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.
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)
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.
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.