From House & Home · Chelsea Dolan · · 1m 10s
Decoding Paint Finishes: Which One Is Best?
Choosing the right paint finish for your space: flat for walls, gloss for high-traffic areas.
In brief
Choosing the right paint finish for your space: flat for walls, gloss for high-traffic areas. Selecting paint finish depends on surface use, lighting and desired appearance. Originally reported by House & Home.
Why Paint Finishes Matter
Different paint finishes mask imperfections, provide durability for high-traffic areas, and affect light reflection.
“The main reasons for sheen differences is to mask subtle imperfections, provide durability to high-traffic areas and absorb or reflect light”
Choosing the Right Finish
Consider surface wear, desired look, and current condition when picking a paint finish.
“Consider factors such as traffic, moisture, cleaning needs and the condition of the surface when making a selection”
Sherwin-Williams Finishes
Sherwin-Williams offers gloss, semi-gloss, satin/eggshell, matte, flat, high gloss, medium lustre, pearl, low-lustre, and velvet finishes.
“The 10 interior paint finishes Sherwin-Williams offers are: Gloss: Shiniest option, striking appearance”
Behr Finishes
Behr provides flat, matte, eggshell enamel, satin enamel, semi-gloss enamel, and hi-gloss enamel finishes.
“The six interior paint finishes Behr offers are: Flat: Non-reflective, ideal for low-traffic areas”
Cloverdale Paint Finishes
Cloverdale Paint offers flat paint, eggshell paint, pearl paint, low gloss paint, semi-gloss paint, and gloss/high-gloss paint finishes.
“The six interior paint finishes Cloverdale Paint offers are: Flat Paint: Lowest gloss level with almost no shine”
Benjamin Moore Finishes
Benjamin Moore provides flat, ultimatte, eggshell, pearl, satin, semi-gloss, and high gloss finishes.
“The seven paint finishes Benjamin Moore offers are: Flat: Non-reflective”
Real-World Examples
A deep blue lacquered ceiling reflects light in a dining room, while matte panelling balances with graphic wallpaper.
“A deep blue lacquered ceiling reflects light in a dining room by designer Colette van den Thillart”
Final Tip
Test colors before finalizing to ensure lighting and sheen work together for the best result.
“Colour and sheen work together to influence how a paint looks in a space, and lighting can dramatically impact the final appearance”
The bottom line
Selecting paint finish depends on surface use, lighting and desired appearance.
