Kitchen walls also require a durable, washable paint. Unless you want a shiny, glossy finish on the walls, opt for either eggshell or satin paint. Use eggshell paint in the kitchen for walls farthest away from the stove. Eggshell is durable and washable without showing many imperfections.
Eggshell, Pearl & Satin—Gentle
An eggshell sheen is a homeowner favorite for being easy to clean. Pearl and satin, both of which offer a bit more gloss than eggshell, are highly cleanable. But with all three, it is still recommended that you take a gentle touch when cleaning.
Builders don't use satin or eggshell because it is often impossible to touch up and it also reveals imperfections in the drywall work which is often rushed to finish the job on budget.
Is Eggshell Paint Good For Kitchen Cabinets? In comparison to flat and matte finishes, eggshell offers a relatively low-luster finish. Paints with semi-gloss finish are easy to apply and offer a nice shine to cabinets. In addition, they are easy to maintain and are usually very durable, even in high traffic areas.
Since kitchens are such a busy part of a home and often need extra cleaning, a satin or semi-gloss finish is the best options. Satin and eggshell finishes are commonly believed to be the same, but in fact, satin is a bit shinier. Satin finishes are easy to clean and good at standing up to mildew, stains and dirt.
Satin. Satin finish is the most popular type of interior paint. Satin paint's velvety sheen makes it better suited to high-traffic kitchens than eggshell or matte finishes.
You can't really go wrong with eggshell finish on your walls. Sometimes called satin finish, eggshell has slightly more luster than a flat finish, but you won't be left with shiny walls. It also resists stains better than flat and can be wiped with a wet rag.
Eggshell finish
"It is the easiest paint to wipe clean and is great for all areas of the home, including bathrooms and kitchens," she says.
A satin finish delivers higher durability than an eggshell finish. It's scuff-resistant, making it a great choice for painting molding and walls in high-traffic areas such as living rooms, family rooms, dining rooms, kids' rooms, and entryways.
Eggshell paint is a great option for walls in medium- to low-traffic areas, and can be easily cleaned. WHEN TO USE EGGSHELL PAINT: Eggshell is commonly used in living rooms and dining rooms, as it is durable and does not pick up dirt easily.
Use the dust-brush attachment to vacuum along walls and baseboards. Your cleaning solution can be as simple as a cup of white vinegar, or a small amount of dish soap, added to a bucket of warm water. Keep a second bucket of water for rinsing a soft cleaning cloth, so the cleaning solution doesn't get dirty.
Where Should You Use Eggshell Paint? Ideally, eggshell paint is also best suited for areas such as ceilings, bedrooms, dining rooms and living areas where there is not a lot of dirt build up or traffic. In addition, its medium-level durability provides added protection a flat finish does not.
While there are many types of paint to choose from, the best paint for kitchen cabinets is typically semi-gloss, gloss or satin. Matte is not practical in kitchens and baths where you will need durable paint you can easily clean.
The shiny reflective property of a paint's sheen comes from a reflective particles in the paint. The more layers that are put on, the more light gets reflected back to the viewer. It's odd that this has happened with a low sheen; I have seen this with satin and eggshell quite a bit myself.
Eggshell and Satin Sheen
Eggshell and satin sheens are recommended for a bathroom doesn't get too much use — like a powder room or guest bathroom.
Satin is more durable—an advantage in high-traffic spaces.
This is why satin paint is more resistant to dents, divots, scuffs, scratches, and stains, and more durable on the whole. Eggshell paint is more likely to become damaged by these impacts and abrasions because it has fewer binders and more pigment.
If the satin paint is fresh, you can paint over it with the eggshell paint straight away. However, if the paint job is older than a couple of weeks, you'll need to prep the walls first, including sanding and priming the walls.
This means eggshell paint can offer the best of both worlds: It covers imperfections on the surface well like flat paint, but it also brings a bit more color depth like higher-gloss finishes.
In addition to flat, eggshell paint is the next most popular ceiling paint finish. Despite their low sheen, eggshell paints absorb most light and hide imperfections in the ceiling. The cleaning process of higher sheen paints is easier than that of flat paints, however.
The lack of shine make the paint blend better with the previous paint. Builders do not like to have to paint walls edge to edge, so they use flat paint. During the building process, there are many trades that come into the home and damage the paint job. This makes it easier to fix.
Of the two, satin is more durable and is slightly less likely to scuff or mark than eggshell and it's easier to clean when it does get marked. This makes it a better choice, especially for woodwork such as painting skirting boards, than eggshell for high traffic areas like hallways and living rooms.
Generally speaking, using any paint which is formulated for kitchens or bathrooms should be sufficient and provide you some peace of mind, so by all means choose your own, but be sure that they are formulated for your bathroom/kitchen use.
Semi Gloss Paints are the most commonly used and recommended paint finish for painting kitchens and bathrooms as they offer strong durability, longevity and are very easy to clean and maintain, all while giving off a slight visible shine.