When painting the interior of your home it is important to pick the right type of paint. This will ensure the best results. Below are the types of paints and the recommended application for each.
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Flat Paints
Flat paint finish is often the preferred choice for the most professional appearance. It doesn’t reflect light as easily as the other finishes, so your walls will look more perfect, and small imperfections will not be as visible. However, flat wall paint isn’t nearly as easy to keep clean. If you have small children in the home, you might be constantly trying to clean little fingerprints off of flat finished walls. Ceiling paints are usually a flat finish, which helps to hide ceiling imperfections.
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Eggshell Finish
An eggshell finish has just a hint of sheen, and is just slightly more glossy than flat. Although eggshell is still not easy to clean, it holds up better than flat does.
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Satin
Satin is a very popular choice, because it is often considered to be the perfect balance of attractiveness and ease of cleaning, especially when it is used for high traffic areas and trim. It works well in the bathroom or kitchen, because it is much easier to clean, and can even survive some light scrubbing. It’s also a great choice for kids’ rooms.
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Semi-Gloss
Semi-gloss finish paint is usually considered too glossy for use on walls, but it can be a great choice for doors and cabinets, and for trim in very high traffic areas or places that you will be cleaning frequently, like the wood trim in the kitchen.
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Gloss
Gloss finishes are definitely not recommended as a wall finish, but can be a good choice for furniture, and possibly on some cabinets and trim. It will show every single flaw on the surface you paint, so if you use gloss paint, be sure to prepare the surface very carefully.