FROM BATHROOM PAINT
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From satin to semi-gloss, each room or piece of furniture can in some cases require different gloss levels for different circumstances.
Below, you will find descriptions, for each type of paint sheen and the sheen that works best, for the job at hand.
Paint suppliers can, in some cases have their own specfic gloss or sheen names, even so, most of the sheens below will be familiar to you.
If in dought, ask your paint supplier for assistance selecting a paint sheen or gloss level.
Whenever possible, I have tried my best to mentioned any alternate sheens that I have come across in my may years of painting experience.
The list below consists of the most popular sheens and there intended application. Each sheen is also, in order of lowest to highest gloss level.
Whether your selecting bathroom paint colors or clear coating your baseboards, you should, with the help of the list below find a sheen or gloss level, that will work best for the project being done.
MATT (FLAT)
Residential ceilings, New home construction, and low traffic areas (master bedrooms, dinning rooms etc).
Flat paints work well to hide wall imperfections and blemishes but tend to be more difficult to clean and seem to attract dirt easier.
Even so, paint manufacturers are constantly coming up with better and better flat finishes. My guess for the future is that a flat finish will become more popular than eggshell.
EGGSHELL
General purpose sheen. A high quality eggshell can be applied in almost every residential situation.
For those of us who are a little older, we can still remember when eggshell was a very popular paint color (off white of course) but now a days, eggshell refers to a specific paint sheen.
Eggshell has just enough of a shine to make it easier to clean than a flat finish. I use an eggshell finish for almost all of my interior residential painting projects. I have even used eggshell as my finish when applying kitchen and bathroom paint colors.
SATIN (PEARL)
Satin can be a paint sheen but is usually a gloss level used in clear coating raw or stained wood.
Satin clear coat, no mater if it's lacquer or water based varathane, in my opinion is by far the best sheen to use over wood.
Satin is easier to use than a gloss coating and better for cleaning, than a flat finish.
When it comes to the sheen of satin paint, as opposed to satin clear coat, I find the paint has very much the same sheen level as eggshell.
SEMI-GLOSS
High traffic areas in the home, such as kids rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens.
If you have smaller children, rooms with very high humidity or lots of traffic going through your home, then semi gloss is the sheen for you.
When selecting kids, kitchen and bathroom paint colors, do keep in mind, that it's best to apply less gloss type finishes in a home than more, the reason being, gloss paint tends to enhances wall imperfections.
Gloss coatings can also leave more roller, or brush marks after drying.
I find the best place to use semi-gloss, is on trim that requires painting such as MDF doors and window frames Etc.
HIGH-GLOSS
Best for Commercial and industrial use, where very high traffic and cleanliness is of the utmost concern.
A high gloss paint is not the best sheen for residential projects, even so, I have seen very high gloss finishes, applied to floors, children’s rooms and on trim work with success.
Even though one can paint on a nice looking gloss finish with practice, they are the most difficult to apply, I advise whenever possible to avoided high gloss finishes.
Eggshell is generally the most all-purpose sheen to use when painting. Even those who decide to apply kitchen or bathroom paint colors that have an eggshell finis will in most cases have any problems, even though the recomended sheen for humid areas like a bathroom is semigloss.
When doing a color blocking or wall striping technique, you might want to apply different sheens such as eggshell and semi-gloss on the same wall. Multiple sheens, can add an elegant effect to your painting techniques.
Some painters will mix different sheens of the same paint type together to get the sheen there looking for.
New homes should never be painted in a gloss finish of any kind, semi or otherwise.
Oil and alkyd based paints seem to have more shine than a latex with the same sheen name.
Waterborne products also can have a glossier finish than regular latex, especially eggshell.
Exterior products, can be less (or more) shinny than there interior counterparts.
If you come across a sheen like velvet or silk, ask the paint dealer what it's sheen is equivalent to (e.g. satin is the same as pearl).
In closing, the higher the gloss level, the more intense the color, better durability, and easier to clean.
Paints with little or no gloss are simpler to apply, look more elegant, hide wall imperfections, and usualy touch up with ease.
Looking for decorating solutions other than selecting sheens, choosing a bathroom color maybe.
Click on the home link. You should be able to find a decorating or painting idea by reading the text.
If I have missed something or you would like to ask a question, e-mail me. Your address will be held in the strictest confidence. I‘ll also try and answer you, in as prompt a manner as possible.
