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.
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.
The big difference between these two paints is the finish. Satin has a little sheen while matte is more flat. Satin is also more durable and easier to clean though it is trickier to apply and touch up if any marks do appear over time. Matte paint gives better coverage than satin and it's more cost-effective too.
From the perspective of a Color Designer/Consultant, I typically specify eggshell on walls for multiple reasons that benefit the people who are dwelling in the home. Eggshell paint cleans easier, covers better, wears better, and lasts longer than flat paint.
Emulsion Paints -The Popular Choice
(Emulsion paints are the best quality paints for interior walls and are great for high-traffic areas like hallways and kitchens.) Now this one is a sure-shot winner! Firstly, it is water-based paint, so there are no uncouth odours.
Use a Bucket
Pros prefer 5-gallon buckets with a roller grid to roller pans. They hold more paint than pans and, says Doherty, “It's tougher to tip over a bucket.” A bucket also lets you box, or mix, two or three cans of paint to avoid color discrepancies.
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.
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.
On Walls. Flat paint can also be used on walls in low-traffic areas, such as formal living and dining rooms. It could also be a good choice for a home office space, depending on how much wear and tear it gets. You may even get away with using it in infrequently used guest rooms.
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.
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.
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.
But flat paints can be hard to clean since their porous texture can trap dirt and grime. And since flat paint doesn't resist water like glossier paint does, cleaning it may leave behind unwanted streaks that can make an already dirty wall seem even worse.
The difference between flat and matte paint is so small they're largely interchangeable. Ultimately, it comes down to gloss level. Flat finish has an ever so slightly lower gloss percentage, around 5%, with matte finish around 5-10%. Even though it's small, this difference does affect durability.
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.
In the living room and dining room, opt for an eggshell or satin finish.
For paint that will provide decent durability without the reflectivity of high-gloss finishes, choose a satin finish. Cost: Eggshell paint is more cost-effective than satin paint. Homeowners looking to save at the paint store or repaint large areas are better off going with an eggshell finish.
If you cannot see any light bouncing off the finish of your painted wall, you have flat paint. Unfortunately, flat paint is much quicker to show scuffs, smudges, and fingerprints than other types of paint finishes. It does not hold up well to moisture, which is why it is seldom used in kitchens and bathrooms.
Low sheen paints are the most popular finish because they are easy to clean and are more durable than the flatter finishes. The slight sheen level can highlight any surface imperfections but are an ideal choice for walls in high traffic areas.
If you are looking for a well-saturated wall that has rich results, you'll want to go with a flat finish. Flat paint is the most forgiving finish with the best color payout.
Professional Painters Usually Don't Wash Walls
Washing cuts into painting time, which cuts into their income, so don't expect your hired painter to wash down your walls unless you agree to pay them more for the service. Better yet, hire a cleaner to do this work, or do the cleaning yourself before the painter arrives.
Eggshell. One of the most popular finishes for indoor wall paint, eggshell provides a low level of sheen and a smooth finish. It's more easily washable than a flat paint and more likely to resist stains and scuffs, but it's still not as durable as more glossy finishes.
Contractors are often requested to use low- or zero-VOC paints, and this is something they can get from Sherwin-Williams in a variety of their paint lines. Sherwin-Williams paint is thick because it uses more solids, which makes it easier to work with and will cover more surface area.