How to Choose the Best Paint for Exterior and Interiors

Choose paint for your interior and exterior that will look great and perform brilliantly too! Here’s how.

The type of paint you choose is just as important as the colour, and can have a major impact on the look of your home. But with so many different options available, the choice can feel overwhelming. The key is to buy quality paint in a colour and finish that suits the area where you’re applying it.

At Carlisle, we use premium Dulux® paint finishes for the interiors and exteriors of our homes. Not only do Dulux paints come in the most beautiful hues imaginable, but they offer superior colour performance and longevity so you know that your home will look incredible for years to come.

Read on to learn more about the specific Dulux finishes available, and to pick up practical tips on how to choose the best paint for exterior and interiors.

Why is it important to choose quality paint?

With paint, you get what you pay for. When you look inside the tin, one paint might look much like another, but you’ll really notice the difference between good-quality paint and the inferior stuff when you start painting your walls.

Premium paint is easier to apply, goes on the brush better, and requires fewer coats. Good-quality paints, such as those from Dulux, contain higher solid content – binder and pigments – which means paint dries thicker, giving a more defined colour. It’s also more durable and requires less maintenance – something that is particularly important when it comes to busy households and your home’s exterior.

Choose quality and your paint finish will also last longer too. It’s more resistant to flaking and peeling, and keeps its colour better for longer.

What are the best paints for exterior and interiors?

Interiors

For the interior walls of your home it’s important to apply a hard-wearing finish that allows you to wipe away most everyday scuffs, marks and stains with a damp cloth. Carlisle offers a range of matt finish paints perfect for your new abode, plus, you also have the option to upgrade to Dulux’s Wash&Wear 101 Barrier, so you can keep your walls looking freshly painted for years to come.

Dulux semi gloss paints have a mid-sheen level. They’re extremely hard-wearing and give a smooth, sleek look to your walls. Many designers consider it the ultimate all-rounder, perfect for your skirting boards and archways.

Exteriors

Given Australia’s harsh weather conditions, the paint you choose for your facade needs to be tough enough to cope. Dulux Weathershield, which is what we use at Carlisle Homes, provides a durable, long-lasting finish that protects your home in all weather conditions, plus it’s UV-, dirt- and mould-resistant.

It is formulated with special MaxiFlex Technology, which means that it expands and contracts with the surface of your home – so no peeling, flaking or blistering.

Dulux Weathershield comes in low-sheen, gloss and semi-gloss finishes, and a vast range of fashionable colours so you can give your exterior a show-stopping look that you’ll love.

And if you’re looking for ideas for a beautiful exterior colour palette, you won’t want to miss this story on the four timeless, Hamptons-style exterior colour schemes we custom-created with our partner Dulux.