a slight improvement.  I think, the problem maybe the amount of paint I load onto the roller and the pressure and the speed I use to apply the paint.   I have to do a 20 feet x 18 feet room so hoping not to have to do 5- 6 coats to get it look ok.

Is there a paint that is wipable and kinder to imperfections (in whlte or a light color).  Any paint that is easy to apply and has a slower drying time would be great so I can roll over the paint to make it even before it starts to dry.

   

Edited at 07/07/25 08.44am added more information.

Emmia

If you want white, I've had great success with Zinsser permawhite paint . If you've got stains you want to hide the Zinsser stain blocke primerr is good as well.

Zinsser Perma White | Specialist Paint | Screwfix
https://www.screwfix.com/c/painting-decorating/primer-paint/cat850180?brand=zinsser&rangename=perma_white

Zinsser primer
https://www.screwfix.com/c/painting-decorating/primer-paint/cat850180?brand=zinsser&rangename=b_i_n

Grenage

For imperfections you basically want as matt as possible.  Your only options for a slower drying time are really to wait until it cools down.

You will always get a bit of orange peel effect with a roller, although it can be reduced by not laying the paint too thickly.

Albermarle

Dulux do a Diamond matt and a Durable matt.
Both are matt emulsion but more resistant to marks, scuffs etc 
They seem to be only available in  'Trade' versions.

I used something similar from Homebase in a bathroom and no issues, except Homebase paint not available anymore.
You can get similar in Wickes.
Wickes Tough & Washable Matt Emulsion Paint - Nickel No.205 - 5L | Wickes.co.uk

Eldi_Dos

20122013 said:

washable and hard wearing ..

Is there a paint that is wipable and kinder to imperfections (in whlte or a light color).  Any paint that is easy to apply and has a slower drying time would be great so I can roll over the paint to make it even before it starts to dry.

   

Edited at 07/07/25 08.44am added more information.

Sounds to me like the best course of action to take now is get a clean bucket of lukewarm water and a new sponge and wash down the area's you have recently painted, this may need done a couple of times.
Once this is done you hopefully will have a more uniform coverage and can then decide if you want to give a recoat to walls.
At this time of year with high temperatures it is best to leave paint tins in a sink of cold water overnight to keep the paint coolish and start painting very early in the morning before temperature starts to climb

20122013

Eldi_Dos said:

Sounds to me like the best course of action to take now is get a clean bucket of lukewarm water and a new sponge and wash down the area's you have recently painted, this may need done a couple of times.
Once this is done you hopefully will have a more uniform coverage and can then decide if you want to give a recoat to walls.
At this time of year with high temperatures it is best to leave paint tins in a sink of cold water overnight to keep the paint coolish and start painting very early in the morning before temperature starts to climb

Good point I will try the cold water. what would be a good temperature for painting is the tin says 23c to 30C but have not worked for me. I will be buying new paints Dulux Diamond matt and a Durable matt. and also some  Johnstone’s Covaplus Vinyl Matt ?

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

If ceilings are white use Anti Reflex 2

https://www.tikkurila.co.uk/anti-reflex-white-2

It reflects very little light helping hide imperfections.

Ectophile

A paint roller will tend to give an orange peel effect.  If you manage to get rid of that and get a perfectly smooth effect, you will start seeing all the imperfections in the wall again.

It's why wood chip wallpaper was invented!

ChilliBob

The comment above about AR2 is a good one, I used this on my kitchen ceiling, worked well.

Regarding walls, two thoughts, Crown Clean Extreme gets good rep from decorators online. Not tried it myself, but worth a look. It's Matt, and, well, you can clean it. As above Zinsser is good, but I'd use all coat, not permawhite, which is great but thin.

Orange peel effect could be because the roller sleeve has too long a pile (nap) if the wall is fairly smooth then a short/medium short nap will work well.

Paint on the morning, much cooler, will dry slower!

If it's already orange peel effect then painting won't solve this - you could (and it's really tedious) sand the walls (pole sander), to get it smoother. 

adrich

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm in a similar situation trying to find a durable, washable paint that doesn’t highlight every single imperfection! I’ve also struggled with the thick one-coat paints like GoodHome — great coverage in theory, but tricky to get right without getting that orange peel effect, especially if the roller's too loaded or the room is warm.

I’ve heard decent things about Dulux Trade Diamond Matt. Supposed to be more forgiving than eggshell and still wipeable. Haven’t tried Wickes’ Tough & Washable yet, but might give that a go. I do miss the old Homebase paints, though. I had good results with their bathroom emulsion a few years back. I called the homebase customer service and shame they don’t carry the same range anymore.

Let us know if you find a paint that actually works well on slightly imperfect walls. I’ve got a couple more rooms to tackle and don’t want to waste another weekend doing 5 coats either.

Albermarle

adrich said:

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

I'm in a similar situation trying to find a durable, washable paint that doesn’t highlight every single imperfection! I’ve also struggled with the thick one-coat paints like GoodHome — great coverage in theory, but tricky to get right without getting that orange peel effect, especially if the roller's too loaded or the room is warm.

I’ve heard decent things about Dulux Trade Diamond Matt. Supposed to be more forgiving than eggshell and still wipeable. Haven’t tried Wickes’ Tough & Washable yet, but might give that a go. I do miss the old Homebase paints, though. I had good results with their bathroom emulsion a few years back. I called the homebase customer service and shame they don’t carry the same range anymore.

Let us know if you find a paint that actually works well on slightly imperfect walls. I’ve got a couple more rooms to tackle and don’t want to waste another weekend doing 5 coats either.

As this is an MSE forum, this might make your mind up.

5 litres washable and durable matt emulsion .

Wickes/ B&Q - £22

Dulux 'normal' £40

Dulux Trade Diamond/Durable around £60/£65