Some of you may be asking “Becky paint is paint isn’t it? Why do I need to concern myself with all these boring details! I just want to get started on my dream looks!!” Great question! As I am sure there are many more to answer for you. In my experience of 5 years of working within paint stores and asking a lot of questions to my paint specialists that came to us on a regular basis. I have also done my own painting and painted for my friends and family as well. So overall I do have approximately 15 plus year’s worth of paint and stain knowledge, that I am happy to share with you!!
We will first take a quick look at the types of finishes or more commonly known as sheens you can get with paint and why they are essential to your project and honestly slightly more important than the color choice……. I know, I know the color choice is the most fun! However deciding on the finish is going to make whatever color you choose look that much better and will give you the most durable finish.
The finishes to choose from are Flat/Matte, Satin/Eggshell, Semigloss, Gloss and sometimes High Gloss.
Understanding Paint Finishes: An Essential First Step
Most paint companies have at least 4-5 types of sheens or finishes to choose from depending on the type of project you are working on. The different sheens that are available in most paints are Flat/Matte, Satin/Eggshell, Semigloss, Gloss, and sometimes a High Gloss.
Flat/Matte
Finishes are the softest finish and the least reflective. Most paint companies will have one or the other, not normally both options available for the same product. So if this is the case are there differences between the two? Not at all they are both the same grade.
With this type of sheen they are more commonly used for light to almost no traffic areas like a ceiling. They are also the best high hide sheen as this sheen is the least reflective of the choices. It’s washability is very low, you would end up seeing rag marks all over this type of sheen the darker the color the worse it will show, so it’s best to keep this one out of reach.
Satin/Eggshell
This finish is a grade firmer and more reflective than the Flat finish. Yes with these two finishes there is a slight difference between these two sheens even though most companies will only offer one or the other. The differences are very small but the Satin has a slightly less reflective look than the Eggshell. Eggshell is exactly as it sounds…. It has the texture and reflectiveness of an eggshell. These two sheens are best for light to medium traffic areas so they are great for the bedroom and living room and hallway walls. This type of sheen due to its low reflectiveness has a high hide quality as well. However I also like to caution customers about their lifestyle with this sheen. If you have one or more messy children or pets, you may want to consider a higher sheen. As this type of sheen has a low to medium washability aspect, and will show wash marks and again the darker the color the worse it will show.
Semi-Gloss
This one has a harder finish and is more reflective than the flat and eggshell sheens. This is more suited for the high traffic places in your home like the kitchen, bathroom, mud room, and very good for uses around the door jambs, or trim pieces in your home. It has a high washability aspect so it’s also great for homes with small children or pets as it is quite easy to wash and wipe down without seeing any wash marks after the job is done. However with this sheen you are going to want to watch your color choice, due to the reflectivity this is a medium hide sheen and the darker the color the more it will show any imperfections that the walls have taken on over the years.
Gloss
Naturally is the hardest finish and most reflective within the household paint options. This one is incredibly durable and used in high traffic areas in the home such as trim work, door jamb and stops, doors etc. This one can take the action of washing and scrubbing better than any other choices. This sheen is a low hide sheen and should not be used where any imperfections are noticeable.
High Gloss
This is the hardest finish and the most reflective of all choices. Most often you would use this type of finish when working with metal products or heavy industrial projects. So if you needed a super duper finish for an exterior metal door this is what I would recommend.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Paint Finish
When you are deciding on what you need for your painting project it is very important to keep in mind your lifestyle and how chaotic your home can get. If you need more durability go with the higher sheens as they cure to a harder finish and are most durable. Just keep in mind these ones are the most reflective, and will show some imperfections with your walls and what I mean by that is if your walls have a patch or two and they were not blended properly the edges of those patches may show a little bit or if the little dents from toy cars, pepper your walls those may be a little bit more noticeable. However once these areas are filled correctly there will be little to worry about the imperfection issue.
Now while a reflective paint may seem like a good thing to use on the ceilings it is actually quite the opposite and you want to direct those reflections around the room in order to assist with making the room seem brighter or larger depending on the colors chosen. When you put a high sheen on a ceiling most of the lights within the room will point down and just not reflect off the ceiling or you just end up getting the little halos of light directly above the light fixture. For the couple of extra dollars that it may save, always go with a flat sheen for the ceilings no matter the color.
Good luck with your project and have fun!