Paint is one of the most affordable ways to express yourself in your home. I love painting… to the point that people find it strange. I find it relaxing and love seeing a space change with a few hours of work and less than a hundred dollars (like, significantly less haha). My dad taught me how to paint, and he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Maybe I like painting so much because he taught me how to cut in a room without having to tape off a wall (I mean… does anyone really enjoy prep work?)
But today’s post isn’t about how to paint. Today we’re talking about the step before you even paint–when you’re standing at the paint counter looking deep into the soul of the 18 year old behind the counter asking you what finish paint do you want.
Skreeeeeech. Paint finish? I just spent the last 3 weeks committing to a paint color, now you’re telling me there are finishes?
Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds. And it won’t take 3 weeks to commit to a finish. I’m not a paint pro, but after painting every room in my home, and painting rooms at quite a few other houses (plus my dad’s infinite wisdom in my ear 😉 ) I’m here to help you navigate the paint aisle so you can go from terror to purchase!
My Paint Brand Preference
I like Sherwin Williams paint. I love their colors and the numerous options they have for paint applications. However, if you don’t have a good ol’ SW nearby, don’t stress. Most paint brands have the same/similar finishes. (Side tip, most companies can color match any other companies paint colors. If it’s not 100% identical, it’s reallyyyyyy close.) I’ll try to make this cover 95% of the bases. We can’t all swing home runs all the time 😉 Did I get that reference right? Anyway…
Picking Paint Finish by Room/Application
Can I use the same finish paint on all the walls and trim in my house? Sure. Should you… that’s a different story. I’ll give you my general rule of thumb, but you do you at the end of the day. Important note, there are 3 main items you are painting in these rooms:
Walls, Ceiling, Trim. Ok ya, this applies to any room so I won’t keep reminding you of these 3 things for every “room” we cover 😉 What can I say except you’re welcome?
Main Living Areas
What do I mean by this. Quick rundown: a) Family/Living Rooms; b) Den; c) Kitchen; d) Playroom; e) Office; f) Bedroom.
Walls
Alright, walls. You probably have the most of these, unless you’re in a strange wall-less but ceiling and trimmed out room. Congrats, you have a wild home. For main living areas you’re looking for these finishes:
- Flat/Matte
- Eg-Shel/Eggshell/Low Luster/Lo-Lustre
- Satin
These finishes go from less shine to slight shine as you move from flat through to satin. Flat paint can be the least forgiving, but you’ll have no shine. My main living areas in my home are painted flat. In my parents house, we picked an eggshell finish. The upside of eggshell and basically any paint that isn’t flat is that it can be easier to clean. I have dark walls and take a wet cloth to my walls to wipe them down, and I don’t have issues… maybe it’s that Sherwin Williams quality promise 🙂
Ceiling
- Flat
Do It, go flat. Trust me. Also, if you want white ceilings, pick the whitest color the brand has. In my house, we went with ‘Ceiling Bright White’. It’s pretty but doesn’t draw your eye up, which is what any plain ol’ painted ceiling should do in my opinion.
*Disclaimer, if you are doing a ceiling treatment, you might want a different finish. I’m talking about PLAIN OL’ CEILINGS ❤
Trim/Doors
- Satin
- Semi-Gloss (the best choice, IMO)
My personal vote goes to semi-gloss. It’s easy to clean, but isn’t blindingly shiny. It’s a nice appearance for the detailed pieces of the room, while differentiating between your walls.
Bathrooms
Bathrooms have moisture. (Yes thank you Cassidy for that infinitely wise piece of information. You have forever changed my world). Bathrooms that are poorly vented, don’t have fans, or where you don’t keep your window open can get weird water runnies on your walls (wipe those off, please. For the love of your sheetrock and just cleanliness). Because of this, you want to take your paint finishes into consideration differently here.
Walls
You’re best bet for bathroom walls is:
- Eg-Shel/Eggshell/Low Luster/Lo-Lustre
- Satin (my personal preference)
Satin is more durable than eggshell, and it’s velvet-like finish will work perfectly for your moisture heavy bathroom. You’ll be able to wipe your walls down without creating weird sheens in the paint.
Ceiling
Ceilings are another space to choose between:
- Eg-Shel/Eggshell/Low Luster/Lo-Lustre
- Satin
I like eggshell, because I like the less shine look (notice how I picked flat for regular living areas, I don’t like shiny ceilings), but satin won’t steer you wrong.
Trim/Doors
For bathroom trim, you’ve got:
- Satin
- Semi-Gloss (the best choice, IMO)
Just like your regular living areas, I still vote semi-gloss. It’s easy to clean, you can wipe off hair (or dog fur in my case regularly) and it cleans up nicely which dust can collect quickly from all that shower moisture.
Summary
When in doubt, ask. I still check with my Sherwin Williams pals at my local store when I’m painting something different if the finish I’m thinking of makes sense. They’re super nice, and you can always ultimately pick what you want. You’re the captain now!
Paint finishes can come down to preference. You might have read this and went “ew Cassidy, I ALWAYS paint my trim in gloss”. To you I say, you go Glen Coco! You might be doing a board and batten wall treatment and want to paint all of that in a semi-gloss to go along with your trim. Or you’re painting a dark moody wall, and you want the wall and the trim to be the same color with the same flat finish. This is a baseline guide, but play with finishes as you try new things.
Like I said, paint is one of the cheapest ways to quickly redo a room (well… maybe not cheapest if you are hiring out). But now that you know which finish to use, pick out a color, grab a brush and roller, and bust out a wall. You might just love what you try 🙂
If you think this guide is missing something, let me know in the comments. And speaking of comments… I’d like to know if you think a post on how to a paint a room would help. I’ll give you some of my dad’s best kept secrets 😉
On Grove Road 