Best black paint for walls
Updated: 22 October 2026
You want one tin for a wall people will touch, and the highest star line in the basket is a 750 ml exterior satin with 40 ratings. The best black paint for walls in this comparison is a judgment about the room, not a medal for the listing with the most stars. The [black wall paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/black-wall-paint) holds the full table. This page names a top pick, a best value, and the case where each tin is the wrong buy. Prices were read on amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026 and they move. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools, did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You want one tin for a wall people will touch, and the highest star line in the basket is a 750 ml exterior satin with 40 ratings.
You want one tin for a wall people will touch, and the highest star line in the basket is a 750 ml exterior satin with 40 ratings. The best black paint for walls in this comparison is a judgment about the room, not a medal for the listing with the most stars. The black wall paint comparison holds the full table. This page names a top pick, a best value, and the case where each tin is the wrong buy. Prices were read on amazon.co.uk on 19 October 2026 and they move. Peter F., editor for DIY & tools, did not run a lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Finish | Volume | Job | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Johnstone's Johnstone's soft sheen black 2.5 L | Soft sheen | 2.5 L | Walls people touch | 9.2 | about £16.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  Johnstone's Johnstone's matt black 2.5 L | Matt | 2.5 L | Low-touch walls | 8.3 | about £16.99 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Dulux Dulux Simply Refresh Rich Black 1.25 L | Matt | 1.25 L | One feature wall | 6.9 | about £23.50 | View offer |
On this page
Best depends on the wall you touch
Best with no room attached is how a fence paint and a feature-wall tin end up in the same basket. If hands, bags or a sofa will meet the dry film, a flat matt that marks is the wrong winner even when the colour looks right in the tin. If the wall is looked at and rarely brushed, a dead matt that hides bumps is the point of the job. If the room is one wall behind a bed, a 1.25 L one-coat tin can be enough.
Lists of designer near-blacks do not give you a GBP tin or a scrub class. None of these six listings prints a BS EN 13300 wet-scrub class. Which? has published a washable-paint method on white matt, not on these black tins, so those scores stay off this page. A low VOC claim is a legal labelling point, not a ranking. The first real choice in this set is the pair of Johnstone's tins at the same shelf price. The order, if the room is not settled, is the black wall paint buying guide.
Whole room at the lowest price per litre
Both Johnstone's blacks are 2.5 L at £16.99, about £6.80 a litre, which is the bottom of the price-per-litre table here. The soft sheen is 4.5 from 950 ratings. The bullets call it subtler than silk and state 12 m² per litre, while a coverage field prints 12 m², so plan from the per-litre bullet. Several reviewers need two coats over white, and one reports about five coats and a watery film. One reviewer says it does not mark and wipes clean. That is a single comment, not a specification.
The matt is 4.4 from 497 ratings, and the listing states 32 m² for the tin. Reviewers repeatedly say a light touch leaves a pale mark and that wiping makes it worse. It is the best value when the wall stays out of reach and you want flat black at that £6.80 a litre. Skip it in a hall. Crown Grey Black is £22.20, about £8.88 a litre, 4.7 from 440 ratings, with 14 m² per litre and a stated maximum VOC of 1 g/l. The matt versus soft sheen page is this trade-off at length.
One feature wall
Dulux Simply Refresh Rich Black is the one-coat tin in this set: 1.25 L at £23.50, about £18.80 a litre, 4.4 from 59 ratings. The listing says 16 m² for the tin, touch dry in 4 hours and full cure in 24 hours. Reviewers split between one coat over white and a matt that marks or chips. The maker's own note caps a roller load at about 0.5 m² and says to touch up after 4 hours from the same tin. A wall of 3.0 m by 2.4 m is 7.2 m².
Skip it when the wall behind the sofa will be knocked. Chips and pale marks are already in the small review file, and 59 ratings are not 950. The surface field says Metal, which conflicts with a plaster feature wall, so ignore that field. There is no badge on this ASIN. If you already know you will need two coats, or a second wall, the £16.99 matt buys more litres and brings its own mark problem. The loading rule itself lives on the black feature wall page.
