You’ve prepared everything to paint your new home, looking online, asking friends, getting swatches and choosing one (or multiple) that will fit perfectly, but not everyone thinks about what finish to use. You can be easily confused if you don’t know what types of finishes there are available.
There are four different finishes to choose from, but the first thing to know is that when the shine of the paint increases, the ability to wipe the walls does too. The more you need to wipe your walls, the more sheen you will need to have in the finish. Here is the list from the least sheen to the most sheen:
- Matte paint has little to no sheen and for that reason, is usually used on ceilings or low traffic areas. Ceilings are definitely not a high traffic area, and you don’t want a shiny distraction above everyone who enters your home. Think twice before using it in certain areas such as the kitchen, because the only way to remove stains and marks is by painting over it.
- Satin paint is great for all types of areas including the bedroom, hallway and kitchen. You are able to wipe satin paint, but not scrub it.
- Semi Gloss is perfect for trim, bathrooms as well as the kitchen and any other areas that might be facing sticky messes or scribbling. It adds a nice, slight shine to paint and only reflects a little bit of light.
- Glossy paint is the most sheen paint and gives a very polished look to wherever it’s applied and makes walls extremely wipe-able
Now that you know all about paint finishes, you are ready to finish decorating your new home!