Choosing Your Interior Paint
When walking into a local hardware store in search of the perfect paint, one might be faced with an abominable wall of choices. There are countless brands, colors, shades of the same color, etc. Generally speaking, a person knows what color they want, or are aiming for, but what really matters and can help narrow down a search is the paint finish.
There are only a few different kinds of paint, each of them having their own function and look. Below we will detail these types of paint, what one might use them for, and how they look in general.
Matte (Flat) Finish
This type of paint is one of the most common paints used indoors. In terms of appearance, matte paint holds true to its name and gives off a flat appearance. It has minimal to no shine and isn’t exactly a gaze-catcher. Ideally, one would use this paint in areas that have minor imperfections. Due to the low/no shine style of matte paint, imperfections fade away into the flat color of your choice. However, be warned, matte style paints are very difficult to clean. So be sure to use it in an area that people or things don’t go near too often.
Places to use matte paint
• Ceiling
• Den
• Bedroom
Place not to use matte paint
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Garage
Eggshell Finish
A classic, solid paint choice, eggshell paint is a great all-around style paint. It has a unique medium shine that blends well with the paint. It is an attractive paint that bodes well with living rooms or play areas. Eggshell paint offers a subtle shine while remaining smooth. So it is able to hide smaller imperfections, while remaining easy to clean, unlike matte paint. Along with this, eggshell paint tends to be thicker, and sometimes can be applied with just one coat.
Places to use eggshell paint
• Living room
• Play Area
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Hallways
Places not to use eggshell paint
• N/A
Satin Finish
I like to think of satin as eggshell’s baby, smoother, sister. Satin has a shine much brighter-smoother shine than eggshell while remaining comfortably in-between a flat and shiny finish. Thanks to it’s baby like smoothness, satin is an ideal paint for easy cleaning. However, its noticeable shine doesn’t hide imperfections quite as well. So avoid using this pain in places with too many imperfections.
Places to use satin paint
• Kitchen
• Play Room
• Bathroom
• Garage
Places not to use satin paint
• Ceiling
• Old or damaged walls
• Doors
Semi-Gloss/Gloss Finish
This paint finish is very common in many households. It is important to note the only difference in semi-gloss and gloss is that gloss is shinier and typically take more than one coat for an even finish. These paints are the shiniest of all paint, and as you may know by now, this means that they highlight imperfection. So we recommend only using semi-gloss/gloss paints on shelves, trophy cases, newer walls, or any smooth undamaged surface. The biggest plus that comes from these paints is their ease to clean. With shininess, comes smoothness. So a damp rag should help clean most messes off semi-gloss/gloss style walls. An ideal place for this type of paint would be the bathroom, or kitchen, but gloss paints fit in almost everywhere.
Places to use semi-gloss/gloss paints
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Playroom
• Living room
• Shelves
• Crown molding
Places not to use semi-gloss/gloss paints
• Damaged walls
• non-smooth surfaces