The Right Paint

Here’s a practical matter: What kind of paint should I use when I paint my house?

When painting a room there is more to think about besides color. You also need to consider what finish paint to apply. Standard latex comes in four finishes - flat, eggshell, Satin, and semi-gloss. Some paints also come in full gloss but their application is limited in the average home. Generally the duller (flatter) the finish the easier it is to paint but the harder to clean off once its painted.

Flat – Flat paint hides imperfections but attracts dirt like a magnet. Brush up against it with a black-soled sneaker and you’ve got a black line that is really hard to wash out. Flat works great on ceilings, where your kids don’t rub their hands, and hides the poorly spackled drywall seams. Flat is forgiving to apply and will not leave streaking if you don’t evenly apply the paint. And, if you save your paint, little touch ups are invisible from the original paint job.

Eggshell – If your walls are generally in good shape (no nail pops, patching or bad drywall seams) use eggshell over flat as it cleans up better and won’t grab dirt like flat paint. Eggshell is easy to apply and won’t show streaking easily. It is a good all around wall paint.

Satin – Satin has a bit more gloss than eggshell and a bit less than semi-gloss. Satin is a good choice for locations you want to hold up to heavy soil but that you don’t like too much shine. Possible application includes doors or trims work. If you use Satin on a large flat area like a ceiling or wall you are going to need to keep your paint coverage even and continue the painting while the paint is wet. If you stop your paint job, allowing a section to dry before you continue, you may get streaks with some colors.

Semi-gloss – This is the easiest paint to wash but the hardest to apply to large flat surfaces without streaking. Like Satin, keep the paint wet as you advance across the wall. This paint is ideal for trim, radiators and other decorative elements. This is a great choice for heavily traveled corridors in homes with lots of children - and window sills that catch a lot of dust and dirt. If you have a lot of kids, fix the nail pops and bad seams in those high traffic areas, then use semi-gloss. Hand prints come off with a standard cleaner. If you do get a stain that won’t come off, you might just need to do the whole wall again as semi-gloss typically shows if you only repaint over a smaller area.