How to choose paint colours and finishes

Which sheen level is right for each room?

Sheen is how much light a paint surface reflects. More sheen means more washable and more durable. But it also shows surface flaws. And colours read slightly lighter in gloss than they do in matt 4dulux.com.auView source 5taubmans.com.auView source .

Choose by room. Traffic and moisture drive the decision, not personal preference. Matt in a kitchen wears badly. Gloss on a rough wall shows every bump 5taubmans.com.auView source .

Sheen levels at a glance

Five sheen grades used in Australian residential painting, from lowest to highest reflectivity 4dulux.com.auView source 6haymespaint.com.auView source :

For bedrooms and living areas, low sheen is the practical pick. It holds up to everyday use, conceals surface variations, and is easy to maintain. Matt works for dry, low-contact rooms (a study, a formal dining room), but it is harder to wipe down.

Kitchens, laundries, and bathrooms need low sheen or semi-gloss. Moisture, grease, and frequent cleaning are the test. For doors, trim, and architraves throughout the house, low gloss or semi-gloss gives the right durability and visual contrast. Knowing the sheen you want before you get quotes means you can compare like-for-like.

Water-based or oil-based paint: which should you use?

Water-based acrylic dries in 20–30 minutes and can be recoated in two hours. Oil-based takes 6–8 hours to dry and needs 16 hours before recoating 1duluxtrade.com.auView source 2haymespaint.com.auView source . For most Australian homes, water-based is the clear choice.

Outdoors, the gap widens. Water-based is flexible. It expands and contracts with the substrate, so it doesn't crack on timber. Oil-based hardens over time, and that hardness eventually leads to cracking on exterior timber in Australia's climate 1duluxtrade.com.auView source . Dulux Trade puts it plainly: water-based enamel is recommended 'where maximum exterior durability is the prime consideration' .

Oil-based also yellows indoors when not exposed to UV light. Ceilings and inside cupboard doors often show this within a few years 1duluxtrade.com.auView source . Modern water-based formulas are non-yellowing 2haymespaint.com.auView source .

The one exception is certain window frames. Water-based paint can stick casement frames when the film is soft, so oil-based may be more appropriate in those spots 1duluxtrade.com.auView source . Ask your painter. They will know the right system for your surfaces.

How to choose a paint colour that actually works in your home

Most people choose a colour in a paint store. Then they get home and the colour looks wrong. This is not the paint's fault. It is what light does to colour 7haymespaint.com.auView source .

Midday sun in Australia is bright and strongly blue-shifted. Whites look cooler. Warm tones look sharper. A soft beige in the showroom can read as cold grey on a south-facing wall. The same white can look very different in a dimly lit room compared with a room that gets a lot of light 7haymespaint.com.auView source .

Both Dulux and Haymes give the same advice: test the colour at home before you commit. Dulux says, 'To ensure best accuracy, test your colour choice at home by ordering Dulux sample pots, stickers and A4 colour swatches' 3dulux.com.auView source . Haymes suggests painting each sample onto card and placing it around the home to see it in both natural and artificial light through the day 7haymespaint.com.auView source . Observe it at morning, midday, and late afternoon. That is the only reliable way to know before an entire room is done.

For more help, Dulux's Colour Designers service sends a qualified interior decorator to your home 3dulux.com.auView source . Before ordering samples, the Dulux Colour Visualisation Tool lets you apply colours to a room photo .

Australian interior colour preferences run strongly toward off-whites and light neutrals. Current Dulux favourites include Snowy Mountains Half, Highgate, Vivid White, and Lexicon Quarter 3dulux.com.auView source . These work because they sit between warm and cool. They read well in most room orientations and age gracefully.

The Dulux 2026 Colour Forecast uses three palettes: Ethereal (cool and airy), Evoke (mid-tone earthiness), and Elemental (warm naturals) 3dulux.com.auView source . They are a useful starting frame if you want a colour with staying power.

Popular exterior colour schemes for Australian homes

Exterior colour is a different problem from interior. The area is much larger. The result is visible from the street. A wrong decision means repainting the whole exterior. Most popular schemes share the same structure: a neutral or mid-tone body colour, a lighter trim that defines the lines, and a door accent for a focal point 8dulux.com.auView source 9haymespaint.com.auView source . The trim colour is usually dictated by the colour you choose for the walls .

Six popular Australian exterior schemes from Dulux 8dulux.com.auView source :

Popular AU exterior colour schemes

Six named Dulux exterior palettes widely used in Australian homes 8dulux.com.auView source :

These schemes share a clear pattern. The body is always a mid-to-light tone, because dark body colours show dirt and fading more rapidly at exterior scale. The trim is lighter or sharper to define the architecture. And where there is a Colorbond roof, the body colour is coordinated: warm roof needs warm walls, cool roof needs cool walls.

Before you finalise anything, discuss the roof, fence, and landscaping with your painter. What reads well on its own often changes against a specific roof or fence line.

Does the paint system come with a guarantee?

Premium exterior paint systems come with formal guarantees. Dulux Weathershield® will not peel, flake, or blister 'for as long as you live in your home', provided it is applied to 'a suitable and sound substrate' per product instructions 10dulux.com.auView source .

Read the conditions. Residential properties only. Homeowner must be the occupant. The guarantee does not cover colour fade or substrate failure 10dulux.com.auView source . 'Sound substrate' is the key phrase. All loose paint, moisture damage, and surface defects must be fixed before a drop of new paint goes on. A premium paint system over a bad substrate will still fail.

The finish matters as much as the colour. When you ask for quotes, ask specifically: what is the preparation scope? What product system are you proposing? A well-prepared surface with a premium system lasts years longer than the cheapest quote with skipped prep.

See also: complete house painting guide for more on what exterior preparation involves.

What will painting your home cost?

Choosing the right paint is the starting point. A licensed painter applying it to a properly prepared surface is what makes it last. If you are still working out who to hire, see our guide to hiring a house painter. It covers what to check on a licence, how to compare written quotes, and what the price spread means.