Top 5 Interior Wall Paints in Canada for 2026: Picks, Sheens and Where to Buy
Published on Sunday, August 2, 2026
Short answer: for most Canadian walls, Benjamin Moore Regal Select is the safest all-round choice, Behr from Home Depot Canada is the value pick, and Sherwin-Williams Emerald is what painters reach for when they want the fewest coats. The catch on this shelf is availability. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Dulux and PARA are all sold through paint stores and independent dealers in Canada and tinted at the counter, so marketplace listings for those brands are usually third-party resellers at a markup with no colour choice. Behr is the one line here you can walk into a big-box store and buy the same afternoon. Below we compare all five on sheen range, cleanability and where you can actually get them mixed.
Top Picks Summary
Benjamin Moore Regal Select Interior Paint
Benjamin Moore's mid-premium wall line and the one most dealers steer homeowners toward. Benjamin Moore lists it in five sheens - Flat, Ulti-Matte, Eggshell, Pearl and Semi-Gloss - and builds it around a proprietary stain-release technology the company says lets pencil, crayon, coffee and other tough marks wash clean without losing colour or sheen integrity, while resisting marring and burnishing. It is sold as a paint-and-primer in one. In Canada it is a dealer product: use Benjamin Moore's store locator and have it tinted at the counter rather than buying from a marketplace reseller.
Dulux Diamond Interior Acrylic Paint
This is the Canadian Dulux Diamond, not the UK Dulux Trade "Diamond Matt" - in Canada the Dulux brand is PPG's, and Diamond is sold as a zero-VOC 100% acrylic paint and primer built on ceramic microspheres for scrub and burnish resistance, with stain blocking and quick drying. Dulux positions it for high-traffic rooms and anywhere the walls get washed. It is tinted at Dulux stores and independent dealers across Canada rather than at big-box retailers, so check the brand's store locator before planning around it.
Where to buy Dulux Diamond Interior Acrylic Paint in Canada: the trusted retailers we track in this market, with the best price we have observed at each. Prices are checked regularly and can change, and the retailer confirms the final price at checkout.
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$50 – $70
Behr Premium Plus Ultra Interior Paint
Behr is the one line here you can buy off the shelf: Home Depot Canada is its retailer and tints it at the paint desk. Home Depot Canada currently lists the range as BEHR PREMIUM PLUS and the step-up BEHR ULTRA, a stain-blocking paint and primer with Scuff Defense - "Premium Plus Ultra" is the older name for that upper tier, so ask for BEHR ULTRA at the counter. The standard can is 3.79 L. For a rental turnover, a basement or a whole house on a budget, the combination of shelf availability, same-day tinting and Behr's colour system is hard to argue with.
PARA Paints Ultra Premium Interior Paint
PARA is a Canadian paint brand sold through independent dealers rather than big-box stores, and Ultra Premium is its upper interior tier - a water-based interior latex aimed at durability, washability and colour retention. Because distribution is dealer-based, availability is regional: find a PARA stockist near you and get the paint colour-matched and mixed there before you plan a job around it.
Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Paint
Sherwin-Williams positions Emerald as its premium interior line - an acrylic latex paint and primer sold on hide, washability and finish quality rather than price. It is a store product: Sherwin-Williams sells and tints through its own Canadian stores, so buy it there rather than from a marketplace listing. It is the pick if you are hiring a painter, or if you want the fewest coats over a difficult colour change and would rather pay once than roll three times.
Where to buy Sherwin-Williams Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Paint in Canada: the trusted retailers we track in this market, with the best price we have observed at each. Prices are checked regularly and can change, and the retailer confirms the final price at checkout.
We may earn a commission on purchases. It never affects our rankings.
$80 – $100
How to choose interior wall paint in Canada
Colour is the easy part - every brand here will match almost anything. What actually separates these five is sheen range, how the film holds up to washing, and how easy the paint is to buy and tint near you.
Sheen drives cleanability. Flat and matte hide drywall imperfections; eggshell is the all-purpose wall sheen; satin wipes down best in hallways, stairwells and kids' rooms.
Paint-and-primer is not a primer. Benjamin Moore Regal Select and Dulux Diamond are both sold as paint-and-primer in one, but new drywall, patched walls, water or smoke stains and big colour changes still want a dedicated primer coat.
"Zero VOC" describes the base, not always the can you carry out. Dulux markets Diamond as a zero-VOC 100% acrylic; colourant added at the counter can raise VOC content, so ask for the tinted figure if air quality matters.
Buy where the tinting is. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Dulux and PARA tint at their own stores and dealers; Behr tints at Home Depot Canada.
Two coats is the realistic default. Manufacturer coverage figures assume a smooth, primed, similar-coloured wall - budget a second coat for deep colours and colour changes.
Buy all the paint for one room at once so it comes from the same tint batch, or box the cans together before you start rolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best interior wall paint in Canada?
Benjamin Moore Regal Select is our Best Overall pick. Benjamin Moore lists it in five sheens and builds it around a stain-release technology the company says lets pencil, crayon, coffee and similar marks wash off without dulling the finish, and it is stocked by Benjamin Moore dealers across Canada. Painters who want the fewest coats often prefer Sherwin-Williams Emerald, and Behr from Home Depot Canada is the value choice when you are painting a whole house.
Where do you actually buy these paints in Canada?
Behr is sold through Home Depot Canada and tinted at the store's paint desk. Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Dulux and PARA are dealer and company-store brands - use each brand's store locator to find the nearest one. None of those four is a normal Amazon brand, so marketplace listings you see for them are typically third-party resellers, often at a markup and limited to whatever colour that seller happens to have.
What sheen should I choose for interior walls?
Flat and matte hide drywall imperfections and suit ceilings, adult bedrooms and formal living rooms. Eggshell is the usual all-purpose wall sheen. Satin scrubs best, so it belongs in hallways, stairwells, kids' rooms and anywhere hands touch the wall. The higher the sheen, the more every roller mark and patch shows, so prep work matters more as gloss goes up.
Which of these wall paints are low-VOC or zero-VOC?
Dulux markets Diamond as a zero-VOC 100% acrylic paint-and-primer, and Behr's interior lines are sold as low-VOC. Read those as describing the untinted base: colourant added at the counter can raise VOC content, especially in deep bases. If you are painting a nursery or a room you will sleep in that night, ask the store for the VOC number of the tinted product rather than the base.
Conclusion
If you want one pick and don't want to think about it, Benjamin Moore Regal Select does the most things well: five sheens, a stain-release finish built for repeated washing, and dealers in most Canadian towns. Painters who want the fewest coats tend to prefer Sherwin-Williams Emerald. For a rental turnover, a basement or a whole house on a budget, Behr from Home Depot Canada is the sensible call. Dulux Diamond and PARA Ultra Premium are the dealer options in between, and both are worth a quote if you already have a store nearby. Prices move by base and sheen, so confirm at the paint counter rather than from a marketplace listing.