Choosing the Right Paint Sheen for Your Home

If you've ever stood in the paint aisle, stared at the vast rows of cans on the shelves, and felt overwhelmed by the endless options—wondering what the heck "eggshell" even means—you’ve come to the right place.

Today, we’re diving into paint sheens, and by the end of this post, you’ll know exactly which sheen we would recommend as Interior Designers for every room in your home.

UNDERSTANDING PAINT SHEENS

First things first, let’s talk about what paint sheen actually is. The sheen of paint refers to its level of glossiness or shine, which not only affects how your paint looks but also how it performs.

There are several different sheens available, each with its own unique properties and best-use scenarios. Please note that this does vary a bit by brand, and some will have various levels in between what we’re talking about here (looking at you, Cashmere), but this will give you a high-level overview of what most brands carry and how you might use them.

Flat/Matte: This sheen has the least amount of shine. This is the ideal finish for ceilings and will also often be used in more modern homes on walls due to its matte finish. Be warned, if you get a low-quality paint (aka cheap), it's not going to be as cleanable. In fact (and I speak from experience here) it will rub right off the wall when you try to scrub a scuff mark out of it.

If you have a high use situation (looking at you, parents and pet owners), flat walls are probably not the best choice. Builders looooove flat paint. Why? Because it’s the easiest to touch up, so that if there’s a ding during construction, they don’t have to repaint the whole wall. So, good for touch-ups, but bad for cleanability.

Eggshell: Just a touch more sheen than flat, eggshell is a bit more durable and easier to clean. This is our go-to sheen for 95% of the walls in our projects. It has just a hint of shine, and is still fairly matte, BUT it gives you some scrubbability and resilience against daily life.

Eggshell can also touch up pretty easily (just use a small art brush rather than a big paintbrush).

Satin: With a soft, velvety finish, satin is both beautiful and practical. This is a semi-controversial opinion, but satin is our go-to finish for doors, trim, and wall paneling. All builders are clutching their pearls here because they’ll swear up and down that you need to use Semi-Gloss, but we’ve done hundreds of homes and respectfully disagree!

If you're concerned about humidity in bathrooms, you can also use satin on the walls there (though we would argue that eggshell is a FINE choice, but just turn on your exhaust fan during and after a shower).

Semi-Gloss: This is not our favorite as it's just too glossy for a sophisticated matte look and not glossy enough for a high-end lacquered look. It's trying too hard to be everything to everyone. We rarely use it.

Not to get in the weeds here, but the possible exception to this is that some brands (like Sherwin Williams) have a slightly duller semi-gloss (they call their more matte finish - wait for it - Eggshell/Satin....thanks guys. Super clear-ish) that is closer to other brands' Satin finish (like Benjamin Moore). So we aren't saying you can NEVER use it, but as a rule, we steer towards satin for doors and trim.

High-Gloss: The shiniest of them all, high-gloss shows every imperfection, so you really need a pristine substrate for this to look good. It's super durable and easy to clean, best used for surfaces that need to stand up to heavy use, like furniture and doors where you want a high-end lacquered look. Be warned that it is next to impossible to touch up and not have it be super noticeable.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT PAINT SHEEN

Now that we’ve got the basics down, here’s a simple cheat sheet by application.

Ceilings: Flat

Walls: Eggshell

Most Doors, Trim, and Cabinetry Trim: Satin

Lacquered look for paneling, cabinetry, doors, trim: High-gloss

OTHER SHEEN TIPS

Choose a High-Quality Paint: Remember when it used to be true that paint was the cheapest way to change a room? Well, if you haven’t been paint shopping lately, I hate to break it to you, but it’s not as cheap as it once was.

I know, I KNOW, it's tempting to buy the $30 can. But friends, there is a reason that a $90 can exists. Do you need the highest quality in every situation? No. For a kid's bedroom that's going to get repainted after 3 years of them putting their feet and crayons on the wall, you can go with the less expensive stuff and know that you'll be repainting it.

But please, with your cabinetry, or 25’ tall walls that require scaffolding to paint, and high traffic areas, upgrade the quality of your paint. You’ll regret it if you don’t.

Prep Your Walls: Whether you're DIYing or hiring it out, prep work is key. The more sheen you have in your paint, the more every imperfection needs to be addressed before you paint. I know it's a pain and is the worst part of painting, but it makes all the difference.

Hopefully, this cheat sheet has demystified choosing the right paint sheen for your home! If you're looking for more paint color help, check out these other posts on Our Favorite White Paint Colors and Choosing a Whole House Color Palette. And join us over on Instagram where we talk all things home design on the regular. Got a paint horror story or a favorite go-to sheen? Drop a comment and let’s chat!