Just remember, the placement of furniture around the room can change the appearance of the paint, impacting how the colour is reflected on the walls, so be mindful of this when planning your scheme.' For this reason warm white paints with undertones of yellow or red are generally recommended for north-facing rooms, where they'll look a lot less 'creamy' than they would painted in a room with a south-facing aspect.

Pure Brilliant White - Durable Matt Emulsion - Crown Paints Pure Brilliant White - Durable Matt Emulsion - Crown Paints

Cathryn Sanders at Earthborn says, 'Whites and off-whites can vary significantly depending on their undertone, with different types of natural and electrical lights impacting greatly on the perceived colour.' Because south-facing rooms are generally the brightest in the house, a brilliant white paint can often feel quite harsh, bouncing that strong light around even more. After all, no-one wants to have to wear sunglasses in their white living room idea! Clean up: It’s easier to clean up your equipment when using water based paints as you can simply used clean water. While white is versatile enough to work in almost any style, Marianne at Dulux, advises choosing something robust that’s easy to keep clean and pristine. ‘The finish is less important than the formulation, because white paint has the tendency to show up every little mark,' she says. 'You need to be confident that it will resist spills, scuffs and everyday wear-and-tear. Long lasting whiteness: Water based paints provide longer lasting whiteness compared to solvent based paints which can yellow slightly over time.Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux explains, 'It’s easy to understand why it can be so difficult to choose just the right white for your walls when there is so much choice.' The best white paint for your walls will depend both on your natural preference toward warm or cool tones, and the aspect of the room you're painting - so whether the windows face north, south, east or west.

Crown Pure Brilliant White - Non Drip Satin Paint - 2.5L Crown Pure Brilliant White - Non Drip Satin Paint - 2.5L

Prepping bare wood? Make sure you’ve treated knots and resinous parts with knotting solution and then apply our Wood & MDF Primer & Undercoat . They’re both made using water based formulations and can be used under both water or solvent/oil based paints. Not sure what that means? We’ll come onto that later! Crown Wood & MDF Primer & Undercoat What’s the difference between a primer and undercoat? Do I need one?

Ruth Mottershead at Little Greene adds, 'Many choose to use bright white in small rooms assuming white will the room appear larger, however light neutrals and soft colours used in a tonal scheme will have the same effect whilst not appearing too stark or cold.' Durability: Solvent based paints often provide better durability, so you may prefer to use these for outdoor applications, although our water based Wood & Metal Paints and Primers are also great for use outside the home. These undertones are amplified by the type of natural light a room gets, and can even be affected by the contents of a room which will reflect onto the walls and change the appearance of the paint hue, something worth thinking about when looking into white bedroom ideas. To get the best from a crisp white paint you need to put in a bit of prep. Charlotte Cosby, Head of Creative at Farrow & Ball, recommends applying a primer and undercoat to make the finish long-lasting and to fill in any small defects. If you're concerned that these extras will bump up the budget too much, then it can be useful to see what relevant home decor discount codes are currently live. The finishing touches make all the difference to a room, but sometimes painting woodwork and other decorative elements can seem like a complicated and long-winded task, and the idea of all that hard work simply peeling off isn’t worth thinking about. With these top tips and easy steps, ensure a perfect finish every time and decorate like a pro!

Crown Paints The ultimate guide to painting wood and metal - Crown Paints

One of our most popular whites is ‘Silent White’, formulated in the quest for the perfectly balanced, neutral-warm white for a calm interior, ‘Silent White’ adds softly spoken depth to an interior. Used in partnership with its lighter and deeper versions, ‘Silent White – Pale’ and ‘Silent White – Mid’ or ‘Silent White – Deep’ on other walls, the ceiling and trim creates a serene and inviting space.' What colour white is best for ceilings? White Clay, our most popular selling white, is balanced and traditional. Not as harsh as a brilliant white, it flatters all decors, and both north and south facing rooms.'Flora Hogg, at Craig & Rose adds, 'When swatching whites, use a pure white as a point of reference to see the true undertone of other white. However, be mindful they can seem dramatic as first due to the contrast but trust the process. Once applied, you will still recognise it as white, but you’ll also notice how it transforms and adapts with the light throughout the day.' If finding the right paint for your project feels like a foreign language, we feel you… so let’s translate. The best place to start is with whether you’d prefer a Gloss, Satin or Eggshell finish. These are the terms used to describe the level of sheen of the finished paint – basically how shiny it looks! So if you’re after a super shiny look, Gloss is the one for you. Satin has a slight shine but is much more subtle than gloss for a more modern aesthetic. And Eggshell is named as such because it resembles the look of an eggshell, i.e. almost matt with a very very slight shine. Once you’ve decided what level of shininess you prefer, you can choose what type of performance you’d like from your paint. When choosing a white, always try and get a feel for its undertones, particularly when using with another colour' says Dominic Myland, CEO of Mylands. 'A clean white such as our Pure White No. 1 consists of white pigment only, so it is wonderfully uncomplicated to use. When used overall in the space, it will give a very peaceful feel – a visual palette cleanser – or it can complement any colour on the spectrum.' Aaron at Coat adds, 'For walls and ceilings, you’ll want to choose a white water-based emulsion paint, probably in a flat matt finish, this is the best white paint for interior walls. White paints are available in large tubs, but avoid this low-quality stuff if you can. It’s usually a very cold, bright white, which is usually used for public spaces or in trade. This won't feel particularly welcoming when put in your home though.' A south-facing room gets a lot of natural daylight and can often be bathed in golden sunshine for a lot of the day. This means any underlying warm tones in a white paint - like yellow, red or brown - will be amplified, making a seemingly innocuous pale ivory white suddenly look decidedly yellow once on the walls.

Pure Brilliant White - Silk Emulsion, Walls - Crown Paints Pure Brilliant White - Silk Emulsion, Walls - Crown Paints

Emma at YesColours adds, 'A south-facing room will need a cooler white to counteract the warm glow of natural daylight, any white with a hint of blue or green is ideal.'When choosing the best white for your ceiling consider which option will coordinate best with your home's interiors, wall colours and furnishings,' explains Dominic Myland. 'Again pay attention to the undertones. Mylands Pure White No. 1 and Whitehall No.9 are great options available in our Marble Matt Emulsions. This is suitable for all interior walls and ceilings, including high traffic areas as they can be re-touched, wiped, washed or even scrubbed with no effect on colour or sheen.' You may hear people talk about paints being either water based or solvent/oil based, but what does that mean? This simply refers to the main substance used to carry the paint’s pigments and other ingredients, and these can either be water or a chemical solvent such as white spirit. Whether they’re water or solvent can impact the way the paint behaves.