Safely store leftover paint (or dispose of it properly)
May 18, 2026
If you’ve never painted a wall before, the hardware shop is overwhelming. Here’s the short answer: get one kit and one tin of paint. Skip everything else.
The one kit
Our Wall Paint Pro Kit (€79) is the no-thinking choice. Two 9″ microfiber rollers (one as backup), four brushes in two sizes, tray with five disposable liners, 50m of low-tack tape, a 4×5m drop cloth, ten gloves, a stirring stick. Done.
If you can only buy one thing on a tight budget: a 9″ microfiber roller + cover, a 2″ angled brush, a metal tray with liner, and one roll of low-tack tape. That’s the absolute minimum.
The paint
We don’t sell paint. Here’s what to look for at any local paint shop:
- Water-based (acrylic, latex). Easier to apply, lower fumes, cleans with water.
- Matt or eggshell finish for walls. Skip satin or gloss for first-time painters — they show every roller mark.
- “Low VOC” or “zero VOC” on the label. Better for your lungs.
- Pre-tinted in-store — show them the colour you picked from our sample kit and they’ll match it.
Brand suggestions by region
- France: Tollens, Dulux Valentine, Astral
- UK: Dulux, Crown, Farrow & Ball (premium)
- US: Behr, Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore
- Canada: Beauti-Tone, Para Paints, Cloverdale
- Australia: Dulux, Wattyl, Resene
How much paint?
Use our paint calculator — enter your room dimensions and we’ll work out litres and kit count. The short version: a standard 12m² bedroom wall needs 2L for two coats.
What to skip your first time
- Sprayers — overkill, messy, hard to clean.
- Specialty tools (pad painters, edging tools) — solving problems beginners don’t have.
- Premium “designer” paint at €60/L — same finish from mid-priced paint and good prep.
- Three-step “anti-streak primer + paint + topcoat” systems — modern self-priming paint covers in two coats.
