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. If your walls have bumps or imperfections, an extra coat of eggshell can disguise them more easily than satin or high-gloss finishes.
Eggshell paint sheen works especially well for walls in bedrooms, living rooms, hallways, offices, and finished basements. It can even be used in higher traffic spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms or children's rooms, though satin is a more durable choice.
Eggshell finishes are often used in bathrooms, kitchens, kids' rooms, and other high-traffic areas. Semigloss is tougher than eggshell, so it will show less wear. It reflects even more light when dry, though, so if there are any imperfections on your walls before you paint, they'll stand out.
Eggshell has a lower duller sheen than satin and is close to a matt or flat finish that you find in a lot of emulsions. It is reminiscent of the shell of an egg — hence its name. Satin has a glossier finish than eggshell and reflects more light, so is more likely to show up any imperfections.
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.
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.
The best paint finish for kitchen walls is one which is very washable, but not too glossy. Eggshell and satin finishes offers just that. They also work best painting darker colors in your kitchen.
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.
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 is commonly used in living rooms and dining rooms — it is durable and does not pick up dirt easily. “Eggshell paint is best suited for areas such as ceilings, bedrooms, dining rooms, and living areas where there is not a lot of dirt buildup or traffic,” she points out.
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.
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.
Eggshell paint is easy to paint over but only if you follow the right steps. To paint over eggshell paint, you'll need to clean, sand, and in some cases prime the eggshell paint before the new paint is applied. This is to allow the new paint to stick well to the existing eggshell paint.
Can You Paint Gloss On Top Of Eggshell? Sure. Almost anything can be painted over (except wallpaper). You just need to go right over the existing surface.
Flat latex paint is usually the preferred paint for textured ceilings. If the ceiling is not textured, or not covered in what is known in the industry as "a layer of popcorn," then an eggshell or satin paint can add a glossy sheen to the uniform surface of the ceiling.
Pigment Volume Concentration
Consequently, if you want to change a can of paint from gloss to flat, you have to add enough pigment to increase its volume by roughly a quarter. This means that, if you have a gallon of gloss paint, you need to add approximately a quart of pigment to make it flat.
Dust, dirt, oil or grime on the surface prevent the paint from permanently sticking to the surface. When the paint is disturbed by cleaning or scrubbing, it peels away from the wall. Lack of primer also can cause the paint to come away from the wall. Primer helps create a strong bond between the wall and the paint.
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.
Mixing flat and satin paints is possible. A combination of two sheens can be mixed whenever there is one nearby. Consequently, mixing semi-gloss and satin, adding eggshell and flat paint, etc. is fine. It is not recommended to mix semi-gloss with flat or eggshells.
Although both matte and eggshell paints are durable, eggshell finishes tend to be the more durable of the two.
Eggshell. A slight sheen and more washable and scrub-able than flat. Acrylic Eggshell is suitable for bathrooms and kitchens.
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.
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.
Most people find that satin or semi-gloss paint works the best in kitchens. A common scheme is to use satin paint on walls, with semi-gloss paint used on any cabinets or woodwork that are also painted.