Let's talk sheen...

Jai Reed
May 6, 2016
2 min read

Sheen is the shiny in a paint finish. The higher the sheen, the higher the shine. Paint sheen ranges from flat with no sheen to high gloss with the shiniest. But, before you choose decide the areas to be painted and the traffic in them.

High gloss and semi gloss as well as satin have the most shine are durable and easy to clean. Good mostly in areas such as the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms. Though higher sheen paint reflects light and show more imperfections in walls. You may have heard about using high or semi gloss wall paint for trim and baseboards because of it's durability. Though using actual paint made for those areas (trim paint) is really best. As the higher sheen wall paint doesn't adhere as well as trim paint and will crack and chip more easily. It also doesn't level out after applying so brush and roller marks can be seen. See the blog about trim paint for more information.

Eggshell has a medium sheen. It's quite durable and easy to clean. It can be used in all areas of the house. Hides more imperfections then a higher sheen.

Flat and matte have no sheen less durable then the other sheens and can show finger prints in high traffic areas. Great for accent or feature walls as they bring out the richness of the colour chosen and are usually low or no traffic areas. These are best for hiding imperfections in walls.

Some paint companies have other sheens they carry such as Benjamin Moore which has a low sheen paint between flat and eggshell. It's the same durability as eggshell but with less sheen and is great for hiding imperfections.

Many times houses are painted with higher sheen paint and discover more imperfections can be seen on the walls. Paint has come along way over the past few years. Higher sheen paint were mostly available years ago and now can have a dated look. Since eggshell and lower sheen paints have come along they have become more popular with their durability and ability to hide imperfections with lower light reflection.

When choosing paint for your walls consider the sheen as well as the colour, because shiny is not always better!

Happy painting!