Painting - Best Cheap Interior Paint??

I am looking for the best cheap interior paint....or opinions on the brands...

We are renters so I'm not into spending $35+ a gallon on paint...not looking for quality that lasts etc like if I owned the home...wanting to do living room in a faux parchment finish so colors will be blended if that makes a difference...living room is 360 sqft...how many gallons approx would I need (their are some large windows) just wanting to make it look nice without breaking the bank.....

Thanks!

Pro's may disagree..but Behr may be your best bet for a commonly available brand. I don't think you can go much cheaper...though all brands (Ben Moore, Sherwin-Williams, etc) make cheaper lines of paint designed for rentals and apartment buildings that get repainted often. As long as you are not trying to drastically change the color, any of them should work ok. Stop by a real paint store, explain what the deal is, and get recommendations, then compare prices.

Square footage doesn't help, unless its the actual sq footage of the walls.

I would add that price per gallon doesn't tell the whole story. If a higher priced paint covers in 1 coat and the cheaper paint takes 2 - which 1 costs more! The ease of application also plays a part.

Does your landlord know of your painting intentions? can you get him to spring for the paint? or deduct it off of the rent?

Guesstimate would be around 900 sq ft based on 12 x 30 x 8 ft walls not taking into account windows etc.Assuming you're buying premixed paint start with three gallons and see how it goes.A gallon usually does 400 sq ft but coverage issues etc with lower end paint may be a factor.You can always return unused premixed paint (mixed paint policies vary by retailer as to returns).If you're doing the ceiling use ceiling white and start with one gallon.Decide on a trim paint color but cheapest and easiest would be a premixed semi-gloss in the same color and in the same line as the wall paint.Start with a gallon.

Watch Sunday paper ads for promotions on paint.Someone almost always has something on sale and it might allow you to slightly upgrade.Also look at hardware stores for store brand as both Ace and True Value have quality store brand paint and that includes lower priced lines.

Buy the best brushes and equipment you can possibly afford.The better the tools the better the job and buying really cheap tools will just make this job harder and look worse without helping you much since cheap brushes will push you to recoats etc.

Shop where you get knowledgeable help who can work with you to make this job turn out as well as possible under your money constraints.Big box stores have cheap paint but no decent help so you're somewhat on your own or you may encounter being steered to product and/or misinformed.

Be sure to properly prep the walls and trim by being sure they are clean and if the trim has a gloss that you lightly sand it with extra fine paper.Poor prep will give you problems.

Home Depot has Glidden for $9 a gallon, Kmart has something similar. 360 sq ft = 1 gallon, maybe two, for $20 you can do the job......

I agree with SPDAVID. Good brushes (bout $10) and good paint will usually cover in one coat. I have just painted the whole interior of a house and I used nothing but Valspar. I used the cheapo dollar store brushes for primer. Only place I primered was where their was cigarette tar stains. Cheap paint usually doesn't cover well and may need another coat. So, you end up spending the same and doing twice the work. As far as cheap paint goes, our landfill has a lot of free paint. They put the "good" paint that isn't dried up in a certain area for people to take. I have gotten some decent paint. I even painted my living room with some and everyone loved the color! Also, I have bought mistinted Valspar at Lowes for $10 a gallon. Just have to look around the paint department. I know their is always a lot at the Lowes near me. Hope this helps! Good luck! Jack :thumbup:

Visit your local Ace Hardware. Their paint is hard to beat for the price.

Ace Royal or True Value Easy Care. I am a True Value Employee and thusly biased, but I'll tell you that 9 dollar Home Depot Glidden is in fact a waste of money, it may seem alright but it's durability is terrible, it's just a terrible all around paint. Easy Care is usually around 20 bucks a gallon, and is great for coverage, and durability. It's not as good as Ben Moore, but it really is great paint, and you'll love the people at True Value most of the time.

I've used Glidden and it is horrible paint. It isn't cheaper when you have to use twice as much to cover. Also it is thin and splatters. I love Behr, which you can also get at Home Depot. It's a nice thick paint with good coverage. One coat is usually enough.

I guess I'll take a moment and defend Glidden. They make/sell some great paints but you won't find them at a big box. Like most/all paint manufactures they have a bargain basement brand that isn't fit to use. SWP and BM have similiar lines:eek: IMO nobody's bottom line coatings are worth using. You have to go mid line or better to get decent results. Most any manufacture's top line will out preform any manufacture's bottom line.

Unfortunately a lot of people have no experience with Glidden outside of the big box. IMO they really hurt their reputation when they started supplying paint to the big box at the big box requested price.

Yeah, the ACE-Royal is very good paint for the money.
(I work at an ACE store)

In the crowded "Mid-$20's/gal" market, I'll put ACE-Royal up against anyone. We go thru hundreds & hundreds of gal's/yr. of it...

Ralph-Lauren & C2 are higher-end lines. C2 is "Mid $40's/gal."

Yep...give the smaller Hardware/paint stores a shot!
Usually better paints, better advice, & they sure appreciate the business Beer 4U2!

Faron