Spending a lot of time on what paint color to use for your home can be overwhelming in its own. Once you have made your color selection you may ask what sheen to use. In this article I will be helping you with choosing the right sheen level for your interior painting. Flat paint is elegant and non-reflective, may be difficult to clean but if painted correctly it is easy to touch-up.
Sheen Level describes how shiny the Paint Is
While you may know the difference in sheen levels, know one talks about the sheen levels. As a matter of fact, We all know Matte is Flat, Satin has a small sheen. And Egg Shell, Gloss and so forth… More importantly, every manufacture has different sheen levels. A satin from Sherwin Williams is different from a satin made by Benjamin Moore. Not to split hairs here, but there is more to know about how we select the sheen level. Sheens are rated from 1 to 10. I use a dead flat for ceilings which shows less imperfections.
What is more important the durability or aesthetics?
My clients are concerned about durability and I often do satin or eggshell in the bathrooms. However, what really matters most to my customers how their home is going to look. Paint manufactures have come a long ways producing durable flat paint. And if they painting is done correctly it will be durable. How durable? That depends on how rough you are on your walls. I just finished a home where the child used the walls to write on, sharpie markers pens, it was everywhere. The customer went with flat in the main areas and eggshell for the bathrooms. Choosing the right sheen level for interior painting is not that difficult for our customers.
Choosing the right painter makes the difference with any sheen level
Here in Texas we have lots of knock-down texture or what is also called splatter-drag. That being said, sheen is our topic. However, I have to regress… Most of my clients use flat, using that as an example. The key to durability with any sheen is in the application. The perfect scenario would be your painter applied 2 coats of paint to an existing painted wall. He applied the correct millage (thickness) even worked harder pushing the roller into the wall to absorb into the textured dry walls. That says something about how the walls were painted. On the other hand, your painter made quick passes with the roller not concerned with the absorption rate and not considering the porosity. The first painter was successful in providing a more durable flat painted wall and will provide easy touch-up for years to come.
Hire A Painter That Achieves The Best Results
Flat paint obviously, is not as durable as Gloss paint… We do not even have to read the ASTM standards for that information. The right choice is to hire a painting company who understands more than just one method of application. All walls are different. Plasters of Italy makes a difference in providing long term results. So, Selecting a paint sheen level for your interior walls does matter. However painting correctly goes a long ways.
