Paint reviews, guides, and color
Independent paint and tool round-ups. Project step-by-steps. Color references and brand reviews. Every product pick lists a real con — no review without a real weakness.
C2 Studio Interior Paint: Honest Review (2026)
C2 color without the LUXE receipt. Where Studio's everyday-room value earns its dealer-only price and where the premium line still beats it.
Diamond Vogel Palisade Exterior Paint: Honest Review (2026)
Palisade Ultra Premium is Diamond Vogel's flagship exterior acrylic: 35°F application, advanced fade resistance, and a lifetime peel-and-blister guarantee. Where it holds up on Midwest siding, where it trails SW and BM, and where to buy it now that Diamond Vogel has exited its own stores.
Diamond Vogel Avalon Ultra Premium Interior: Honest Review (2026)
Avalon Ultra Premium is Diamond Vogel's flagship interior wall paint, built on the new Ultra White Base for strong hide and real scrub resistance, mixed at the counter. Where this century-old Iowa store brand beats the nationals and where regional availability bites.
Dutch Boy Dimensions (Discontinued): What It Was + What to Buy Now (2026)
Dutch Boy Dimensions interior wall paint is discontinued. Here's what the line was, why it's gone, and the current Dutch Boy paints to buy instead: Platinum Plus, Dura Fighter, and Forever.
Dutch Boy Forever Interior Paint: Honest Review (2026)
The Menards-exclusive value workhorse with the Twist & Pour jug. Where Dutch Boy Forever earns its budget price for rentals and flips, and where it falls short of Platinum.
Dutch Boy Maxbond Plus Exterior: Honest Review (2026)
Extreme Adhesion paint-and-primer for siding and trim, sold mostly at Menards. Where Maxbond Plus beats budget exterior and where it gives ground to Behr and Valspar Duramax.
Dutch Boy Platinum Plus Review: The Menards Premium Wall Paint, Tested (2026)
Dutch Boy Platinum Plus is a 100% acrylic paint-and-primer with stain-block, anti-scuff, and GREENGUARD Gold. Where it beats Behr Premium Plus and Valspar, and where the Menards-only catch bites.
Dutch Boy Pristine Review: The New Top-of-Line Menards Wall Paint, Tested (2026)
Dutch Boy Pristine is the brand's new most-premium interior paint-and-primer, launched April 2025. GREENGUARD Gold, lifetime warranty, real one-coat in the right palette. Where it beats Platinum Plus and where the Menards-only catch bites.
HGTV Home Infinity Paint: Honest Review (2026)
Is HGTV Home Infinity worth it? Sherwin-Williams' one-coat tier sold at Lowe's under the HGTV name. Where Infinity's one-coat claim holds, where it doesn't, and how it stacks against Behr Marquee at $46 a gallon.
HGTV Home Ovation Plus Review: SW-Made Paint at the Lowe's Value Price (2026)
Ovation Plus is the entry tier of the HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams line at Lowe's — zero-VOC paint and primer, scrubbable, $30 a gallon. Where SW chemistry on a budget wins, and where Showcase, Infinity, and Valspar Signature beat it.
HGTV Home Showcase Interior Paint: Honest Review (2026)
Showcase is the SW-made everyday-rooms paint at Lowe's, sitting between Ovation and Infinity. Where it earns its mid-tier price against Behr Premium Plus and Valspar, and where it doesn't.
HGTV Home WeatherShield Exterior Paint: Honest Review (2026)
SW-made exterior paint and primer at Lowe's. Where WeatherShield holds up on real siding, the self-priming honesty, and where it loses to Behr and Valspar Duramax.