If your space has huge windows and lots of natural light, a flat paint finish can work well. If you want something more shiny and reflective, choose satin or semi-gloss. If you don't want your walls totally lustrous, you can paint trim or crown molding with a semi-gloss sheen.
It depends on the surface you are painting. For interior walls in high-traffic spaces like a mudroom, satin or eggshell finishes work best. Flat or matte finishes work best for most ceilings and semi-gloss is recommended for interior trim and doors.
Eggshell paint offers luster, rather than shine, making it a stellar option for your living room. To achieve a clean finish, eggshell and satin finishes are the standout choices. With just enough luster or shine, your paint colors will look crisp and fresh.
Flat paint works best in low-traffic areas, such as the master bedroom, a study, or a formal living room.
Its balanced look makes it highly durable without being too reflective. If you were to ask an interior designer or painting professional, they'd likely tell you that satin is the glossiest sheen you should use on interior walls.
Best for: Family rooms, living rooms, bedrooms, and hallways. Satin, which is a little more hard-wearing than eggshell, works well in those rooms and also in kitchens, dining areas, children's bedrooms, and bathrooms. Many satin finishes are tough enough to use on trim as well.
Because of its durability, many people choose a satin finish for bathrooms, kitchens, and kids' rooms. Satin is also a popular choice for trim, especially if you want to emphasize the architecture of a space.
We recommend matte paints for bedrooms and as living room paint finishes where the walls are exposed to less moisture, choosing a glossier eggshell finish for kitchens and as a paint finish for bathrooms, which are more prone to moisture, as well as children's rooms, which might need more regular cleaning.
If you use flat paint, your walls will likely look shabby after just a few years. For the end user, it's ultimately better. Eggshell paint just looks richer than flat paint. The slightly higher sheen creates light reflection, which in turn gives the colors more depth and richness.
If your wall has imperfections like uneven texture, patches or joints, flat paint will absorb light and make them less noticeable. However, flat finishes are not very durable and need to be carefully cleaned. Scrubbing flat paint could wear down the finish and cause sheen to appear in patchy spots.
Find the Perfect Paint Finish
Flat, eggshell and satin paint are best for interior walls, whereas semi-gloss and gloss paint are best for trim and woodwork. An eggshell finish has a subtler shine to it, so it's a great choice if you're not ready for satin.
Light colors have an inherent reflectivity, which is why they can make a room feel bigger. Another way to achieve this—or to boost the already enlarging effects of a light color—is to go with an eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss sheen instead of a matte. Don't pair dark colors with a light trim.
Best Paint For Living Room
Living rooms and bedrooms are similar, in that their interior paint doesn't need to be the most robust kind. So, unless you have small children and need to frequently wipe down the living room walls, flat, or eggshell work fine. If you do have kids, use satin paint.
It's no secret that light colors make a room look larger, especially if the space is bathed in natural light. Eggshell or satin finishes will help reflect the light, creating the appearance of even more space. What's more, it works no matter your aesthetic or room type.
Paint sheens can range from flat to high gloss, and each sheen can be found in a variety of colors. However, for exterior painting, the two most commonly used finishes are flat and satin. Flat sheen has no gloss, and satin sheen is a low gloss finish that has more shine than flat paint.
You should be using flat paint on walls and areas that have a lot of bumps, scratches, or holes. Since it can conceal these blemishes easily, it'll be the one paint finish you'll want to be using. It's best for low-traffic rooms that have a ton of light like offices and more formal rooms, like dining rooms.
Eggshell is always an interior designer's preferred paint finish, which is why our founder, Nicole, an interior designer, chose this as our ultimate finish for walls. The name eggshell stems from the fact the finish appears mostly flat with just a touch of luster... similar to a chicken egg!
Are Accent Walls Out of Style? With so many different design styles out there, you may wonder, are accent walls out of style? Accent walls are still in as long as they're done correctly. Avoid using a solid, bold color when designing an accent wall in your space.
In many such situations, the builder, seller, or low-cost painter used a low-grade flat paint for three reasons: the first is that it is inexpensive; the second is that it is easy to touch up; the third is that it hides imperfections in the drywall walls.
If your room has warm neutral tones, consider wall art in warm earthy colours like browns and spicy hues. It's easier on the eye and helps to create cohesive harmony. In contrast, if your neutrals have cooler undertones, choose artwork in a similar hue, like blue or grey.
Are Matte Paint Good For Walls? Matt finish paint is great for walls because it makes them look smooth and elegant. The material absorbs light instead of reflecting it so it can be used in high-traffic areas like kitchens and hallways. Matte or Matt paint is ideal for guest bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms.
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 finishes are often used in bathrooms, kitchens, kids' rooms, and other high-traffic areas.
Pros: A satin finish reflects more light than matte and stands up well to washing. Use in high-traffic areas such as bathrooms, the kitchen and a kid's room as well as on trim and molding throughout the house. Cons: This finish does not hide imperfections in surface or application; any touch-ups will stand out.
Satin. Satin finish paint has a smooth, velvety look with a bit more gloss than eggshell. It is most often used for windows, doors, trim, or ceilings, but it can also be used as wall paint. This is particularly suitable for kids' rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas that get a lot of traffic.
Satin paint can be used on select low-impact surfaces like door casings, door and window trim, doors, and windows. High-impact surfaces should be painted with semi-gloss or high-gloss paint. Satin paint works well in kitchens, bathrooms, kids' rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, offices, and finished basements.