How Many Types of Paint Finishes Are There?

Have you tried to buy white paint and gotten confused because there are 100s of white paints? With many types of paint finishes, picking the right finish or sheen is just as difficult.And with no industry standard for paint sheens, it's no wonder most homeowners are confused.

One company's eggshell can be another company's satin, matte or low gloss. And paint companies don't use the same terms as pearl isn't offered by all paint brands. When picking among the various types of paint finishes, you'll want to consider:

• Wall texture – will affect the look you achieve with painting. A flatter paint will hide imperfections so walls with patches or cracks will look better with a flat or matte finish.
• Natural light and room size –  much natural light is coming into a room and the feeling you want to convey visually. Go with a higher reflectivity if you want the light to bounce across the room versus a flat or matte finish with low reflectivity that will absorb the light.
• Room use – is important when picking your paint finish. If the room you're painting has lots of traffic, you'll want a paint that's easy to clean, and higher sheens are more scrubbable

If remembering the various types of paint finishes is challenging, here are some basic rules to follow.

• The higher the sheen or glossiness, the higher the shine.
• The higher the shine, the harder the paint surface which makes it more durable.
• Flat means no shine while hi-gloss has the most shine, with other paint sheens falling in-between.

Flat → Matte → Eggshell → Satin → Semi-Gloss → Hi-Gloss

Types of Paint Finishes: Flat Paint

Flat paint is the most forgiving paint finish, that will give you rich results. If your walls have imperfections you can't fix, like an uneven texture or seams you can't cover, flat paint will hide them better than any other paint finish. That's because flat paint absorbs light making imperfections less noticeable.

• Coverage – gives you a smooth, subtle finish that covers imperfections well.
• Ease of cleaning – difficult as scrubbing can remove paint and cause patchy spots, which then require touch-up.
• Durability – Flat paint isn't very durable which is why you only want to use in low traffic areas.
• Glossiness – There no noticeable sheen as flat paint when dry, absorbs light.
• Best uses – ceilings and low traffic rooms that don't need a lot of cleaning, like a guest bedroom.

Matte Paint Finish, a Lot Like Flat Paint

With so many different types of paint finishes, it can be hard to figure out what's really different. People use flat and changeably so I called one of my favorite paint stores to get the right information. Angela at Exeter Paint in New Hampshire told me “… they're similar in reflectivity and ability to hide imperfections. The difference is matte paint has a sealant that makes it scrubbable and yes, that also means matte paints will be more expensive.”

• Coverage – gives you a smooth, subtle finish that covers imperfections well.
• Ease of cleaning – scrubbable so you can clean easily and avoid touch-ups.
• Durability – more durable than flat paint.
• Glossiness – There no noticeable sheen as flat paint when dry, absorbs light.
• Best uses – ceilings, bedrooms (not kids), living room and dining rooms that don't see a lot of traffic or dirt.

Eggshell, the Most Popular Paint Finish

Moving along the paint finish scale, eggshell and satin (described below) fall between the semi-gloss and low-lustre (flat and matte) paints. For better coverage of imperfections in walls, eggshell seems to be the most popular of all types of paint finishes. For homes with open floor plans, eggshell is good balance among the types of paint finishes.

• Coverage – easy to apply, so a single coat may be enough after a good primer. It may show imperfections, especially if the walls get direct sunlight making prep important.
• Ease of cleaning – more washable than flat/matte sheens.
• Durability – with a slight gloss, eggshell is more durable than flat finishes but not as durable as satin, semi-gloss or high-gloss paints.
• Glossiness – look like a matte when viewed at a straight angle, while it has a subtle sheen when viewed at an angle.
• Best uses – in living room, dining room, home office and bedrooms.

Satin Versus Eggshell Paint Finish

Many people ask how to decide between eggshell versus satin. They both offer the best compromise between pigment and strength, which makes them longer-lasting with medium traffic. A satin finish should be used where you’ll need to clean the walls regularly and the walls don't have imperfections which will show more (that's where eggshell is best).

• Coverage – not as good as eggshell when it comes to hiding imperfections.
• Ease of cleaning – more washable than flat/matte sheens.
• Durability – more durable than a satin finish but not as hard as semi-gloss or high-gloss paints.
• Glossiness – a soft sheen that reflects light.
• Best uses – ideal for more active rooms like family rooms, a well used dining room and home offices.

 

Semi-Gloss, The Perfect Paint Finish for Wall Trim

Semi-gloss is more commonly used on trim rather than walls. It has a hard finish that holds up well with heavy wear and tear, and it's easy to clean with just soap and water. It's glossy but the shine is less than full gloss paint.

• Coverage – good and generally only needs a single coat of paint on trim. Walls must be perfect so a coat of primer tinted to the color of the semi-gloss finish coat can help prep walls, and be used for repairs.
• Ease of cleaning – very easy to clean (hospitals use on walls).
• Durability – hard enough to withstand heavy impact like shoes hitting the baseboard along walls.
• Glossiness – nice shine that reflects light.
• Best uses – great for trim, molding around doors and windows, cabinets.

High Gloss, Hardest of All Types of Paint Finishes

High gloss (often called gloss) paint is the most durable but shows all the imperfections on a wall because of it's light reflecting characteristic. It's the easiest to clean of all paint sheens, because it's so hard. high-gloss paint is hard, ultra-shiny, and light-reflecting

• Coverage – challenging as it will show every bump so the surface must be perfectly prepped to avoid streaks or an uneven sheen.
• Ease of cleaning – easy to clean.
• Durability – excellent among all paint finishes, and best choice for areas with high humidity, like bathrooms.
• Glossiness – too much shininess for interior walls so you'll want to limit high-gloss to high traffic, sticky finger areas in your home.
• Best uses – cabinets, bathrooms, kitchens, mud rooms and trim (doors and baseboards) when there are children.

We hope this guide to the types of paint finishes you need to pick from is helpful, and wish you luck with all your painting projects. We've got lots more articles on all sorts of painting projects, tips and tricks. You'll want to learn how painting pros clean their paint brushes, how to dispose of paint and more. You can find all our painting articles here.

PS If you want tips on my favorite painting tools, click here …