· Michael Blair
Colour 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.
What each level does
Flat and matte hide surface imperfection best and clean worst. Eggshell adds a slight sheen and meaningful washability. Satin is noticeably reflective and genuinely scrubbable. Semi-gloss and gloss are for trim and wet areas.
The trade is consistent: more sheen means more durability and more visible imperfection, because reflected light reveals every patch, roller mark and drywall seam.
Room by room
Ceilings: flat, always. Any sheen on a ceiling shows every imperfection under raking light from a window.
Living rooms and bedrooms: matte or eggshell. Hallways, kids’ rooms and stairwells: eggshell or satin, because they get touched. Kitchens and bathrooms: satin, or a purpose-made bathroom paint. Trim and doors: semi-gloss.
- Ceilings: flat
- Bedrooms and formal rooms: matte or eggshell
- Hallways and high-traffic: eggshell to satin
- Kitchens and baths: satin or a moisture-resistant line
- Trim, doors, cabinets: semi-gloss
The Nashville humidity factor
Bathrooms here need more than sheen. Middle Tennessee humidity plus a bathroom with a weak extractor creates conditions for mildew regardless of paint, so ventilation is the first fix and paint the second.
Modern matte and eggshell products have improved washability substantially, which means flat finishes are now viable in more rooms than the old advice allows.
Where sheen goes wrong
Higher sheen on an older wall is the common regret. Plaster and older drywall in Nashville’s pre-war housing is rarely flat enough to take satin without every ripple appearing.
Mixing sheens on the same wall plane is the other one. Touching up eggshell with a leftover satin from a different room leaves a visible patch that no amount of blending removes.