What is the best color to paint walls to hide imperfections?

Author: Maci Beahan  |  Last update: Friday, November 28, 2025

Several paint colors and finishes excel at concealing minor wall imperfections, drywall seams, and surface irregularities. Darker shades like deep greens, rich blues, and warm browns naturally absorb light rather than reflect it, making bumps and uneven textures less visible.

What colors hide imperfections on walls?

Using Dark Color Paint:

Just like the same way, flat finishes reduce dent visibility; darker paints also reflect less light than lighter paints. This makes them a better choice for hiding drywall imperfections. The only drawback of using dark color paint often makes the room look smaller.

What color is best for uneven walls?

However, you want to avoid painting an entire wall gray or white because such dominant colors will highlight rather than hide the imperfections. Consider paint designed for uneven surfaces, typically sold under names such as high-build paint, elastomeric paint, renovation paint, or crack-free paint.

What is the best paint to cover up imperfections?

The sheen is what hides imperfections. Get a flat finish paint. The higher the shine the more imperfections you will see. If you need washability go with a washable flat like Benjamin Moore Regal Select or a matte finish if you need something even...

What is the best paint for bumpy walls?

Eggshell Finish: This is often recommended for textured walls because it has a slight sheen that can help reflect light without highlighting imperfections. It's also durable and easy to clean. Satin Finish: Satin finishes offer a bit more gloss than eggshell, making them suitable for textured walls.

The WORST Paint Colors to Hide Imperfections (Avoid These Mistakes)

What is the most forgiving paint color for walls?

FLAT or MATTE

Flat/Matte paint is the most forgiving finish with the most color options. Pros - Allows the color to be the main focus. Flat and Matte finishes help hide and or reduce imperfections in your walls and ceilings.

What color hides textured walls?

Several paint colors and finishes excel at concealing minor wall imperfections, drywall seams, and surface irregularities. Darker shades like deep greens, rich blues, and warm browns naturally absorb light rather than reflect it, making bumps and uneven textures less visible.

What is the best way to hide wall imperfections?

Wall paints are the best solution if there are any little flaws over the surface of the wall. If there are flaws like spill marks or dust marks which are tough to remove, then painting can be the best way to cover them up.

What paint finish hides the most imperfections?

Flat Finishes

The flat sheen is good at hiding surface imperfections, such as dents, nail holes, patches and other surface flaws in new construction. It is also a good choice for ceiling painting. Flat finishes often require fewer coats than semi-gloss and gloss paints.

What wall color hides dirt?

Choosing a shade of grey can be a bold and edgy choice, but it can also easily hide or camouflage dirt and stains, which is why it's great for highly-used areas of your home such as entryways, hallways, and other transition areas in your home.

How many coats of paint to hide imperfections?

If you're using a high-quality paint, you may be able to get away with just one or two coats. However, if you're using a lower-quality paint, you may need to apply three or more coats to achieve the desired results.

What is the best color to hide dents?

The whites and light silvers/greys are the best at concealing small dents and warps on your car (especially hail damage! 🌨).

What color auto paint hides imperfections the best?

Colors like silver, gray, and charcoal are particularly effective at concealing dirt and minor imperfections. These colors do not show dirt as readily as lighter colors and can also mask small scratches better than high-contrast colors like black or white.

What is better, eggshell or satin?

Of the two, satin is more durable and is slightly less likely to scuff or mark than eggshell and it's easier to clean when it does get marked. This makes it a better choice, especially for woodwork such as painting skirting boards, than eggshell for high traffic areas like hallways and living rooms.

Does eggshell paint hide wall imperfections?

The low sheen of eggshell paint allows it to effectively disguise wall imperfections, making it a great choice for spaces where you want to create a smooth, flawless appearance. In addition to its aesthetic appeal, eggshell paint is also practical for areas that don't see a lot of wear and tear.

When should you not use eggshell paint?

Avoid using eggshell paint in high-contact, high-traffic areas such as door and window trim, baseboards, cabinetry, and doors. It's best to use semi-gloss paint in these areas.

How to hide uneven walls with paint?

Colour and texture: Darker colours or textured paints can help to mask uneven surfaces, making them less noticeable. Blends imperfections: When applied correctly, paint can help blend imperfections into the overall colour of the wall, especially in large or open spaces.

What paint gives the smoothest finish?

One of the most popular types of wall paint, eggshell finish provides a low sheen and a soft, smooth finish just like a true eggshell. Perfect for low- to mid-traffic areas like hallways, living rooms, entryways and family rooms.

What wall color hides imperfections best?

Dark colors of paint hide drywall imperfections because light gets absorbed into the paint instead of reflecting off it, helping conceal dirt, smudges and fingerprints. Great dark colors include: Navy.

How to disguise a bumpy wall?

Here are seven unique ways of covering, repairing, hiding or simply turning the wall damage to your advantage:
  1. Temporary Wallpaper – Easy Solution. ...
  2. Wall Tiles for Lasting Impression. ...
  3. Tile Decals – Redecorating Tiled Walls. ...
  4. Wall Decals – Let the Walls Speak. ...
  5. Tapestry & Curtains – Your Signature Theme. ...
  6. Art Accent Wall.

What is the paint finish on walls that hides some of the imperfections?

Flat and eggshell paint can help you hide imperfections but may be problematic if you expect the painted area to get dirty. On the other hand, glossy paint is much easier to clean, but doesn't do a good job of hiding imperfections.

What color is best to hide uneven walls?

We all know that lighter colors emphasize imperfections while darker colors hide them. This also has to do with light and reflection. Lighter colors reflect more light while darker shades absorb it.

What paint finish shows the least imperfections?

Flat. Flat paints have the least amount of gloss so they help conceal surface imperfections better than other finishes and are ideal for walls that are rough or dented. They also touch-up better, which makes a flat paint an ideal choice for family rooms, living rooms, dining rooms and bedrooms.

What is the best paint for irregular walls?

Paint designed for uneven surfaces may be sold under a range of names including elastomeric paint, high-build paint, crack-free paint or renovation paint (which is basically a filler and undercoat in one). These paints are much thicker than ordinary paints which gives them much better coverage.

Previous article
How do you get black mold off shower seal?
Next article
When to throw away pots and pans?