It’s no secret that we love to paint! Walls, doors, furniture - heck, even
curtains and lamps. If it’s sitting still, nowadays we’re painting it. With
all this painting action, we’ve learned two things. The perfect paint finish is important – and sometimes you have to prime whether you like it or not. Today we’re here to offer some pointers on the former. Picking the right finish is easy when you learn a little about your choices, and a lot about how you will use your space.
Flat finish – Two words: easy peasy. (OK, one actual word and one made-up word.) Flat paint hides bumps and scratches in your walls really well. The only down side that we’ve found is that it’s not easily cleaned. You’re more likely to touch up spots with more paint rather than to wipe a flat painted surface clean. That doesn't make it terribly kid-friendly but for our casa it’s worked great. Almost every room of our house is painted in flat paint.
Eggshell or Satin finishes – We feel like eggshell is a newer finish we’re seeing around more and more. Most samples you can pick up in the paint department automatically come in eggshell or satin. We’ve used eggshell paint in a kitchen before and have been really happy with the results. Each are similar to your flat finishes in that they are easy to touch up but also a bit easier to clean with a sponge or towel than a flat “dry” finish. Think kitchens and bathrooms.
Semi-gloss finish: Like eggshell or satin, only with a little slicker finish. This is another great finish for kitchens and bathrooms. Even sturdier than those listed above. We also recommend semi-gloss for molding, trim and even front doors. Easy to clean and not so shiny that it shows all the dents and dings like a gloss paint would.
Gloss finish: Gloss paint is definitely coming into style in a big way. Cabinets, doors, trim, even walls in dramatic spaces like dining rooms. Of course you could wipe this stuff all day long, but you have to be sure that your surface is near perfect before painting it a gloss finish. Every little bump is going to pop through that slick finish. We used it in our recent half bathroom makeover and have loved it. Just use with caution.
Again, when choosing a paint finish just ask yourself first, “how do I/we
use this space.” Thinking ahead will ensure you choose the perfect finish. And hey, if you don’t? It’s just paint – you can always do it again.
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