Hashenk,
Congratulations on the new home! The most durable paint product available at Home Depot is the Behr Premium Plus Ultra line. This product has been given the top rating from Consumer's Report Magazine in all the sheen levels. It beat out the big name national brands by a wide margin and is absolutely unbeatable at any price!
I am with you in disliking overly shiny painted surfaces. I have been using the eggshell sheen in by high wear areas such as baths, laundry and hallways. It is extremely washable. scuff resistant. and holds up to the high humidity in baths. For other less demanding areas, the flat enamel is good. It has just the slightest sheen.
The Ultra line of paint is self-priming. You can go directly to the existing wall without a dedicated primer. It will seal porous existing paint, bond to high sheen paints, block stains and help facilitate a major color change.
Ultra can be mixed to hundreds of Behr colors or matched to other manufacturer's color palettes. Indeed, your Home Depot has the formulas for most of the competitor's colors in the their computers.
Ultra runs in the low to mid $30's. However, if you are somewhat cost sensitive, the Behr Premium Plus line is several dollars less per gallon and is an excellent product . Premium Plus is now being introduced in a new self-priming version.
As a rule of thumb, you can plan on a gallon of paint covering between 300 and 350 square feet per gallon, depending on the surfaces you are covering. Poorly sealed walls will suck up more, as will textured walls.
A great value in ceiling paint is the two gallon pail of Behr Ceiling White. It sells at a big discount over two single gallons. It is a bright white, dead flat paint designed especially for ceilings.
Glidden has also recently introduced its DUO line of self-priming paint. This is a top quality paint competitively priced. It comes in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss, omitting eggshell.
Hope this info is of benefit.
