Top 2022 Paint Selections for Your Home

Buyers’ preferences in colors are stronger than ever, especially this year. Buyers want cohesive clean spaces, so the trend is going in the direction of a clean look. Connecting your living space seamlessly so it appears more spacious, can easily be done by using one paint color throughout the main living area. The go to colors are white, light and airy colors. The latest trend throughout is mat white oak floors and white painted walls in a flat finish with satin white trim.

White may seem like an easy color to work with, but actually the variation in white paint makes this one of the most challenging colors to work with in the spectrum. Who knew there were over 100 variations of white wall color to choose from? Getting the science just right to produce a great re-sale result for my sellers has taken me over 3 years of trial and error. Every recommendation we have in this blog Suzanne has personally experimented with in her own personal residences and the residences of our customers. Can you make a mistake with white paint? Yes, you can make mistake with white paint, so this article is designed to help you make great choices in color selections and finishes for your home in 2022.

Interior Paint Technology and Color:

It is the little things that count and spending a little money on painting can advance your home’s resale by thousands of dollars. Selling your home for top dollar? Remember to appeal to what the buyers want even in a hot seller’s market!

My Top Picks in Paint:

Top Trim Colors:

A. Benjamin Moore’s White Dove

B. Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White

C. Benjamin Moore Simply White

D. Sherwin William’s Pure White

Trim paint should always be painted in a satin finish for best results. Avoid semi-gloss and flat finishes for your trim work. The most professional look and feel comes from a satin finish for woodwork.

Helpful Hint: Do not color match these paints! Color match is when you substitute one manufacturer for another and can lead to less-than-ideal results. For example, when you color match White Dove from another manufacturer it looks yellow. It is very important that you use the exact manufacturer of the paint selected for the results we are recommending.

Top Wall Colors:

A. Snowbound – Sherwin Williams

B. Silver Pointe – Sherwin Williams

C. Repose Gray – Sherwin Williams

D. Oyster White – Sherwin Williams

E. Divine White – Sherwin Williams

Walls should universally be painted in a flat finish unless it is a bathroom or kitchen. If it is a bathroom or kitchen select an eggshell finish.

I recently painted the interior of my home one color for the walls and one color for the trim. We used Oyster White in a Flat Finish for the walls and Dove White in a Satin finish for the trim. When you walk through the house room to room the light refracted through the windows changes the color from room to room. Once you add the furniture, the house flows seamlessly from one room to another. You add rugs and décor to change the feel throughout. Selecting one great color gives the home an open expansive feel buyers are looking for.

Top Exterior Paint Color:

A. White Duck – Sherwin Williams – great for creamy white exterior. Goes very well with Black Windows.

B. Decorator White – Sherwin Williams

C. Alabaster – Sherwin Williams – Great exterior finish in creamy white.

So tricky! What works inside does not necessarily translate to outside.

Exterior paint color is the most difficult and expensive mis-selection you can make. Get this wrong, and the outside of your home will look stark white with gray undertones which is cold and not inviting or you will select a white with yellow or pink undertones and this looks like a mistake. Drive around and examine the exterior paint colors of homes in your neighborhood, and you will find most builders and home owners got it wrong.

Oak Trim Recommendation:

If you are a home seller with an eighty’s vibe, consider painting your oak woodwork throughout your home. Sherwin Williams paint technology has advanced by leaps and bounds and they now make a white trim paint with Emerald Urethane - taking the place of high VOC oil based paint.

Best for oak trim: SW Emerald Urethane that is specifically made to cover the wood grain of oak woodwork.

You can also look into chalk paint by Annie Sloan that covers the wood grain completely https://www.anniesloan.com/annie-sloan-products/chalk-paint and gives a great mat finish. Mequon and Brookfield are filled with oak trim houses and the buyers cringe when they see it.

Strongly consider painting your oak trim to attract the best price to your property. Make sure all crown molding is caulked and painted professionally for your best results. Avoid semi-gloss finishes on interior woodwork, choose an enamel satin finish for best results.

Home has taken on a whole new meaning in light of the pandemic. Sparkling white walls and clean finishes help sell homes faster. In an era where cleanliness matters more than ever, the two top things to help your home sell in 2020 and 2021 are cleanliness and crisp white paint colors. White walls (paler colors) and white wood work are in and the strong dark colors of last year are out for selling your home.

Neutralizing your home’s interior and exterior paint color is very important to your home’s selling success. De-personalize your space and go soft neutral colors throughout for the best and highest price.