· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Painters
Color is chosen carefully and sheen is usually chosen by whatever the person at the counter suggested. Sheen decides how washable the wall is, how much glare it throws, and how much of the wall behind it you can see, which is why it is one of the first things we settle on an interior painting job. Color still gets its own decision, and when a house is about to go on the market, our post on paint colors that help a Nashville house sell walks through how we test neutrals in the room itself, since strong afternoon sun can push the wrong white toward yellow.
What does each paint sheen do?
Flat and matte hide surface imperfection best and clean worst. Sherwin-Williams’ guide to choosing paint sheen says flat paints conceal blemishes better than glossier ones, and that stains are often hard to get off them because the porous film traps dirt. Eggshell and satin sit in the middle, and the same guide groups them together as resisting stains better than flat. Semi-gloss and gloss give the toughest, most stain-resistant film of all.
The trade is consistent: more sheen means more durability and more visible imperfection. Sherwin-Williams warns that a glossy finish shows even the smallest flaws, so the shinier the paint we are putting on, the longer we spend on patching and sanding before it goes up.
Which sheen goes in which room?
Ceilings: flat, in nearly every house we paint. The same Sherwin-Williams guide calls flat a great choice for ceilings and other surfaces you want to downplay, and a ceiling with any shine to it shows the flaws a flat finish would have hidden.
Living rooms and bedrooms: matte or eggshell. Hallways, kids’ rooms and stairwells get touched constantly, and the manufacturer’s advice there is glossier than most owners expect: Sherwin-Williams’ page on burnishing recommends semi-gloss or gloss instead of flat in high-traffic areas and a durable paint on doors, window sills and trim. Satin is the middle ground for anyone who does not want a shiny hallway. Bathrooms and kitchens: satin or semi-gloss, or a paint made for bathrooms. Trim and doors: semi-gloss. Cabinets are a separate job with their own prep, covered on our cabinet painting page.
- Ceilings: flat
- Bedrooms and formal rooms: matte or eggshell
- Hallways, kids’ rooms and stairs: satin up to semi-gloss
- Kitchens and baths: satin, semi-gloss or a bathroom paint
- Trim and doors: semi-gloss
The Nashville humidity factor
Bathrooms here need more than sheen. Mildew is a moisture problem first, and the EPA puts ventilation ahead of anything on the wall: its advice on controlling moisture at home is to use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens that send the moisture outside, not into the attic, and its brief guide to mold and moisture suggests keeping indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally between 30 and 50. A fan that cannot clear the room after a shower leaves the walls damp whatever finish is on them, so ventilation is the first fix and paint the second.
The same EPA guide says not to paint or caulk over moldy surfaces, because paint applied over mold is likely to peel. That is the usual story behind a bathroom ceiling that keeps letting go, which our post on paint peeling off a bathroom ceiling walks through from the fan to the final coat.
What are the common sheen mistakes?
Higher sheen on an older wall is the common regret. An old plaster wall with decades of patches in it can show every one of them under satin, so we look at a wall in side light from the window before agreeing to anything shinier than eggshell. Smoothing that wall is its own question in an older house: the EPA’s renovation, repair and painting page for consumers says homes built before 1978 are more likely to have lead-based paint and tells owners to find a lead-certified contractor, and our post on lead paint in a pre-1978 Nashville house covers what that means before anyone sands.
Mixing sheens on the same wall plane is the other one. Touching up eggshell with a leftover satin from a different room puts two finishes side by side that reflect light differently, and the patch can stay visible from across the room. When we touch up, we match the sheen as well as the color.
Going from a glossy surface to a flatter one fails in a different way, at adhesion. Sherwin-Williams’ note on peeling over hard, slick surfaces says glossy surfaces should be sanded dull, with a bonding primer where they are still slick, and its guide to choosing primer lists an adhesion primer made for slick and glossy surfaces. Our post on when primer is actually necessary goes further, and if you would like the sheen worked out room by room for your house, ask us for a free estimate.
Sources
- Sherwin-Williams, Choosing Paint Sheen — Flat conceals blemishes and is hard to clean; eggshell and satin resist stains better than flat; gloss toughest but shows the smallest flaws; flat a great choice for ceilings; gloss common in bathrooms
- Sherwin-Williams, Burnishing (Shiny Area) — Burnishing causes; semi-gloss or gloss instead of flat in high-traffic areas; durable paint on doors, sills and trim; wait two weeks before washing; soft cloth and mild cleaner
- Sherwin-Williams, Peeling - Over Hard, Slick Surfaces — Sand glossy surfaces dull; bonding primer where still slick
- Sherwin-Williams, How to Choose Primer — Drywall primer for new drywall; stain-blocking shellac primer; adhesion primer for slick and glossy surfaces; truest color in fewer coats
- US EPA, What are the main ways to control moisture in your home? — Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans venting outside, not into the attic
- US EPA, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home — Indoor humidity below 60 percent, ideally 30 to 50; do not paint over moldy surfaces; paint over mold is likely to peel
- US EPA, Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Program: Consumers — Homes built before 1978 more likely to have lead-based paint; find a lead-certified contractor
FAQ
Choosing Paint Sheen Room by Room — questions
What sheen is best for bathrooms?
Something with more sheen than flat. Higher-gloss finishes are common in bathrooms because they are tougher and easier to keep clean, though they show more of the wall’s imperfections; satin is the middle ground, and some paints are made specifically for bathrooms. Whatever the finish, an exhaust fan that vents outside, not into the attic, comes first, and the EPA advises against painting over moldy surfaces at all.
Can you wash flat paint?
Gently, and not too soon. Rubbing or scrubbing flat paint can polish the spot into a shiny mark, which Sherwin-Williams calls burnishing, and it lists frequent washing with an abrasive cleaner and paint with low scrub resistance among the causes. Wait at least two weeks after painting before washing, and use a soft cloth or sponge with water or a general household cleaner. For walls that will be cleaned often, Sherwin-Williams recommends semi-gloss or gloss over flat in high-traffic areas; satin is the compromise for a softer look.
Do I need to prime before repainting?
It depends on what is under the new coat. Bare drywall needs a primer to seal it, stains need a stain-blocking primer, and a glossy surface should be sanded dull and given a bonding primer if it is still slick. A primer also helps a big color change cover in fewer coats. On a sound, clean wall staying close to its current color, we often go straight to the topcoat after spot-priming any patches, but we decide that wall by wall.
Which paint sheen hides imperfections?
Flat and matte hide them best. Sherwin-Williams says flat paints conceal blemishes better than glossier ones, while a glossy finish shows even the smallest flaws. The trade-off is cleaning: flat traps dirt in its porous film and can burnish when scrubbed, so it suits ceilings and walls that are not washed often.