Ahhh… I remember the first time I painted a room. cue the “going back in time” squiggles I was a junior in high school and we had just moved into a new house. I was ecstatic because my parents let me paint my room however I wanted. I chose a soft, minty green color in a satin finish and flat black trim.

The color of the room was actually pretty classy and surprisingly the finish wasn’t too off-base either, unlike my mom who painted the rest of the house in semi-gloss even though I told her it would look weird (and it did).

But although I got lucky and made a couple of good decisions, they weren’t educated. And I certainly didn’t get lucky with all my painting decisions in my room, considering I painted the trim in a flat finish and painted the ENTIRE room (ceiling too) with the same paint I used on the walls. I’ve learned a lot since then.

My point is, we all have to start somewhere. Sometimes I forget that not everyone has painted several houses worth of rooms and may not know what to say when the person at the paint counter asks, “what finish do you want that in?”. So this week, I’d like to bring back the basics and break down how to choose the best paint finish for every room in your house.

How to choose a paint finish

When choosing a paint finish, you can most definitely just choose what you think would look good (it’s your house, after all). But there are different finishes for a reason. It’s important to know what the purpose of each finish is before committing if you want a nice looking end product.

There are 5 main finishes: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high gloss, and 3 main aspects of each paint finish: sheen, imperfections, and durability. Below I break down how each finish stacks up and where in your home they should be used.

Flat

Sheen: Flat paint is… well, flat. Pretty self-explanatory. It’s a matte finish and doesn’t reflect light.

Imperfections: Because of its matte finish, flat paint is very good at hiding imperfections.

Durability: Flat paint tends to hold on to dirt and is difficult to clean and wipe down.

Where to use it: Low traffic areas, ceilings, or on walls with lots of imperfections (like old plaster walls)

Eggshell

Sheen: Low sheen, like an eggshell. Also pretty self-explanatory.

Imperfections: Still pretty good at hiding imperfections.

Durability: Slightly easier to clean than flat paint.

Where to use it: Low to moderate traffic areas - living rooms, dining rooms, adult bedrooms

Satin

Sheen: Moderate sheen

Imperfections: Less good at hiding imperfections

Durability: Easier to clean

Where to use it: Moderate traffic areas, like kids’ bedrooms and hallways or in areas with moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms.

Semi-gloss

Sheen: Moderate to high sheen, slightly glossy and reflective

Imperfections: Not good at hiding imperfections

Durability: Easy to clean

Where to use it: Moderate to high traffic areas like on trim, doors, and cabinets or in areas with moisture like kitchens and baths.

High gloss

Sheen: High sheen, very glossy and reflective

Imperfections: Bad at hiding imperfections

Durability: Easy to clean

Where to use it: High traffic areas, like on trim and doors

If you’re still not quite sure what these finishes look and feel like, just ask the associate at the paint counter if you can see a sample of the different finishes. A lot of times they’ll have a little sample with each of the finishes displayed to better help you make your decision.

Now that you know the “rules” of choosing a paint finish, you can have some fun with it and throw those rules out the window!… with caution.

A great example of this is painting a design on a wall using the same color in two different paint finishes.

Or painting an entire room - walls, trim, molding - with the same color and finish.

Or even painting the whole room (including the ceiling) the same color in a high gloss finish.

At the end of the day, it’s your house so do what speaks to you and makes you swoon. But at least now I’ve taken the guesswork out of it for you, so the next time you order a gallon of paint you won’t be caught off guard. Happy painting!