Question 1

How do I pick an exterior paint colour that complements the red brick common on older homes in Saint John and Fredericton?

Accepted Answer

Red brick is one of the most versatile exterior materials for paint colour pairing, and the historic red brick homes throughout Saint John's uptown and Fredericton's downtown offer excellent examples of timeless colour combinations that work beautifully in New Brunswick's Maritime setting.

The key to complementing red brick is understanding its undertones. Most red brick in older NB homes has warm undertones — ranging from orange-red to brown-red — which means warm, earthy paint colours will cr

Question 2

What paint sheen should I use in each room of my New Brunswick home and how does humidity factor into that decision?

Accepted Answer

Choosing the right paint sheen for each room is crucial for both appearance and durability, and New Brunswick's variable humidity levels throughout the year make this decision even more important. The wrong sheen in a high-moisture area leads to peeling, staining, and frequent repainting.

Living Rooms and Bedrooms should use eggshell or satin finish. These sheens hide minor wall imperfections while still being washable when your kids leave fingerprints or scuff marks. In NB's dry winter months

Question 3

How do I choose a paint colour for my home office in Oromocto NB that promotes focus without feeling too dark or clinical?

Accepted Answer

Choosing the right paint colour for your home office is about balancing psychological comfort with practical lighting needs — aim for colours that energize without overwhelming, especially important during New Brunswick's darker winter months.

The key to a productive home office colour is finding what designers call the "focus zone" — colours that are calming enough to reduce stress but engaging enough to maintain alertness. Soft blues and greens are scientifically proven to enhance concentrati

Question 4

What paint is best for covering cigarette smoke stains and odour on walls in a New Brunswick home?

Accepted Answer

Covering cigarette smoke damage requires a shellac-based stain-blocking primer — standard latex primer will not hold nicotine stains back, and the smell will bleed through regular paint no matter how many coats you apply.

Nicotine and tobacco tar are oil-soluble, and they penetrate deeply into drywall paper, plaster, and wood trim over years of smoking. If you try to paint over smoke-stained walls with a conventional latex primer or even a latex stain-blocking primer, the nicotine migrates thro

Question 5

Is Dulux Diamond a good paint choice for a high-traffic living room in a Moncton home?

Accepted Answer

Dulux Diamond is a solid mid-to-premium choice for a high-traffic living room, and it holds up well in Moncton's climate — but a few details about finish and prep will determine how well it performs long term.

Dulux Diamond is a 100% acrylic latex interior paint that offers good scrubability, decent hide, and a fairly hard finish once fully cured. For a living room in a busy Moncton household — think kids, pets, furniture pushed against walls, and the inevitable scuff from a backpack or hockey

Question 6

What type of paint should I use on a concrete garage floor in New Brunswick?

Accepted Answer

For a concrete garage floor in New Brunswick, your two main options are epoxy floor paint and masonry/concrete floor paint — and epoxy is the clear winner for any garage that sees regular vehicle traffic, chemical exposure, or New Brunswick's freeze-thaw-related moisture intrusion.

Standard concrete paint (sometimes labelled masonry paint or porch and floor paint) is latex-based, easy to apply, and cheaper — typically 0-60/gallon — but it sits on top of the concrete rather than bonding into it.

Question 7

How do I colour match an existing wall paint in my NB home when the original can is gone?

Accepted Answer

Modern spectrophotometer colour-matching technology at any paint store can match an existing wall colour remarkably well — bring in a paint chip from an inconspicuous area of the wall and you'll get a match that's close enough for most touch-ups, or very precise for a full repaint.

The best sample you can give a paint store's colour scanner is a small, flat chip of the actual dried paint — not a photo taken on your phone under fluorescent lighting, and not a memory. Use a razor blade or putty k

Question 8

How do I choose between matte and eggshell finish for bedroom walls in my Fredericton home?

Accepted Answer

For most bedrooms in Fredericton, eggshell is the better choice — it offers just enough sheen to be wipeable without looking shiny, and it holds up better over time than matte in a room that gets more use than homeowners often expect.

The difference between matte and eggshell comes down to sheen and durability. Matte finish (sometimes called flat) has essentially no sheen — it scatters light completely and gives walls a soft, velvety appearance that looks beautiful on colour swatches and in mag

Question 9

What exterior paint colour lasts the longest before fading on homes in New Brunswick?

Accepted Answer

Lighter, neutral colours with earth-based pigments — whites, soft greys, warm beiges, and muted greens — fade the slowest on NB exteriors. Bright, saturated organic pigment colours (particularly reds, yellows, and some vivid blues) are the fastest to fade under UV exposure.

