When completing interior decorating jobs, we frequently get asked what’s the best emulsion paint?
We personally prefer to use:
- Macpherson Eclipe – For ceilings
- Johnstone’s Covaplus – For white walls
- Crown Trade Clean Extreme – For an emulsion finish that can be cleaned easily
- Zinsser Perma White – For mould-proof bathroom walls and ceilings
- Johnstone’s Durable Matt – For kitchen walls
- Farrow and Ball Modern Emulsion – For show stopping colours in your living room or bedroom
- GoodHome Tough and Durable – If working on a budget
Of course, there are plenty of other paints on the market that we are adept at using but in general, the emulsion paints above are the ones we would recommend to our customers.
Not only does it make our life easier as we’re used to applying them, but they’ve made hundreds of our customers happy over the years!
So why should you opt for these paints? I’ll give a quick review of each paint so you can make up your own mind.
Best Emulsion Paints
Macpherson Eclipse – For ceilings
Macpherson Eclipse is my favourite emulsion for ceilings due to the fact that it covers so well, doesn’t flash and comes with a significantly cheaper price than Tikkurila’s Anti-Reflex 2 despite performing as well in almost every area.
With a covering power of about 16m2/litre and covering in 2 coats almost every time (even over darker colours), Macpherson Eclipse offers real value for money as jobs can be completed quicker and at a cheaper price.
What I like:
✅ It dries within 4 hours and, as it covers in 2 coats, the job can be completed in a day.
✅ It’s very forgiving when it comes to touching up – touch ups never flash in critical lighting.
✅ Leaves a flat finish after back-rolling
✅ Quite simply, the price
What could be better:
❌ It can spit during application if it’s not watered down slightly
Johnstone’s Covaplus – For white walls
Believe it or not, some whites are whiter than others (if that makes sense?!).
And Johnstone’s Covaplus for me, is the best white emulsion currently on the market.
Not only does it have the best white finish, but it excels in pretty much every notable category.
Durable? Check. Easy to apply? Check. The new formula even allows for extra time to touch up where needed which is rare to find with a vinyl matt.
Of course, the opacity is the real strength of Covaplus. Very rarely does it take more than 2 coats to achieve a full white finish – even when applying over darker colours.
Perhaps the only thing better than the opacity is the price. At about £4 per litre (even less if you get trade discount) you really can’t fault it.
What I like:
✅ Cheap as chips
✅ Unbelievable coverage and opacity
✅ Can touch up without flashing
What could be better:
❌ Nothing – I can’t fault this paint
Crown Trade Clean Extreme – For an emulsion finish that can be cleaned easily
I’m a huge fan of Crown Trade Clean Extreme – especially when painting areas that need to withstand heavy traffic.
One of my main problems with scrubbable matt emulsions is that they’re not really that matt. For example, Johnstone’s Cleanable Matt (which is probably the second best scrubbable emulsion) has more sheen than Crown’s version.
Furthermore, I find that Crown have a slightly better colour-matching service than Johnstone’s so if you wanted to tint to Farrow & Ball (Crown actually own Farrow & Ball) or Little Greene colours, Crown’s going to give you a more accurate colour-match service.
Now let’s talk about its durability. I’ve used this stuff on many occasions and it always holds up well. It’s so durable that I’ve used it in a hospital (where it’s withstood vigorous cleaning) and a cake-making business without any issues.
I’d also like to give a special mention to its opacity. It really is one of the best covering paints I’ve used. Have a look at this example of a pink painting over a black in 1 coat (although I recommend 2 coats for durability purposes):
What I like:
✅ Covers incredibly well
✅ Can withstand thousands of scrubs
✅ Highly accurate colour-matching
What could be better:
❌ Dark colours can be subject to picture framing
Zinsser Perma White – For mould-proof bathroom walls and ceilings
Whilst Zinsser Perma White is fantastic for preventing mould-growth, unless you want to be applying 4 or 5 coats, it’s best used in conjunction with a vinyl matt.
Now that disclaimer is out of the way, I really do love user Perma White for problem surfaces that are prone to mould-growth. Like I said, if you put on a couple of coats of vinyl matt first, you won’t need to worry about the poor opacity of Perma White.
I’ve painted several bathrooms that lack ventilation and had issues with mould growth and I’ve never had a customer call me back after using this stuff.
Whilst the opacity isn’t there, I do really love the finish it leaves once fully cured.
