Sound familiar?  You’re not alone! One of the most difficult parts about painting a room is knowing what sheen will work best for your area.  Choose the wrong sheen, and you can suffer dreaded fingerprints and scuff marks, or even an unsightly glare on your walls.  Here are some tips to help you make the right choice.

What is a sheen anyway?

Paints come in several sheens or gloss levels. The sheen of the paint determines how reflective (or shiny) the dried paint surface will be.  The higher level of gloss a paint contains, the more light will reflect off the surface after it dries, even if the paint is very dark. A lower level of gloss will reflect less light, even if the color is naturally bright.

Types of sheen

There are five different paint sheens to consider:

• Flat: Lowest level of gloss. This paint is also called matte paint. When light hits this paint it diffuses, creating a soft and even surface, which is why it’s called flat. You don’t see much texture when you use this paint, however fingerprints and scuff marks are easier to see with this type of paint.
• Eggshell: Eggshell paint has slightly more sheen than flat. Because there’s more light reflecting off the wall, you begin to see more texture in the finished product.
• Satin: Satin paints are about 10% more glossy than eggshell, and because of the higher sheen, they are more resistant to staining and fingerprints, but less resistant than Semi-Gloss and Gloss paints.
• Semi-Gloss: Semi-gloss paints are pretty reflective of light and because the paint is so smooth, they are quite easy to clean.
• Gloss: Gloss paints have the highest level of sheen. They are highly reflective of light and show much more texture than its lower sheen counterparts. These paints are the easiest to clean.

Where to use the five paint sheens

This guide shows the most frequent uses for each sheen type.

One Last Tip

Consider the lighting in the room before finalizing your decision on sheen. A high gloss sheen in a room with a lot of natural light or white lightbulbs can be harsh on the eyes. Instead, try using high sheen in a darker room or one with warm yellow lighting.

Call Us

Still undecided? Don’t sweat. At Winterton Painting, we’re here to take the guess work out of painting your home or business. Give us a call to schedule your estimate today!

Winterton Painting proudly provides painting services throughout the Central New York Region— feel free to reach out to us today to get started!