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.
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.
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.
Most people prefer a matt finish, and the more matt the better for some. Finishes with a bit of shine like soft sheen are usually destined for wet areas in the kitchen or bathroom, because they resist moisture and wipe clean easily. Often they're mould resistant too.
Use satin paint for higher-traffic areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and hallways. Because it contains more gloss than eggshell or matte, it's also more durable.
Matte finish cabinets have a uniform colour and do not fade due to exposure to sunshine and other harsh chemicals. Darker matte finish cabinets are your best choice if you want a long-lasting and timeless appeal. Fingerprints, dirt, and scratches are more visible on glossy finish cabinets than on matte finish cabinets.
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.
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.
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.
The best paint finish for walls
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.
Shelby Girard, vice president of Havenly's design team, says her rules of thumb are to do an eggshell or matte finish on walls and ceilings, especially in ancillary spaces like bedrooms and offices, but to use satin on trim and doors.
Satin: Satin finishes are the most common interior paint finish. They have a velvety sheen and are easier to clean than flat and eggshell paints, which makes them a great choice for high-traffic areas like kitchens, playrooms, family rooms, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.
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.
Satin finishes are the most commonly used paint for interior walls. They are easier to clean than flat and eggshell paints, which makes them a great choice for high-traffic areas like kitchens, bathrooms, family rooms, and playrooms.
Flat Matt Emulsion
Flat matts create a velvety texture and are best suited for living rooms and bedrooms. It is also a good choice for deeper colour shades as the colour will not be impacted by different light conditions in the room.
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.
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.
Flat paint works best in low-traffic areas, such as the master bedroom, a study, or a formal living room.
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.
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.
Professional photographers use photo paper with a matte finish as it doesn't reflect light like glossy finishes. Pros prefer to have the final image viewed without the distraction of glare from the paper. And as many pro photographers frame their photos behind glass, a matte finish is best for this display style.
Experts usually recommend them for low-traffic areas and ceilings, however, advancement in paint technology has led to modern formulas that are much more sympathetic to daily wear and tear, giving you the option of a matte finish in any room – even kitchens and bathrooms .
Glossy finishes are often the best for kitchen applications. However, if you're not a fan of shinier walls, then satin or matte sheen would be best. A matte sheen is also ideal for painting over walls with surface imperfections. The best sheen is a personal preference.