what kind of white paint for living room?

R

rosey

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hi, wonder if anbody can help-want to paint our living room white...very new to interior dec but I really like white..but have no idea what kind of paint looks best...gloss, matt, emulsion, silk/satin finish...
What do people normally go for whan painting a regular room..thought matt might be too dull- like the ceiling...but on the other hand high gloss finish might look odd...can anybody advise?
Also somebody said to me its better to get white with a tint of something else....again any advice would be welcome, Thanks
 
Gloss paint is generally used for the woodwork in a room - doors, frames, skirting boards, windowsills. You need emulsion for the walls. This comes in a variety of finishes, but I tend to lean towards satin, as it has a nice sheen to it.

Pure white can look a little cold, but if the room gets plenty of natural light then it just might work. My best advice to you is to pick up some sample pots of white with a hint of other colours (and maybe get a pure white too, just to try it) and try them out on the walls. Check them out at different times of the day, and you'll probably come to prefer one over all the others.

And remember - it's not that hard to change the colour of a painted wall, if you're not happy with the end result.
 
All the walls in my house are plain white. I chose that "lack" of colour because I have dark furniture and lots of things to hang in the walls. White goes with everything, whereas some other colour might catch the eye too much.
I basically use the walls as canvases

I wouldn't choose either a glossy paint. Normally they're plastic and tend to peel off with time.
 

Good post, Celtwytch. Also, I'd recommend that the emulsion you use would be washable, especially if you're choosing white. It means that if you get a smudge or mark on it, you'll be able to wipe it clean with a cloth without removing the paint as well.
 
thanks very much guys for all the advice..I went and got a few mini tester pots...went for different shades of white in matt emulsion that is washable..going to try them out now...cheers again for replies
 
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