Colour fade on exterior paint is driven primarily by UV radiation, and NB gets significant summer UV despite its northern latitude. South- and west-facing walls take the most punishment — they receive direct afternoon sun th

Question 10

Should I use a paint-and-primer-in-one or separate primer and paint for my NB painting project?

Accepted Answer

For most real-world NB painting situations — bare wood, stained surfaces, major colour changes, or damp-prone areas — separate primer and paint will give you significantly better results than a paint-and-primer-in-one product. Paint-and-primer-in-one is best for refreshing previously painted surfaces in good condition.

Paint-and-primer-in-one products are a marketing concept more than a technical revolution. What they actually are is a thicker, higher-build paint with better hiding power than s

Question 11

What is the best ceiling paint for a New Brunswick home and does it need to be different from wall paint?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ceiling paint should be different from wall paint — and using a dedicated flat ceiling paint rather than ordinary wall paint in flat finish is worth it for the drip resistance, coverage, and the way it handles NB’s seasonal humidity shifts.

Ceiling paint is formulated specifically for overhead application. The key differences are thicker viscosity (which dramatically reduces drip and splatter when rolling overhead), high hiding power in a flat sheen that minimizes the appearance of imperfe

Question 12

What is the difference between latex and oil-based paint and when should I use each in NB?

Accepted Answer

Latex paint (water-based acrylic) is the right choice for almost every residential painting project in New Brunswick today — but oil-based paint still has specific applications where it genuinely outperforms, particularly on certain trim surfaces and where you need maximum hardness.

The core difference is in the binder — the part of the paint that forms the film and determines durability. Latex paint uses an acrylic or vinyl-acrylic resin suspended in water. It dries relatively quickly (touch-d

Question 13

What are the best low-VOC and zero-VOC paint brands available in New Brunswick?

Accepted Answer

The best low-VOC and zero-VOC interior paints widely available in New Brunswick are Benjamin Moore Natura, Sherwin-Williams Harmony, and Dulux Breathe Easy — all genuinely zero-VOC at the base, with minimal VOC added during tinting.

VOC stands for volatile organic compounds — the chemical solvents in paint that off-gas as the paint dries and cure. Traditional paints can contain 150-400 grams of VOC per litre. Health Canada’s limits for interior architectural coatings are 50 g/L for flat finishe

Question 14

What paint colour trends are popular for New Brunswick homes in 2026?

Accepted Answer

In 2026, NB homeowners are gravitating toward warm neutrals, deep earthy tones, and nature-inspired greens — a shift away from the cool greys that dominated the previous decade, toward colours that feel grounded and connected to the Maritime landscape.

The grey-everything trend of the 2010s has definitively faded. What is replacing it in homes across Moncton, Fredericton, and Saint John is a palette that feels warmer and more personal. Warm whites and off-whites continue to be the safest and mo

Question 15

Is Benjamin Moore paint worth the higher price compared to Behr for interior painting in NB?

Accepted Answer

For most interior painting projects in New Brunswick, Benjamin Moore is worth the extra cost — but the real question is where you are painting and how long you want the results to last.

The price gap between the two is real. Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Aura typically runs $65-80/gallon at an independent paint store, while Behr Ultra or Premium Plus at Home Depot lands at $40-55/gallon. That difference adds up on a full house repaint. But paint is not just a colour on the wall — it is a film-

Question 16

Benjamin Moore vs Sherwin-Williams for NB exterior painting — which brand performs better in Maritime climate?

Accepted Answer

Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams are excellent choices for New Brunswick exterior painting — the honest answer is that either brand’s top-tier 100% acrylic latex will hold up in Maritime conditions, and the better question is which product line fits your specific situation.

That said, there are real differences between the two that matter in NB’s climate. Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior and Regal Select Exterior are known for exceptional colour depth, UV resistance, and outstanding adhesio

Question 17

What paint sheen should I use in a kitchen in New Brunswick where walls get grease splatter?

Accepted Answer

For kitchen walls that deal with grease splatter, use a satin or semi-gloss finish — satin is the most popular choice because it is cleanable without looking too shiny, while semi-gloss is the right call if your kitchen sees heavy cooking and frequent washing.

Sheen is not just about appearance — it is directly tied to washability. Flat and matte finishes have a porous surface that absorbs grease, steam, and food particles. Once that happens, you cannot wipe a flat wall clean without removing t

Question 18

What is the difference between flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss paint finishes and when should I use each?

Accepted Answer

The sheen level of a paint finish affects how much light it reflects, how washable the surface is, and how much it highlights wall imperfections — and matching the right sheen to the right room makes a significant difference in both how the room looks and how long the paint job lasts. Choosing the wrong finish is one of the most common mistakes NB homeowners make, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.

Paint finishes are arranged on a spectrum from lowest to highest sheen: flat (matte) → eggshel

Paint Selection & Colours