Jonathan Scott Shares The Best Type Of Paint For Renovated Walls And Doors

When you renovate old houses for a living, like Jonathan Scott does with his twin brother Drew on their wildly popular HGTV show "Property Brothers," you're bound to pick up a few clever home design tricks. If there's one area in particular in which Scott has gained considerable expertise, it's how to transform older, dated homes into fresh and modern spaces. Though he and his brother may make it look easy on television, there is undoubtedly a lot of thought and skill that goes into these stunning home transformations. Fortunately, Scott is generous enough to share some of his design wisdom with his viewers, like in this YouTube video, in which he spills his best secrets for painting the walls and doors in renovated homes.

His preferred paint choice for older walls that may have nicks, dents, or chipped layers of paint? As he stated in the video, "It is always best to go with a flat paint because anything flat is going to hide imperfections as the light hits it from different angles." Matte paint finishes tend to absorb light, which is why they're the best option for masking any problem areas in a wall's surface. But, selecting the right paint for the job is just one step to getting a beautiful paint finish on renovated walls and doors.

According to Scott, there's also one very important thing you should not skimp on — the prep work. "You have to sand the surface down and prime it properly," he states in the video. In older homes, the prep work is especially important, since you may be painting walls that have multiple layers of old paint. While it can be a time-consuming process and tempting to skip, there are thankfully various gadgets on the market that can help you prep your room for paint in record time.

Another hot tip from Scott? Whenever possible, he prefers to apply paint to doors and trim using a paint sprayer instead of a paintbrush. Not only does using a sprayer expedite the painting process, but it also results in a professional-level finish. This is because it doesn't leave behind any visible brush marks in the paint like a paintbrush would. Don't worry if you don't have a paint sprayer, though. You can also use a foam roller or a 1/4-inch nap roller to get a nice, smooth finish.

As for tips on what to avoid when painting older walls and doors, Scott says he steers clear of using high-gloss paint. His reason? The super shiny paint finish reflects a lot of light and can end up highlighting imperfections rather than hiding them.