Best grey wall paint: our picks from 12 UK listings
Updated: October 2026
You may be choosing a calm grey for a living room, a wipeable hallway finish or a coating for a steamy bathroom. The best grey wall paint depends on that job: no tin in this 12-product amazon.co.uk set suits every surface. Our top pick is Johnstone’s Soft Sheen Manhattan Grey 5 L, while the Silk Manhattan Grey 5 L is best value under our price-and-rating rule. The [full grey wall paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/wall-paint-grey) shows all 12 listings; below, we explain the strongest options and reasons to skip them.
You may be choosing a calm grey for a living room, a wipeable hallway finish or a coating for a steamy bathroom.
You may be choosing a calm grey for a living room, a wipeable hallway finish or a coating for a steamy bathroom. The best grey wall paint depends on that job: no tin in this 12-product amazon.co.uk set suits every surface. Our top pick is Johnstone’s Soft Sheen Manhattan Grey 5 L, while the Silk Manhattan Grey 5 L is best value under our price-and-rating rule. The full grey wall paint comparison shows all 12 listings; below, we explain the strongest options and reasons to skip them.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Finish | Claimed coverage | Waterproof | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Johnstone's Johnstone's soft sheen Manhattan Grey, 5 L | Soft sheen | 20–24 m², two coats | No | 9.4 | about £29.08 | View offer |
| Best value |  Johnstone's Johnstone's silk Manhattan Grey, 5 L | Silk | 12 m²/L | No | 9.2 | about £28.65 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Johnstone's Johnstone's matt Manhattan Grey, 5 L | Matt | 65 m² per tin | No | 9.0 | about £28.65 | View offer |
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What “best” means in this set
These recommendations compare 12 amazon.co.uk listings, not all grey paint sold in the UK. We used star ratings and review counts while keeping listing conflicts clear. The Products Compared editorial team did not laboratory-test these paints.
The top-pick rule selects the highest rating with at least 100 reviews, excluding a pool known to mix colours. Best value is the lowest price per litre among products rated at least 4.5; the larger review count breaks a tie. The £2.27-per-litre Crown misses that threshold at 3.9. Our grey emulsion buying guide covers finish and quantity.
Top pick: Johnstone’s Soft Sheen Manhattan Grey 5 L
Johnstone’s Soft Sheen Manhattan Grey is our top pick for a busy living room, hallway or kitchen wall away from direct splashes. Its amazon.co.uk line was 4.7 out of 5 from 257 reviews, the highest qualifying rating under the method. The loaded price was £29.08, equal to £5.82 per litre, and the listing gives coverage of 20–24 m² per 5 L for two coats. That two-coat figure is more useful for planning than an optimistic one-coat promise.
The title says soft sheen and the specification says satin. One kitchen reviewer said marks wiped off, but that is not a scrub test. The listing says water resistant, not waterproof.
Skip it if you want a dead-flat finish that disguises imperfect plaster. Compare matt or silk for grey walls if sheen is your deciding factor.
Best value: Johnstone’s Silk Manhattan Grey 5 L
The Silk Manhattan Grey 5 L is our best-value grey emulsion at the loaded figures. It cost £28.65, or £5.73 per litre, and held a 4.6 rating from 1,842 reviews. The Matt Manhattan Grey 5 L cost exactly the same per litre but had a 4.5 rating from 1,670 reviews, so the silk version wins the tie through its stronger star line and larger review pool. Its claimed coverage is 12 m² per litre, with a listed one-hour dry time.
Several UK reviewers describe Manhattan Grey as blue or light blue. Cool daylight can intensify that cast, so test it in a north-facing room.
Who should skip the other tempting tins
The 10 L Crown Soft Grey looks like the obvious bargain at £22.70, or £2.27 per litre, but it is a poor fit for a finish-critical sitting room. Its rating was 3.9 from 349 reviews, the listing says “Outdoor” despite an emulsion title, and its coverage field is simply 10 with no unit.
Johnstone’s One Coat Manhattan Grey is not the automatic choice when time is short. Although rated 4.6 from 406 reviews, many buyers still reported using two coats over white, and the stored coverage figure has no unit.
For a steamy room, the 2.5 L Bathroom Manhattan Grey is the relevant specialist option because its listing explicitly says bathroom paint and sets waterproof to true. See our grey bathroom paint guide before treating a general-purpose top pick as a moisture solution.
Common questions
Which tin is the top pick if I want a wipeable mid-grey?
Johnstone’s Soft Sheen Manhattan Grey 5 L is our top pick within these 12 listings. It had a 4.7 rating from 257 reviews and cost £5.82 per litre. One reviewer reported wiping marks off, but there is no laboratory scrub test and the paint is not waterproof.
Which tin is best value if I need 5 litres?
Johnstone’s Silk Manhattan Grey 5 L is best value under our rule. It tied the matt at £5.73 per litre, then won with 4.6 from 1,842 reviews versus 4.5 from 1,670. Choose matt if hiding imperfections matters more.
Should I trust the bathroom paint’s 8,252 reviews for this grey?
No. The 4.6 star line belongs to a parent listing whose review texts mix Manhattan Grey with Pure Brilliant White and other variants. It supports only cautious confidence in the broader product family, not 8,252 judgements of this exact colour. Choose it for the explicit bathroom specification, not the headline review count.
Is the Crown 10 litre tin the bargain?
It is the cheapest by volume at the loaded £2.27 per litre, but not our best value. The 3.9 rating misses the 4.5 threshold, the listing conflicts over intended use and coverage has no unit. It may suit a low-cost workshop project, but the uncertainty is hard to justify for a carefully finished living room.
Is One Coat Manhattan Grey best when I am short of time?
Not necessarily. Many reviewers reported needing two coats over white, despite the product name, and its coverage figure lacks a unit. Plan as though you may need a second coat and drying time between coats. The standard soft-sheen pick gives an explicit 20–24 m² figure for two coats, which is easier to budget.
Who should skip silk Steel Smoke?
Skip it if you need a pale neutral grey, a flat finish or paint for a steamy bathroom. Reviews suggest Steel Smoke can dry darker than expected, while the listing says it is not water resistant or waterproof. Its 2.5 L size is more attractive for a smaller dry room where darker silk suits the scheme.
Does a high star line mean the colour matches the photo?
No. Star ratings combine many aspects of an order and cannot prove how a grey will look under your room’s light. Reviews for Manhattan Grey, Frosted Silver and Steel Smoke include blue, green or darker-than-expected descriptions. Stir thoroughly, test a patch and judge it after drying before covering the whole wall.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for VOC limits, lead in old paint, and paint reuse. Prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk listings in this set. No EN 13300 class is claimed for these tins.
- VOC Regulations 2012, Schedule 2 (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- British Coatings Federation — VOC Globe (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Brillux — EN 13300 (classes, not a result for these tins) (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- HSE — Lead in old paint (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- GOV.UK — Lead information for the public (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Community RePaint — paint types for reuse (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Dulux UK — how to find the right shade of grey (retrieved 17 October 2026)
- Johnstone's — finishes (retrieved 17 October 2026)