Buy it at $20 to $28 a gallon for rentals, flips, starter homes, and bedrooms in light to mid-tone colors. It is 100% acrylic, low VOC, GREENGUARD Gold, and carries a lifetime limited warranty, which is more spec than that price usually buys, and Walmart tints the full deck on the spot. Skip it for one-coat deep color, for cabinets and trim that take daily abuse, and for any wall where a stain is the real problem.
Which Tribute Are You Buying?
"Tribute" covers more than the wall paint, and the wrong can will disappoint you in a predictable way. This review is the interior wall paint and primer.
Spec Sheet
- TYPE
- 100% acrylic interior paint and primer in one
- COVERAGE
- Up to 400 sq ft / gal in matte and eggshell; 300–350 sq ft / gal semi-gloss on smooth surfaces
- SHEENS
- Matte, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-Gloss
- TOUCH DRY
- 1 hr; 2 hr in semi-gloss
- RECOAT
- 2 hr; 4 hr in semi-gloss
- FULL CURE
- About 30 days
- VOC
- Low VOC; UL GREENGUARD Gold certified
- PRIMER
- Self-priming on prepped, coated interior surfaces; prime bare, stained, or glossy substrates separately
- SURFACES
- Interior drywall, plaster, primed wood, prepped trim and cabinetry in satin or semi-gloss
- SIZES
- Quart, 1-gal, 2-gal, 5-gal
- WARRANTY
- Lifetime limited — product replacement, not labor
- PRICE
- $20–28 / gal at Walmart and Sam's Club, dipping near $18 on sale
The Cure Reality
Touch dry is an hour in matte and eggshell, two in semi-gloss, and the recoat window is 2 hours, stretching to 4 for semi-gloss. Full cure takes about 30 days. That gap matters for one thing in particular: touch-ups. Inside the first month, a dab blends cleanly and nobody can find it. After the film has fully cured, the same dab dries at a slightly different sheen and flashes sideways to a window, and the only real fix is re-rolling the wall corner to corner. So deal with your dings early rather than saving them all up, and keep a labeled quart from the job for exactly that.
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
A deep navy or charcoal reads thin and blotchy after one coat
Why it happens: The up-to-400 sq ft coverage figure is a light-color number. In deep and high-chroma colors you are closer to 250 to 300 sq ft a gallon at proper film build, so one coat simply does not put enough pigment on the wall.
The fix: Plan two full coats from the start, and put a tinted primer underneath for the deepest tones. Do not try to fix it by rolling one heavy coat — that leaves lap marks and still reads uneven.
An old stain bleeds through the paint-and-primer
Why it happens: "Paint and primer in one" means self-priming on a sound previously painted wall. It seals a prepped surface; it does not block the stains a dedicated primer is built for — water rings, rust bleed, knot tannin, or a glossy old finish.
The fix: Prime those surfaces first with a real KILZ stain blocker, then paint. Relying on the self-priming claim over a water stain is the single most common Tribute disappointment.
Lap marks show up in matte
Why it happens: It rolls and brushes easily but levels acceptably rather than beautifully, and a fast hand outruns the open time in matte.
The fix: Keep a wet edge and work wall by wall, corner to corner, rather than jumping around. In a room where you are worried about it, eggshell hides the issue better than matte does.
A touch-up flashes months later
Why it happens: Once the film has fully cured, a dabbed spot dries at a different sheen than the surrounding month-old paint and shows up in raking light.
The fix: Touch up inside the first month, where it blends cleanly. Past that, re-roll the wall to a natural break — corner to corner — instead of spot-dabbing.
The matte scuffs and shows handprints in a hallway
Why it happens: Matte is forgiving on imperfect walls and lovely on a low-traffic ceiling, but it marks easily anywhere hands and shoulders reach.
The fix: Step up to eggshell or satin in any room that gets touched. Save matte for bedrooms and ceilings.
Application Settings That Work
- BRUSH
- Rolls and brushes easily with no fight, and a 3/8-inch microfiber roller is the right tool for light colors. It levels acceptably rather than buttery, so keep a wet edge and work corner to corner — a fast hand can leave lap marks in matte.
- PRIMER
- The self-priming claim is real on a sound, previously painted wall in good shape. It is not real over bare drywall, water or rust stains, knots, or a glossy old finish, and all four of those need a dedicated KILZ stain blocker underneath first. For the deepest colors, a tinted primer saves you a coat of finish.
KILZ Tribute vs Behr Premium Plus vs Behr Marquee
These three cover the budget-to-premium span most repaints actually choose between, and the honest answer changes with the color you picked and how long you plan to live with it.
| KILZ Tribute | Behr Premium Plus | Behr Marquee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per gallon | $20–28 at Walmart | $28–35 at Home Depot | $48–58 |
| Hide in deep colors | Two full coats, sometimes a tinted primer | Two coats as well — it is a wash | Honest one-coat hide on listed colors |
| Hide in lights and pastels | Often one coat | Also one coat | One coat |
| Certification | GREENGUARD Gold across the line | Not GREENGUARD Gold everywhere | The premium tier of the same house |
| Warranty | Lifetime limited | Comparable lifetime warranty | Premium-tier warranty |
| Wear in a busy hallway | Burnishes sooner than $50-tier paint | Slightly tougher film in high-traffic eggshell | Better burnish resistance at year three |
| Where you buy it | Walmart and Sam's Club | Home Depot | Home Depot |
Between Tribute and Premium Plus, the paints are close enough that store proximity decides it — live near a Walmart and Tribute is the easy call, live near a Home Depot and Premium Plus is. Tribute wins on price and on carrying GREENGUARD Gold across the line; Premium Plus wins on a slightly tougher high-traffic film. Neither is a one-coat paint in deep color. If the color has to read perfectly in a forever home, that is Marquee at roughly double the money, and it earns the gap in saturation and burnish resistance rather than in the spec sheet.
