This page covers what goes in the can: sheen, type, coats, quantity and color. St. Louis adds two local twists. Old plaster walls show every flaw under shiny paint, and red brick sets the color scheme for most exteriors.
Price ranges on this page are national figures published by HomeGuide for 2026. They are not our quotes. Local labor, paint prices and the condition of your own walls, wood and brick move the number up or down. Last checked October 2026.
What sheen should I use for walls and trim?
Use a low sheen on walls and a higher sheen on trim. The usual choice is flat or matte for ceilings, eggshell or matte for walls, satin for kitchens and baths, and semi-gloss or satin for trim and doors.
The rule behind it: more shine is easier to wash but shows more surface flaws.
Eggshell or satin for living room walls?
Eggshell suits most living room walls. It has a soft low glow, wipes clean and hides small flaws. Satin is a step shinier and tougher. It makes sense in a busy family room, but it will show roller laps and wall repairs more.
Flat or eggshell to hide bad walls?
Flat hides bad walls best. It does not reflect light, so waves, old patches and plaster cracks fade from view. Old St. Louis plaster is rarely perfectly smooth, so a flat or matte finish is often the kinder choice.
Modern washable flat and matte paints clean up much better than old flat paint did. Eggshell is the middle ground if the walls are in fair shape.
Should trim be satin or semi-gloss?
Either works. Semi-gloss is the classic trim finish: bright, hard and easy to wipe. Satin is softer looking and hides dents and brush marks in old woodwork, which has usually been painted many times. On crisp new trim, semi-gloss looks sharp. On hundred year old casings, satin is often better.
What is the best paint for a bathroom or kitchen?
The best bathroom or kitchen paint is a quality acrylic in satin or a moisture-resistant matte, with mildew resistance. Kitchens also need a finish that stands up to scrubbing near the stove and sink.
The paint is only half of it. Humid St. Louis summers plus shower steam will defeat any paint in a bathroom with no fan.
What is the best paint for a high-traffic hallway?
A scrubbable eggshell or satin is best for a hallway, stairs or mudroom. These narrow spaces get touched, bumped and scuffed. Choose a durable line of paint here even if you save money in the bedrooms.
Keep a labeled jar of leftover paint for touch-ups.
What is the best paint for exterior walls in this climate?
The best paint for exterior wood and siding in St. Louis is a 100% acrylic latex. It stays flexible through freeze and thaw, lets moisture out, and resists fading and mildew. Exterior paint in this climate has to cope with humid heat, strong summer sun and winter cold.
Bare wood gets an exterior primer first. Masonry needs a product made for masonry that breathes. We choose the product for the surface and tell you what it is in the quote.
Can I use the same paint inside and outside?
No. Do not use interior paint on the exterior. It is not made for sun, rain or temperature swings, and it fails quickly. Exterior paint indoors is also a poor idea, since it is made with additives meant for outdoor use. Use each where it belongs.
Does expensive paint last longer than cheap paint, and is one brand better?
Better paint generally lasts longer and covers in fewer coats than cheap paint, because it has more and better binder and pigment. Paint is published at $20 to $80 per gallon nationally. Since labor is most of the bill, cheap paint saves little.
Brand matters less than the line. Every major brand sells a bottom line and a top line, and the top lines from the major brands are all good. Compare line to line, not name to name.
How many coats of paint do I need?
Two coats is the standard for an even, lasting finish. One coat can be enough when repainting the same color in the same sheen over sound paint. Three may be needed over a strong color, bare patches or new plaster, with primer counted as one.
How do I cover dark paint with a light color?
Prime first, then apply two coats. A dark wall under a light or white paint needs a high-hide primer, sometimes tinted grey. Without it the old color keeps ghosting through and you end up using more of the costly finish paint.
Why does the same color look different in different rooms?
A color looks different from room to room because the light is different. North rooms have cool, bluish light. South and west rooms have warm light. Bulbs, floors, and even the red brick next door reflecting through a window all shift the color.
Test a sample on two walls and look at it morning and evening before you commit.
What white will not look yellow?
A white with a neutral or slightly cool base will not look yellow. Creamy whites have yellow in them and look more yellow under warm bulbs and next to oak floors. Old oil-based white paint also yellows with age, most of all in dark rooms and closets.
Hold the paint chip against a sheet of plain white paper. The undertone shows at once.
How do I pick an exterior color that matches my roof and brick?
Start from what will not change: the brick and the roof. Find the main tone and the undertone in the brick, then pick trim colors that sit well with both. Red and orange St. Louis brick works with cream, warm white, deep green, black, charcoal and dark bronze.
Brown brick and buff brick lean toward warmer and earthier trim. Look at the colors outdoors on a large sample, against the brick, in sun and in shade.
How much paint do I need?
One gallon covers 300 to 400 square feet with one coat, by the published figures. An average room with 800 square feet of wall and ceiling takes about 2 gallons for one coat and 4 for two. A bathroom takes about 1 gallon per coat.
For an exterior with two coats, the published guide is 6 to 10 gallons for a 1,500 square foot house and 10 to 16 for 2,400 square feet. Rough plaster, bare wood and brick drink more.
Should the painter supply the paint or should I buy it?
It is usually simpler for the painter to supply the paint. The painter then owns the quantity, the product choice and any problem with a batch. If you buy the paint yourself, you carry those risks and the trips to the store.
Either way, the quote should name the product line, the sheen and the number of coats. Tell us if you have a color or a paint you want used.
Want help choosing? Call or text (314) 742-3507.