High Shine and Misdemeanors

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Sometimes the most daunting aspect of a painting project is all of the choices you must make. Ed hands you that fan deck with thousands of colors and you think maybe you’ll just live with that chocolate brown another ten years. But you persevere, choosing a lovely khaki--thinking all your troubles are behind you. 

Not so fast! Thankfully, today’s residential paints are almost exclusively latex, so you don’t have to decide between that or oil-based. But if you have any respiratory problems, you might ask for paint with zero volatile organic compounds (Zero-VOC), rather than the standard Low-VOC. It’s the next choice, though, that stumps many homeowners. 

What sheen do you prefer? Paint formulas are rated according to how much light they reflect. They range from no shine at all to high gloss. Which sheen you choose depends on where the paint will be applied, how much wear and tear it will get and the appearance you prefer. 

Low shine yields a soft appearance that hides imperfections and is easy to touch up. The tradeoff is that this finish is easily stained and scuffed and difficult to clean. As shine increases, imperfections and touchups become more visible, but the surface is more scrubbable and resistant to wear and tear. The larger the area, the more noticeable the shine. And whatever the sheen, better quality paint produces a better-looking and more durable finish. 

Just to make things interesting, there is no sheen standard among paint manufacturers. One company may call its flat paint “matte.” Another’s “eggshell” is more equivalent to its competitor’s “satin.” What A calls “satin,” B names “pearl.” And not every company offers every sheen. This is where Ed’s expertise and experience really come in handy in helping you choose the right sheen for every room in your home.

Most of our clients prefer the following:
•	Satin on bathroom and kitchen walls
•	Matte or eggshell on walls in other rooms
•	Satin or semi-gloss on trim, windows, doors, cabinets 
•	Flat on ceilings

Here are the most common sheens, from least to most reflective:



Guidelines:

Interior
Living Room: Matte or Eggshell
Dining Room: Matte or Eggshell
Family Room: Matte, Eggshell or Satin
Kitchen: Satin or Semi-gloss 
Foyer: Matte 
Hallway: Matte, Eggshell or Satin
Staircase: Matte, Eggshell or Satin
Powder Room: Matte or Eggshell
Laundry Room: Matte, Eggshell or Satin
Master Bedroom: Matte or Eggshell
Kids’ Bedrooms: Eggshell or Satin
Bathrooms: Satin or Semi-gloss
Ceilings: Flat
Trim, Windows, Doors: Satin or Semi-gloss 

Exterior
Stucco: Flat, Matte or Eggshell
Wood Siding: Flat, Matte, Eggshell or Satin
Aluminum Siding: Flat
Trim, Windows, Doors: Satin or Semi-gloss

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