What It's Good At
- +Real value at the Walmart price — 100% acrylic, low VOC, GREENGUARD Gold, lifetime warranty at $20–28 a gallon
- +Clean coverage in lights and pastels, often one coat with a 3/8-inch microfiber roller
- +Low odor and a room you can sleep in the same night
- +A mildew-resistant dry film that holds up better than the price suggests in bathrooms and laundry rooms, in eggshell or satin
- +Touch-ups that blend cleanly inside the first month
- +A full tintable deck at the store counter, not a handful of pre-mixed cans
What It's Not Good At
- −Deep and saturated colors, where one coat reads thin and you are closer to 250–300 sq ft a gallon
- −Living up to the self-priming claim over bare drywall, stains, knots, or glossy old paint
- −Finish richness and burnish resistance against a $50 wall paint in a high-traffic hall
- −Matte in any room that gets touched, where it scuffs and shows handprints
- −Cabinets and trim, which want the Tribute Trim, Door & Cabinetry enamel instead
Honest Alternatives
The true bottom-dollar big-box wall paint, sold at Home Depot. A hair cheaper than Tribute and acceptable on closets, ceilings, and low-traffic bedrooms you will repaint soon. Weaker hide, no GREENGUARD Gold, no lifetime warranty. Right only when price is the single deciding factor.
Roughly double the price, and it earns it in deep colors: honest one-coat hide on listed colors, richer saturation, and better burnish resistance at year three. The right call for a forever home or any room where the color has to read perfectly.
The enamel sibling, interior and exterior, with a harder film for doors, trim, and cabinets. Do not put the wall-paint Tribute on a high-touch cabinet; use this instead when you are trimming out the same room.
Tribute Questions, Answered
Is KILZ Tribute actually a good paint?
For the price, yes. It is a low-VOC, 100% acrylic paint-and-primer at $20–28 a gallon with a lifetime warranty. It covers well in lighter colors and survives a wipe-down. The catch is coverage in deep or saturated colors, where you will usually need two real coats. Treat it as a strong budget wall paint rather than a premium one and it delivers.
Does KILZ Tribute need a separate primer?
On prepped, previously painted interior walls in good shape, no — the paint-and-primer formula self-primes. But the name oversells it. Over bare drywall, water or rust stains, knots, or a glossy old finish, prime first with a real KILZ stain blocker. Self-priming paint blocks light stains, not the things a dedicated primer is built for.
How does KILZ Tribute compare to Behr Marquee?
Marquee wins on one-coat hide, deep-color richness, and burnish resistance, and it costs about double. Tribute wins on price, full stop. If you are repainting a rental, a starter home, or rooms you will redo in a few years, Tribute's $22 gallon does the job. For a forever home where the color has to read perfectly, pay up for Marquee.
Where can I buy KILZ Tribute?
Walmart is the primary retailer, in store and online, with Sam's Club carrying the 2-gallon size. Amazon has third-party sellers, but per-gallon pricing there usually runs higher than Walmart's shelf. KILZ.com shows specs and colors but routes you to retail to buy.
What does the lifetime warranty actually cover?
It backs the original purchaser, on a properly prepared interior surface, applied per the label, when the failure is a manifest paint defect. It is product replacement, not a labor remedy — KILZ or Walmart will replace the can, and nobody pays you to repaint the room. It also excludes failures caused by substrate problems the paint was never meant to fix, like old paint releasing, moisture behind the wall, or mildew in a room you did not seal. Keep your receipt and document the prep.
How many coats does a deep color need?
Two full coats, and sometimes a tinted primer under the deepest tones. The up-to-400 sq ft figure is a light-color number; in a true charcoal, navy, or any high-chroma color you are closer to 250 to 300 sq ft a gallon at proper film build. One coat in those colors reads thin and blotchy.
Which Tribute sheen should I buy?
Eggshell is the volume sheen for living spaces, satin for kitchens and baths, matte for low-traffic bedrooms and ceilings, and semi-gloss where you want a wipeable shine. Matte is forgiving on imperfect walls but scuffs and shows handprints in a hallway, so step up a sheen in any room that gets touched.
Can I use Tribute on cabinets?
Use the Tribute Trim, Door & Cabinetry enamel instead. The wall paint will go on, but it will not hold up to handles and fingernails the way the harder enamel film does. Wall paint on a high-touch cabinet is a repaint you schedule for yourself a year early.
How soon can I put the second coat on?
Two hours in matte, eggshell, and satin, and four hours in semi-gloss, with touch dry at one to two hours. Full cure is about 30 days, which is the window that matters for touch-ups — inside the first month a dab blends, after that it flashes and you re-roll the wall.
Ask a Question
Mid-project with Tribute? Stuck between two cans?
Ask Maya below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day. Painted a room with Tribute? Tell us the color and how many coats it really took — the deep-color reports are the ones we want.