There is paint, and then there is paint…

When it comes to painting the interior of your home, the finish choices can be daunting. Do you go with flat/matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss or high-gloss finish and where? Paint type for drywall, metal, plastic or wood? Interior vs. exterior… yikes. On top of all that, not all paints are equal in quality….some will last longer than others and some may perform better…

To start:

How much traffic will the surface get? More sheen = more durability.
How much sheen is desired? How much light do you want to add or subtract from the room? The shininess of each finish will affect the amount of light that will be reflected back into your space.
Does the surface have imperfections? If so, you will need to choose a paint that will cover them. The more finish shine, the more the imperfections will show.

Finish Types:

Flat (matte) paints are best used in low-traffic areas, as they provide the most coverage to mask imperfections; however, they are the least durable of any paint finish. Flat paints can be easily damaged, so the best place to use this kind of paint would be dining rooms, ceilings or walls that won’t be touched a lot.
Eggshell finishes are popular, as they do a good job at covering up imperfections but are more durable than flat paints. These finishes are slightly more lustrous and are great for low to medium traffic areas like entries, hallways and living rooms.
Satin finishes are the most commonly used, as they are easier to clean than flat and eggshell finishes. Satin finishes have a velvety sheen and can be used in higher-traffic areas like playrooms, family rooms, and laundry rooms. The only downside with satin paints is that they may show brush strokes which can make touch-ups harder.
Semi-gloss paints are shiny, reflective, extremely durable and mildew resistant. Which is why they work best for trim, bathrooms, kitchens, or a childs’ room. Prep work is more time consuming but important to ensure proper application.
High-gloss are the shiniest, most reflective, most durable and scrub resistant paints. This finish is great for cabinets, doors and trim. It can also be used for outdoor details such as shutters. The main thing to keep in mind with high-gloss paint is proper preparation so imperfections don’t show through the paint.
Metallic paints are designed to look like metal. Bronze, copper and stainless are the most popular colors for walls and gates.

Recently, we heard that Behr Paint offers the best ‘interior whites’ in the industry and are often the first pick for decorators. When you are looking for whites to match your cabinets or stone colors for an “all-white” look, it takes a bit of research. We requested a Behr paint deck and sure enough they had the whites that we needed. In fact, they have a white that they color matched with one of Silestone’s popular white quartz materials.

On our decorator’s recommendation (and after verifying quality with our painter) we are using Behr for the first time and have found their customer service to be excellent. They have the products we need. By the way, they are 6^th in brand name paints, so they tend to be less expensive than bigger name brands.

Per Noah Winkles, owner of New Life Painting (who we use), “painting is different than other trades, since it is about 25% material and 75% labor, so paint quality is important as you don’t want to repaint any sooner than you need to”. Dark colors need to be repainted more frequently due to fading so make sure you keep that in mind when picking darker colors that will be in direct sunlight. If you are out and about, and would like to check out Behr’s color variety, their paints are sold at Home Depot.

If you have lived in your home for a number of years and haven’t repainted inside and out, it is probably time. Maye take a baby step and do high traffic areas like the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms (good for mold prevention in those areas too).

Happy painting!

Trudi Carey