Home Improvement can be exciting because it allows the homeowner to change their surroundings. Painting a room is one of the easiest home improvements to do because it doesn't involve a lot of power tools and it can either make a big impact for your room décor, or it can make your head spin due to all the choices out there. Choosing a paint finish for your interior or exterior project, however, should not have to be the hard part.
Each paint finish has a benefit to it and not every finish is beneficial for every room. One may think that choosing a finish is just as hard as choosing a color, but it really doesn't have to be if you follow a basic rule of thumb. Below are the most common finishes you will find in any paint store with its benefits.
Every store that carries paint will have three to four basic finishes or sheens. They are flat, satin (or eggshell), semi-gloss, and gloss. Each one has some pros and cons.
Flat paint has no sheen to it. The lack of sheen will hide imperfections like dents, dings, or repaired holes. It is the least washable and would not be a good choice for a room that gets a lot of use because spills, fingerprints, and other kinds of marks would be difficult to remove.
Satin, or what's often called Eggshell paint, has a slight sheen. It is more washable than a flat paint and will remove marks more easily. It is not as shiny a sheen as a semi-gloss or a gloss, so it will hide some imperfections, but only when a light isn't shining on it. Satin would be an ideal choice for a bedroom, living room, or a dining room because these walls do not typically need a scrub down from dirty hands, grease, or other types of marks.
A semi-gloss paint is meant for walls that take a beating when it comes to marks like grease, mold, mildew, crayon, fingerprints, food splatter, and any other type of mark that may be hard to remove. This sheen is great for rooms like a playroom, kitchen, and bathroom because the walls can be easily cleaned.
Gloss paint is the shiniest of all the sheens. It is the most durable and the easiest of all the paints to clean. This paint is best for small projects like a chest of drawers, kitchen tables, or cabinets that will need extra cleaning care. It will not hide imperfections, however, and must be applied when the weather is not humid to prevent the paint “sticking” to itself on cabinet doors or drawers.
