Painting 101: Sheen

•  Print 
• Email

Details

So it’s time to paint! Here is a little info on sheen when picking your colors.

Gloss
The most durable and easiest to clean of all paint sheens, high-gloss paint is hard, ultra-shiny, and light-reflecting. If you are looking for shine, gloss paint is a great sheen for trim/woodwork, cabinets and even furniture.

Semi-Gloss
Good for rooms where moisture and grease stains challenge walls. Also great for trim work that takes a lot of abuse. We have found semi-gloss to be our most popular trim choice. This paint sheen is by far the most popular for interior woodwork. It is extremely durable and dirt won't penetrate into the surface of the paint. When semi-gloss paint does get dirty, it's extremely easy to clean. It can be scrubbed rather vigorously and doesn't rub off the surface. It can last for several years if applied properly.

Semi-gloss paint is the perfect choice for baseboards, doors, trim and other interior woodwork. This paint sheen covers all woodwork in my home. Doors and baseboards are inevitably going to get dirty, so flat or satin paint is not an option for those surfaces. Semi-gloss paint is the perfect application and is still attractive. It has a shiny surface that reflects light but it's not as shiny as high-gloss paint. But semi-gloss can easily be restored to a pristine clean anytime it gets dirty. It is sometimes used for high traffic hallways, kitchens or baths but its glossy surface will show imperfections on walls.

Satin
Has a luster that, despite the name, is often described as velvety. It’s easy to clean, making it excellent for high-traffic areas. Its biggest flaw is it reveals application flaws, such as roller or brush strokes. Touch-ups later can be tricky. Satin or eggshell paint is a step above flat paint but not as shiny as semi-gloss.

Eggshell
Between satin and flat on the sheen (and durability) scale is eggshell, so named because it’s essentially a flat (no-shine) finish with little luster, like a chicken’s egg. Eggshell covers wall imperfections well and is a great finish for gathering spaces that don’t get a lot of bumps and scuffs.

Flat or Matte
A friend to walls that have something to hide, flat/matte soaks up, rather than reflects, light. It has the most pigment and will provide the most coverage, which translates to time and money savings. However, it’s tough to clean without taking paint off with the grime. Flat paint is the least durable sheen but it's also the most forgiving of imperfect walls.

Some paint manufacturers label their products with a lower sheen and in essence the product has a higher sheen. In these cases it is always best to work with a contractor that has worked with a wide range of products to help guide you in making the decision that you’ll be the happiest with.