From designer tips to expert-approved shopping lists, here is everything you need before painting your home Perhaps nothing changes the nature of a room more than a new coat of paint. But before you take up the brush or roller, check out these tips from the style makers we?ve recently featured in our House Calls column.
1. Use the best quality of paint you can afford
"Always buy the top-of-the-line paint for best finish and durability," says prop stylist David Anger. Anger?s Minneapolis home is done in Benjamin Moore?s Linen White with pops of color coming from accent walls and artwork.

The light blue walls are Clothesline Fresh by Valspar. Photo by Carmen Troesser.

2. Go green
Photographer Carmen Troesser says she doesn?t consider herself a master painter, but she says: "I do go for the very lowest VOC or no VOC paint, always." Not only is it good for the environment, it reduces that new paint smell. In her St. Charles, Missouri living room, she chose Clothesline Fresh by Valspar.
3. Prep with a thorough clean
Lifestyle guru Carlo Geraci painted his Brooklyn apartment in Benjamin Moore?s Antique Pewter. But before the brush hit the wall, he did a through prep. "Always dust and clean baseboards and trim before painting," he says. "I always use a Swiffer duster, then baby wipes. Baby wipes are gentle on the existing paint, but really lift dirt and residue."
4. Take the color on a road test.
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