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.
Best Water-Based Paint in 2026
Five water-based paints tested against each other — waterborne acrylic vs waterborne alkyd, walls vs trim. Top pick: Benjamin Moore Aura Interior.
Best White Paint for Cabinets in 2026
Five white cabinet paints tested for yellowing, leveling, and scrub-through — BM Advance in White Dove wins; SW Emerald Urethane in Extra White is the harder-film alternative.
Best Wood Floor Paint in 2026
Five wood floor paints tested across softwood porches, pine boards, and basement subfloor — adhesion, chip resistance, scuff, recoat. Top pick: Benjamin Moore Floor & Patio Enamel.
How to Paint Aluminum — Siding, Trim, and Fixtures
Painting aluminum across siding, trim, and fixtures: chalk wipe-test, TSP scrub, self-etching primer (Rust-Oleum or INSL-X Stix), DTM acrylic topcoat. Field-tested.
How to Paint Cedar Siding and Trim Without Tannin Bleed
How to paint cedar siding and trim without tannin bleed: when to wait six months, why Cover Stain beats latex primer, and the cut-end step that ends water wicking.
How to Paint Ceramic Tile: Floor, Wall, and Backsplash
Ceramic tile takes paint only if you bond it right. Full prep, primer, and topcoat guide for floors, walls, and backsplashes — what holds and what peels.
How to Paint a Concrete Patio
Painting a concrete patio the right way — etch, pressure-wash, prime, then a masonry-grade epoxy or acrylic with a UV-resistant topcoat. What survives a summer, and what doesn't.
How to Paint Exterior Metal — Railings, Gates, and Siding
Three-step exterior metal paint job: kill the rust, bond with the right primer, topcoat with a DTM acrylic. Ferrous vs aluminum vs galvanized — the prep changes for each.
How to Paint Fiberglass — Doors, Bathtubs, and Boats
Fiberglass paints up clean if you wipe it with acetone, scuff to 220, prime with Stix, and roll two coats of DTM acrylic. Tubs and boats need different chemistry.
How to Paint Laminate Furniture (the IKEA Malm Story)
Laminate furniture takes paint — if you bond to it first. Full prep, primer, and topcoat guide built around an IKEA Malm that survived two moves.
How to Paint Metal Siding
Painting metal siding the right way: pressure wash and TSP, self-etching primer over chalky old enamel, then a DTM acrylic topcoat that survives ten summers.
How to Paint Oak — Filling the Open Grain
Oak's open grain telegraphs through paint within a coat. Three finishes, three systems — leave the grain, fill it partway, or skim to glass. Plus the tannin block.