WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH PAINT FINISHES. THE SHEEN?

Flat, Matte, Eggshell, Satin, Semi-gloss, Gloss HELP !!!!!

No problem here is the deal and what you need to know when picking a sheen for a surface. Because it is not only about how shiny it is. it is also about how easy the surface will be to clean once painted.

Some painting companies might try to steer you right to flat paint no shine because many times it is the easiest to paint. but it may not be the best for your situation. YES flat paint is the easiest to touch up if you do mark up the surface and it will not wipe off easily BUT once we are done you will know what one will work best for your situation.

NO you do not want gloss, semi-gloss or satin on your walls it is way too bright. satin should be reserved for exterior siding or interior trim surfaces. for interior walls these days there are several paints that will give you the best of both worlds. good coverage, not too shiny and still cleanable. they are called washable flat or matte finish. another consideration is that the shinier the finish is the more imperfections in the wall will be visible. like old mud repairs, paint ribbon old nail pops and so on. so, for the walls stick with washable flat or matte. if you want slightly more ability to clean a mark of the wall go with eggshell. this is NOT the texture it is the shine level.

The disadvantage you need to know about with eggshell is that if you do get a mark on the wall and it will not come clean with a damp cloth. If you just touch up that little area. the color will be perfect. but you will see a break in the shine pattern in the right light so you would usually want to paint that one wall top to bottom left to right. because that break in the shine pattern will not be visible in a corner.

Ok so now we are wall sheen experts let’s move on to the ceilings. you would think this is easy. but some homeowners want a shine. DON’T DO IT use a high-quality FLAT ceiling paint because of the angel you are looking at the ceiling if there is anything but flat you will see EVERY imperfection.

now let’s talk interior trim and doors. Most homeowners see the trim as an accent in the home and this is true. so, we want to highlight it a little we do this by using semigloss or gloss finishes. it is also the part of the home that usually needs to be cleaned more often so that works well also with semigloss or gloss. almost every home has either bright white or a white that is remarkably close to that. so don’t make this an issue. if its white stay with white. if you do what to change the color realize that it will usually be at least 2 coats of a quality paint to cover even slight color change. YOUR personality for the home is in the wall colors not the trim color.

Also, whatever the trim color its it will be the same throughout the entire home. so if you need to paint some of the trim in a room. color match it and paint all of the trim in that one room. don’t try to touch it up the match may not be laser perfect. but any slight difference will disappear in a corner or at a door jamb.

OK now lets move outside. this is easier. treat the trim surfaces the same way as the interior trim. semi gloss or gloss. (Keep it simple)

The siding can be flat or satin. many people believe that the satin finish will give you some UV protection and lessen the chances of the paint to chalk over time. so the best bet for siding generally is satin. most importantly using a quality paint product anywhere on your home is vital. using cheaper paints may save you money today but how many times do you want to paint your home. invest now in a quality product with good prep work applied by a company that knows what they are doing, and it will look great for many years to come.