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.
Portola Lime Wash: Honest Review (2026)
A breathable slaked-lime wash that dries to a cloudy, mottled matte and patinas with age. What Portola Lime Wash actually does on a wall, how it brushes on, and who should leave it to a pro.
Portola New Standard Acrylic Review: The Color Without the Plaster (2026)
Portola's New Standard palette in plain zero-VOC acrylic — the way to get the brand's earthy color depth on a normal rolled wall, skipping the Roman Clay and Lime Wash learning curve. Sheens, color, application, and where it's worth the boutique price.
Portola Roman Clay Review: The Troweled Plaster Wall (2026)
A lime-and-clay plaster you trowel on for a smooth, suede-matte wall with stone-like movement. What Roman Clay does to a room, how hard it really is, and where it earns its price.
Rodda CoverCoat XL Exterior: Honest Review (2026)
Rodda's ultra-premium PNW exterior, reviewed by a contractor. How CoverCoat XL's X-Link tech beats the wet — dry-to-rain in about an hour, paints into the cold — where the self-priming claim still falls apart on bare cedar, and how it stacks up against SW and BM.
Rodda Horizon Interior Review: A PNW Pro's Take (2026)
Rodda's zero-VOC interior workhorse, reviewed by a contractor. How Horizon lays down, hides, and scrubs in damp Northwest rooms, where it beats the nationals, and the one catch that decides whether you can buy it.
Rodda RESIST-X Review: The Scrub-Hard Wall Paint (2026)
Rodda RESIST-X is a 100% acrylic high-performance interior paint built for hallways, schools, and rentals. Where its scrub and burnish resistance earns the upgrade, and where regional availability and the PNW-only footprint bite.
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint: The Brand Hub (2026)
Is Annie Sloan paint good? An honest, beginner-friendly guide to Annie Sloan Chalk Paint — the original furniture and upcycling paint from 1990. How the no-prep, matte finish and wax-or-lacquer topcoat system actually works, the curated color palette, where it shines and where it doesn't, plus where to buy through stockists and the US online store.
HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams: The Brand Hub (2026)
What HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams actually is — Sherwin-Williams paint sold at Lowe's under the HGTV name. The Infinity, Showcase, Ovation Plus, and WeatherShield lines, the ~1,755-color HGSW palette, where it beats and loses to buying SW direct.
Hirshfield's: The Brand Hub (2026)
Hirshfield's reviewed for 2026 — the 130-year-old family-owned Minnesota paint maker and decorating retailer, its Historic color collection of 1,469 LRV-tagged shades, what it makes in Minneapolis, where to buy it, and whether a regional brand earns a spot against the nationals.
Portola Paints & Glazes: The Brand Hub (2026)
Portola Paints reviewed for 2026 — the Los Angeles family brand behind the designer-favorite Lime Wash and Roman Clay finishes, plus its zero-VOC New Standard acrylic line. The earthy, plaster-leaning palette, what the mineral finishes actually do, where to buy, and the learning curve to know before you commit.
Rodda Paint: The Brand Hub (2026)
Rodda Paint reviewed for 2026 — the Pacific Northwest manufacturer now merged with Miller as Rodda-Miller. The Horizon and RESIST-X lines, the Cascadia and Northwest Color Collection palettes with official LRV, where to buy in the PNW, and how a regional pro brand stacks up against the nationals.
C2 Paint: The Brand Hub (2026)
C2 Paint reviewed for 2026 — the boutique, designer-favorite brand built on full-spectrum color depth. The LUXE, Studio, LoVo, Cabinet & Trim, and Guard lines, the 496-color deck plus the Barry Dixon collection, where to buy, and a straight answer on whether C2 paint is good enough to justify the dealer-only premium.