Paint

Paint and Supplies for At-Home Jobs

Refresh your home inside and out. Lowe's has all of the tools you need and the perfect paint colors from popular paint suppliers like Valspar and Rust-oleum. Select the color you've been dreaming of by browsing by color or color collection. Then, use our room visualizer to see your color in a room like the one you plan to paint so you can get a feel for how you like it.

Indoor Paint

When it comes to indoor paint, it's important to get the finish you want along with the coverage and durability you need. Choose your finish based on what part of the home you're planning to paint and how much traffic it gets, which will affect how often you may need to clean the space. If you're not sure where to start when buying indoor paint, our Interior Paint Buying Guide can help to lead you in the right direction. Think about what you want to feel in your room when choosing the color and consider how likely you are to get tired of something unusual or vibrant. Painting a colorful accent wall as a complement to neutral walls is a good way to introduce color to your home without overpowering the space. Our guide — Pick the Perfect Paint Color — explores the way different colors make people feel and expands on different paint finishes.

Don't neglect the ceiling or your doors and trims when you're choosing your indoor paint. Gloss paint highlights parts of your room like windowsills, banisters and moulding but would highlight imperfections if you used it on a wall. Flat paint is typically used for ceilings and any other place you want a low-reflective surface. It's also a good idea to stock up on painters tape to get sharp edges when painting trims and ceilings so you don't mess up your fresh walls, as well as different-sized brushes and rollers for all the surfaces you plan to paint. If it's your first time tackling an indoor paint job, our guide — How to Paint a Wall, Trim and Ceilings — will help prepare you.

Exterior Paint

Like indoor paint, exterior house paint comes in a variety of colors and finishes. Latex exterior house paint is easy to use and clean up if you're touching up trim, stucco or siding, and it withstands moderate traffic. Oil paint cures in three days and has a smooth finish that's ideal for high traffic exterior areas, but it may also require more maintenance over time. Depending on the weather and climate where you live, consider whether your exterior house paint will need to hold up against UV-rays, mold, and damp weather. For a big job like painting the outside your house, Lowe's has paint sprayers for sale to help make the task more manageable. Browse airless paint sprayers, HVLP paint sprayers and texture sprayers and find the one that's best for your project.

Don't Forget Primer

Whether your painting project is indoor or outdoor, you'll need to pick the right primer for the job. Priming porous surfaces, masonry, walls with previous color and anywhere you're looking to cover stains will help you achieve professional painting results and increase the durability of your color. Before you prime, patch up any holes and seal any gaps with repair supplies, caulk and sealants.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What type of paint is best for walls?

A: For interior walls, there are a few types of paint that work well. Satin-finish paint is scuff-resistant and has some glossiness. It’s durable and easy to clean. However, the sheen tends to reflect light, highlighting divots, patched areas and other imperfections.

Eggshell-finish paint contains coarse pigment particles, making the surface rougher than what you’d get with satin-finish paint. It’s a low-gloss paint that’s a good choice for medium- or low-traffic areas, and it does a better job of disguising imperfections than satin-finish paint.

Q: Can I paint without primer?

A: It’s best to use a primer prior to painting. Primer helps the paint stick better to the wall. However, if the surface you’re painting has already been painted and the paint is in good condition, you can forgo a primer. Some paints are self-priming, eliminating the need to use a separate primer. If you’re painting over an oil-based paint with a latex paint, you’ll need to use a primer since latex, which is water-based, won’t adhere. Also, if the surface is stained or if you’re painting a light color over a dark color, painting over a stained surface or painting unfinished wood, you’ll need to use a primer.

Q: What’s the most durable outside paint?

A: The type of paint you need to use depends on a few things, such as climate and the type of material you’re painting. However, you should always use a paint that’s designed for outdoor use when painting surfaces that’ll be outside. Acrylic expands and contracts, so it’s a good choice in climates where the temperature fluctuates. Latex paint is another option that dries quickly and, like acrylic, also expands and contracts with fluctuating temperatures. Both types of paint are durable.