what interior paint colors do they use on new construction?

Question

We are moving into a new house and my wife loves the new constuction look. (white trim and off white/tan/????/ on the walls) What color and Brand of paint do most people/contractors put on the walls with white trim.

Answer 1

As has already been mentioned above don't go with what the contractors have used because most times they are using contractor grade paint (if its new construction - if a client is paying for it that is different I have found) which if you really want it to last is not of the highest quality

I'm not sure what brands you have available to you but go with the best quality that you can afford as it will give you the longest wear for the cost.

For your living room, adult bedrooms, dining rooms - go with the velvet sheen (eggshell, satin). Rooms that have more activity and you might need more washability you can move up to your platinum or pearl sheen. For your trim use the semi-gloss because that is where most people grab onto (doors etc) and you will need to wash these area's more often. For the kitchen and bath you can use Kitchen and Bath paint - I know with both the brands I carry they are in a Pearl finish but also find that most of my customers are wanting to get away from the pearl sheen yet keep the benifits of the mold and mildew resistance that the K&B paint offers. There are brands out there (we have them) that offer the mold and mildew resistance at the velvet sheen.

One thing to remember that the higher sheen you go in your paint the more flaws will show on your walls as light reflects off of them either from natural or artificial light sources. Put two coats of your finish paint on your wall.

I hope this has helped

Answer 2

Brands will vary by painter, contractor, availability etc. Most all brands have varying degrees of quality in a wall finish. On a new home you will not likely find anyone using a top tier product and most likely a flat paint, as it is easier to touch up after the the walls are dinged and scrapped by others that are working on the house. I won't go into brands as it is most likely a moot point at this juncture, wait until you have to repaint or talk to the builder about upgrades. Eggshell is more durable but, it has to have a proper build to be at its best and you will likely be charged quite a bit more for using it and still not get the full benefits from it with only one coat over primer or two coats over bare drywall. Color wise, most new homes are a variation of bone/off/antique white and the likes. Colors you see on a sample tend to look lighter when put on a wall. Try to find a model home somewhere and ask the color or find one you like as it doesn't much matter who's color it is since most paint stores are able to make any color. For what it is worth, I have sold and used a few brands and for top end paints. Porter Silken Touch being my favorite. Pittsburgh Manor Hall is very good as is P/L Accolade. Ben Moore makes a good paint and has an excellent color system, but is overpriced compared to many.

Answer 3

In many of the model homes that I have worked on the builder has used Sherwin Williams paints with great success. If I was doing my own home I would use a satin or eggshell finish instead of the flat paint most builders use - it's a little more expensive but is much easier to keep clean especially if you have kids. Favorite standards for walls that I've done are the Dover or Navajo White.

If you have visited a model home center where you fell in love with a wall color ask the sales person or the builder what color they have used. Most will share that information with you and save you the guess work.

Answer 4

Model Home Paint Colors

Answer 5

You sure don't want what they put on because the poor painter on new construction gets the lowest pay for the beautiful results so we CAN"T use the top of the line to be cost affective. Most top brand paints are good and I don't mean Home Depots behr paints, use Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams and I've found ICI Dulux to be the best all around paint. As far as whites it's what you like, put a nice eggshell or velvet sheen on the walls and a semi-gloss for woodwork and flat paint on the ceilings, Good luck Les the painter Colors I used on my units were SW Dover white for walls and SW pure white for trim and pur white for ceiling!!

Answer 6

I'm going to assume for the sake of this idea that, the crown molding and trim is not white?? If that is correct, I'd leave it painted white and paint the walls a lighter version of the sandstone fireplace color. A couple of shades lighter. The white moldings will look great with a "soft light mocha". The ceiling should be a couple shades lighter than the walls, almost white but darker than the trim so the crown shows up nicely. You could also go with a couple of other colors using the same rule, walls lighter than the mocha shade and ceilings a few shades lighter than the walls for instance... pale light blues or blue/grays would look good with the mocha. Then a very light, almost white version of the walls for the ceilings, again the crown and trim, white. Warm light grays for walls and shades lighter for ceiling. When you are looking at the paint charts, the medium shades of the colors on the charts may work for the walls and the lightest shade on the chart, if nearly white could work for the ceilings. Use only latex interior satin or eggshell for the walls and latex interior flat for the ceilings.

Answer 7

A great color theme that is popular now is the Sherwin Williams colors of "hopsack" (the color of milk chocolate), latte (the color of latte) and the other colors on this particular palette. There are some lighter beiges on this palette as well. These colors are easy to decorate around and are terrific for painting a home that you're trying to sell. They're "neutral" yet they're fashionable and give your home color.
Also, another color that goes nicely with this color scheme, if you're doing your own home, is Sherwin Williams' "Rookwood Terracotta" from their Victorian Collection.
You cannot go wrong with these colors and they're easy on the eye and can be dramatic or subdued, depending on how you decorate. Good luck!

Answer 8

I am also a painting contractor and I work exclusivley in the luxury home market and we use Pratt and Lampert Accolade or Benjamin Moore Regal for walls and the enamel for the millwork is almost always Benjamin Mooer satin Impervo,as far as colors the various shades of brown/tans are popular ,,,Nomadic desert and latte both are sherwin williams colors are very popular as well as portobello...also a sherwin color,the kahki/sage greens are still hanging in there as well as very soft yellows.

Answer 9

Brian P,
Porter Paint is probably one of the best paints you can buy. Using an Acrylic Latex is probably your best bet. It covers good and it's easy to clean.
TDCWH

Answer 10

You will want to stay with "earthy" colors until you want to redecorate. Tan, green, blue, etc. and you might want to stick to semigloss because it is washable in case of messes.