Paint Sheens Explained

Painting interior surfaces of your house can be one of the least expensive and most impactful home remodeling projects you can do. As home builders, we often get requests from clients to have paint sheens explained and where to use them.

If you have not enlisted an interior designer on your home remodeling project, you can use this article as a reference to help you pick the right sheens when painting the rooms in your home.

Sheen measures the reflected light off a painted surface. This test is performed by recording the amount of original light remaining after it reflects from a surface at an 85-degree angle. So in simple terms, sheen measures how “shiny” a paint is.

Paint Sheens Explained: Flat (0-3%)

Flat paint is perfect for plaster walls that have imperfections like bumps, scratches, and holes. With the most pigment, and virtually no shine, flat-sheen paint will conceal these blemishes. And a quality flat paint looks great with bold colors.

However, cleaning a flat-sheen surface without removing paint is very difficult, so make sure to use it only in low-traffic areas away from kids and pets.

Common uses:

• Ceilings
• Garage
• Closets

Matte (3-10%)

Matte paint is also known as concealer paint and sometimes referred to as velvet. It’s similar to flat paint, and our home remodeling clients who have original walls often choose matte paint.

Also, rooms with lots of natural light benefit from matte paint. Its slightly higher gloss makes matte somewhat more durable and easier to clean than flat paint, but it should be avoided in high-traffic or high-moisture areas.

Common uses:

• Adult bedrooms
• Ceilings

Eggshell (12-25%)

Eggshell paints are great for heavily trafficked areas of your home. They convey a greater warmth and depth to surfaces than flat paints.

Also, eggshell can be a perfect middle ground: Its low gloss hides imperfections well, but it has enough shine to provide durability and washability.

Moreover, eggshell is a great general-use paint sheen, popular with property managers, in garages, when doing basement remodeling projects, and in bedrooms.

Common uses:

• Dining room
• Hallways
• Family room
• Bedrooms

Satin (25-35%)

Satin (sometimes called low sheen) is similar to eggshell, with just a bit more shine. It’s washable enough for regular traffic areas, looks great in any color, and is versatile enough for many different uses.

Satin’s slightly glossy appearance, however, tends to highlight surface imperfections—such as roller or brush strokes—more than flat paints. Also, touch-ups with satin paint can be tricky.

Common uses:

• Living room
• Mudroom
• Hallways
• Kids’ rooms

Semi-Gloss (35-60%)

The higher sheen of semi-gloss paint is most often seen on trim, in high-traffic areas, and in areas of high moisture like a bathroom remodel.

Semi-gloss offers good stain resistance, is easy to clean, and is most often used in rooms requiring frequent scrubbing, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Because higher-sheen paints like semi-gloss show the imperfections behind the paint, it is important that your home builder or remodeling contractor prepare the surface with care and apply the coating with precision.

Common uses:

• Laundry room
• Bathroom
• Kitchen
• Cabinets

Paint Sheens Explained:
High-Gloss (Greater than 60%)

High gloss paint is a favorite accent of residential interior designers. They have the highest reflective appearance and are the toughest, most durable, and most stain resistant of all finishes.

Like semi-gloss paints, high-gloss paints are very sensitive to surface preparation and require an expert contractor to apply them.

So if you have an understanding of the maintenance involved, a high-gloss painted surface will set your remodeling project apart from your neighbor’s.

Common uses:

• Trim
• Windowsills
• Woodwork
• Furniture

Paint Sheens Explained: Conclusion

Picking the right paint for your application can make the difference between an average room and a fabulous room. Choosing the color is only half the battle. With all painting, surface preparation is the key to a long-lasting, quality job.

Picking a quality builder to paint your kitchen or bathroom remodeling project is essential. So contact us at LaBonte Construction to talk about painting as part of your next home remodeling or construction project.

---

• See also: Our post on Painting Your Porch Ceiling Blue