What I like:
✅ It’s the best at stopping mould growth
✅ Leaves a lovely finish
✅ Isn’t too expensive when used in conjunction with a vinyl matt
What could be better:
❌ Of course, it would be ideal if I only needed two coats of this stuff but the opacity just isn’t good enough
Johnstone’s UltraLast Matt – For kitchen walls
When painting kitchen walls, a durable emulsion is a must. And my current favourite to use is Johnstone’s UltraLast Matt.
I was initially worried about the durability of this gear as I normally would opt for kitchen-specific paint but after using it for the first time, all my worries went away as it applied beautifully and still looks as good as new today.
The first thing I noticed with this product was the viscosity in the tin. When I initially opened the tin and gave it a stir, it was quite thin and I didn’t know whether or not this would affect the application or opacity of it.
Again, it applied beautifully – going on really smoothly with no roller marks or lines and blending in with the cutting in with no issues whatsoever. It covers up to 15m2 a litre as well which is very good.
All in all, it’s a delight to use and I have already recommended it to a customer who wants a very durable and hard wearing emulsion for his kitchen.
If you already use the Cleanable Matt or the Durable Matt you will love this.
What I like:
✅ Goes on like a dream
✅ The opacity is second to none
✅ With coverage of up to 15m2 per litre, it gets the job done quickly
✅ It’s very durable and can withstand scrubbing
What could be better:
❌ It has slightly more sheen than the Cleanable Matt which is a shame
Farrow and Ball Modern Emulsion – For show stopping colours
It’s undeniable that Farrow and Ball’s colours are to thank when you see super stylish living rooms these days.
And whilst some decorators flat out refuse to use Farrow and Ball, I’ve personally never had any issues with the brand and quite enjoy using them to be honest.
Yes, the price is high and other brands such as Johnstone’s and Dulux can colour-match Farrow and Ball’s colours but you can’t beat the original in my opinion.
Now, I always use Farrow and Ball’s Undercoat as that’s what’s specified. I’m not saying that the other decorators who have issues with this paint are not using the undercoat but it would certainly help with opacity issues.
My only real issues is that I need to touch in here and there, predominantly on the cutting in as there is a few thin streaks, but overall it’s there.
What I like:
✅ The colours
✅ Decent opacity when used in conjunction with the undercoat
What could be better:
❌ It could be cheaper
GoodHome Tough and Durable – If working on a budget
Having read mainly glowing reviews from fellow decorators about GoodHome Tough and Durable, I finally gave it a go a few months back.
I had a conservatory to paint (results shown below), ceilings white to white, and walls from magnolia to white.
On opening the tub, I found 2 things straight away. First, the (not unpleasant, albeit strange) smell of hazelnut (I haven’t seen anyone else comment about this, but my sense of smell is usually quite good).
Second, it has a consistency approaching that of treacle.
The tired but not dirty ceiling was done in ONE COAT – it honestly didn’t need any more. No flashing, no dragging, and beautifully white.
The magnolia walls needed 2 coats (neither of them heavy). I just back rolled and got great results. To be honest, it nearly covered in 1 but as I quoted for 2, I put the second on anyway.
It did need 2 coats for cutting in around the wall/ceiling join which I expected, but being all white this was no hardship.
Overall, for such a cheap price, it’s got great opacity and it’s really easy to roll out with my Hamilton Perfection sleeve. As I said, no flashing or dragging, and a great overall finish.
What I like:
✅ The price
✅ It has great opacity
✅ It’s very easy to work with a roller
What could be better:
❌ It’s pretty thick in consistency which might cause problems for some
❌ It kills your brushes
Conclusions
Emulsion paint may sound like a simple thing to buy but hopefully from reading this guide, you can see some of the nuances that go into buying emulsion paint.
My ultimate advice would be to buy based on what’s most important to you.
If you want the best colours then Farrow and Ball would be a good shout.
Similarly, if you’ve got mucky pets and kids with greasy hands running around the house, buying a durable, cleanable emulsion would be your best bet.
The only thing I would caution against is buying cheap emulsions. The price might be enticing but more expensive trade paint will typically have more pigment, better durability and will be so much easier to apply.
Whilst you might think you’re saving money by buying cheaper paint, you could find that you need to apply 4 or 5 coats to get your desired finish, ultimately meaning you’ve spent more money as you needed more paint to get the job done.
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