Choosing a Finish for Your Interior Painting Project

Ron's Painting

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INTERIOR • EXTERIOR  • FAUX FINISHING in Southwest Florida.

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Choosing a Finish for Your Interior Painting Project

When first considering to paint a room, the level of desired sheen may seem unimportant -  but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Don’t let the decision fall second to color choices; picking the ideal finish is important both visually and functionally.

Types of Finish

Typically speaking, there are five basic levels of sheen in paint: flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high gloss. Not all paintings come in all of these sheens.

Each level has different characteristics that are important to consider when painting a room. As a general rule of thumb, the higher the amount of sheen the more durable a paint will be, but physical blemishes and imperfections will be easier to notice. In addition to increased durability, a higher level of sheen should also make the surface easier to clean.

A paint with a high glossy finish can help brighten up a room and make architectural features really pop (though covering a wall may cause a lot of glare). For the most common lighting scenarios, painting door frames and molding with a semi-gloss finish and walls with an eggshell or a flat finish is most common.

Recommendations for Your Home

Putting this all into perspective, you wouldn’t want to paint a children’s playroom with a flat finish, as it couldn’t stand up to the torment and would be impossible to clean. Consider using a flat finish for ceilings, and other surfaces that get little traffic and should appear smooth. A kitchen or bathroom requires a lot of scrubbing to keep clean, and usually contains several light-reflective surfaces; something durable but not too shiny, like a semi-gloss, would work well.

As you can see, choosing the right paint for your walls is more than just color choice. Make sure to consider the room’s function, level of use, and amount of light it receives before making a final decision. If you have any questions, try asking our experts today!

By Ron Rooker

President Ron’s Painting LLC.

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