Steamy rooms and outside
Landlords black is a 1 L matt at £22.90 for bathrooms, kitchens and ceilings, with a claim that it helps reduce condensation and limit mould. The bullets say washable, coverage up to 10 m² per litre, and the waterproof field says true. One reviewer says it scratches and is not that waterproof. Most of the 4.4 from 1,258 ratings are other colours on the same parent. The paint-type field says spray and the use field says exterior, which contradict the liquid interior tin. It does not repair a leak or rising damp.
Sandtex is £19.67 for 750 ml, about £26.23 a litre, 4.8 from 40 ratings, with 9 m² per tin per coat and a waterproof field. The indoor/outdoor field says Outdoor. One review describes gutters. The brand field says Crown. It is the exterior satin for brick, concrete, stone, wood and non-ferrous metal, in two coats. It is not the best interior wall paint, and the star line does not make it one. A steamy bathroom that is actually damp, rather than prone to condensation, needs the cause fixed before either of these tins.
What best must not mean
It must not mean a UK-wide winner, a lab scrub result, or the tin with the highest stars regardless of sample. Sandtex at 4.8 from 40 ratings is a thinner file than the soft sheen at 4.5 from 950. Crown at 4.7 from 440 ratings is a dark grey whose reviews mix other colours, so that 4.7 is a weak guide to this shade. A 1 g/l VOC claim does not outrank a finish that survives a hallway.
It also must not mean the washable matt you can see on other shops and cannot see in this table. B&Q has listed Dulux Easycare Washable & Tough Rich Black 2.5 L at £30, about £12 a litre, sold as scrubbable in two coats. Crown sells an easyclean matt outside this set as well. If the brief is flat and wipeable, leave this shortlist and buy that class of paint, then still check that a wet-scrub class is actually printed.
Common questions
What is the best black paint for a feature wall in this set?
Dulux Simply Refresh Rich Black, the 1.25 L tin at £23.50, if you will keep the roller loaded and you are painting one wall. The listing claims one coat and 16 m² for the tin. Reviewers also report marks and chips, and the sample is 4.4 from 59 ratings. A 3.0 m by 2.4 m wall is within a careful one-coat tin.
What is the best value 2.5 L tin if the wall will be touched?
The soft sheen, not the matt. Both are £16.99 for 2.5 L. The soft sheen is 4.5 from 950 ratings and is the top pick where a slight sheen is acceptable. The matt carries the best value badge because it is the flat film at the same price per litre, and reviewers say it marks.
Is the higher star rating on Crown Grey Black a better black?
No. Crown is 4.7 from 440 ratings, above the Johnstone's soft sheen at 4.5 from 950, and the reviews mention other colours, so they are a weak guide to this shade. The colour name is Grey Black. The bullets send kitchens and bathrooms to Crown Silk. It is a reasonable low-touch bedroom matt if you want the stated 1 g/l VOC line.
Is Landlords the best bathroom black?
Only for a small area where condensation is the problem and the leak is already fixed. The 1 L tin at £22.90 claims to help limit mould, and the bullets say washable. One review says it scratches and is not that waterproof, and the 1,258 ratings mix other colours. Spray and exterior fields contradict the tin in your hand. It will not cure rising damp.
Is Sandtex the best black wall paint?
Not for an interior wall. It is 4.8 from 40 ratings, the highest stars and the smallest sample, on a 750 ml satin at £19.67 whose listing field says Outdoor. One review is about gutters. Use it on exterior brick, concrete, wood or metal, in two coats. A bedroom, a feature wall or a hallway should come from the emulsion tins.
Should I ignore this set and buy a washable matt?
If you need a flat film that is sold as scrubbable, yes. This set does not include Dulux Easycare Washable & Tough Rich Black, which B&Q has listed at £30 for 2.5 L, or a Crown easyclean matt. Which? washable tests found in search are on white matt, so do not paste those scores onto a black tin.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures read on 19 October 2026. The Dulux tin was checked again on 20 October 2026. Last checked 20 October 2026.
- SI 2012/1715 Schedule 2, VOC caps and labelling (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BS EN 13300:2022 preview, wet-scrub classification (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BS 6150:2019, painting of buildings code of practice (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE: lead in paint, wet key, no dry sanding or burning (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Dulux Simply Refresh feature wall, one coat and roller load (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Johnstone's matt wall and ceiling paint, coverage and two coats (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Sandtex 10 Year exterior multi-surface satin (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- amazon.co.uk listings for the six ASINs (retrieved 19 October 2026)