Do you know your matt from your dead flat? Which paint to buy for lime plaster? With a mind-boggling number of options to choose from and a rebellion against the uptight decorating rules of old, it might be quicker to solve a Rubik’s Cube than to figure out which paint finish to buy. To ease the confusion, we’ve highlighted some of the most common finishes below (ordered by level of sheen, no less) and invited a few experts to weigh in with their best-practice suggestions.
High gloss
You’re not imagining it, gloss paint really is everywhere. Once reserved for shiny white woodwork, full gloss (usually 85-95% sheen) is used fearlessly by designers who paint large surface areas in jewel-bright tones and deep, atmospheric hues. In the same way that a mirror creates an illusion of space, the reflective surface of gloss tricks the eye into believing a room is larger or brighter than it is. Used floor to ceiling, it’s a great way to add impact to a small space such as a dressing room or pantry, or on a smaller scale, it can be used to accentuate woodwork or particularly beautiful joinery.
You can’t cut corners with preparation for gloss as the painted surface needs to be perfectly smooth, so this is where you might prefer to hire a decorator, but the effort will be worth it as gloss is particularly hard-wearing and it’s easy to wipe clean.
Patrick O'Donnell, brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball, says, “Most of us are used to decorating within the rigid confines of emulsion on walls, eggshell on woodwork and possibly a splash of gloss on our front door, but the last few years have seen us venture into a blend of different finishes – often in unexpected or exciting scenarios. The once-forgotten high gloss is back big time and not just as a wood trim finish but also to create an ethereal ceiling (have this sprayed professionally for the best result) or as a practical choice below the chair rail in narrow hallways. You could even use gloss on whole walls for full-on, high-octane glamour.
Betsy Smith, freelance stylist and colourist at Graphenstone, agrees, “Gloss and satin paint finishes bounce and reflect light around an interior, giving it another dimension and making the space feel lighter. As well as reflecting natural daylight, a gloss paint’s glass-like surface will glimmer in atmospheric light from lamps or flickering candles.
Surfaces that will be interacted with a lot – such as doors, furniture, and banisters – need to be hardwearing and the higher the gloss content, the more durable and easy to clean the paint will be. However, it’s crucial that the finish is impeccable as high gloss shows up every little lump and bump, so invest time in preparing the surfaces well.”
Satin or satinwood
Satin and satinwood are two names for the same thing and they have a sheen of around 40%. This is also very similar to (but less shiny than) a semi gloss paint, which typically has a 60% sheen. All three finishes can be used in the same way that you might use a full gloss, albeit with a more subtle look and less of a striking reflective quality.
One useful difference to note is that you likely wouldn’t use gloss to paint wooden furniture – it shows brush marks and it’s difficult to get a neat finish. Gloss paint could be sprayed on but professional lacquering would be better if you wanted a high-shine look. Satin, on the other hand, is the perfect choice for sprucing up your dining chairs. It’s still hard-wearing but far more forgiving, just make sure you sand and prime furniture properly before putting brush to wood.
Satin paint is typically used on woodwork and metal such as front doors, skirtings and radiators, but it’s really quite versatile, so you could also apply it to walls and ceilings to brighten a gloomy room. Its wipeability means it’s a practical choice for hallways, kitchen joinery, stairs and floors.
Farrow & Ball’s satin paint (they call theirs Modern Eggshell) is especially durable as a floor paint option. Little Greene’s Intelligent Floor Paint is also a satin finish and despite the specific name, is equally suited to general interior woodwork.
Alex, founder at Austin James Fine Decorating adds, “When used properly, paint finishes can either draw attention to – or help to distract from – a particular feature in a room. If you have beautiful architraves and skirtings then make them stand out with a contrasting satin sheen, if you don’t, paint them in the same finish as the walls to help them blend in.”
Eggshell
Eggshell paint is shinier and harder wearing than matt but less so than satin. Most paint brands offer an eggshell finish as a bread-and-butter staple as it’s the go-to choice for interior woodwork and metal. Patrick explains that Farrow & Ball’s Estate Eggshell is “A perennial favourite trim finish and for good reason – it has a discreet nature due to its relatively low sheen (20%) and therefore has low light bounce but it can also be used as a versatile wall finish in rooms where emulsion is too flat but gloss feels like too much of a style commitment.”
Alex advises that “paint finishes should be dictated by a space’s natural light or by your intended mood lighting. Darker colours absorb light, so I prefer to use eggshell finishes with those. Try Lick’s eggshell paint for a 20% sheen – they’re nicely reflective and more durable than true matt, so they work perfectly in high-traffic areas of the home. Lighter colour palettes will naturally bounce light around, even without any sheen, so this gives you the choice between eggshell and a matt emulsion.”
Milla Elder, head of marketing at Edward Bulmer says, “Practically, eggshell is useful in areas where there is poor ventilation, such as on the walls in wet rooms and small bathrooms or around high-splash areas in kitchens. There’s also a noticeable move towards higher sheen finishes throughout the home, using gloss on interior woodwork in hallways, on stairs, and increasingly, on ceilings. Our Water Based Eggshell has a satin finish with a 30% sheen and our Water Based Gloss has an 80% sheen – both can be used on all interior woodwork and metalwork, including radiators. They’re reflective to light but durable enough to wipe clean when sticky little fingers have left their mark.”
Matt emulsion
Classic matt emulsion has a very low sheen of 2-5% and a flat, chalky finish that’s best suited to walls, ceilings and ornate plasterwork (if your walls are very old or gypsum plastered, it’s important to make sure the paint you choose is breathable). Matt paint is brilliant at hiding imperfect wall texture and it has a real sophistication about it, especially when you choose rich, deeper tones, but it’s generally less durable than eggshell.
Matt emulsions vary hugely depending on the brand and type. Some will be best suited to low-traffic areas as their finish will be permanently marked by any attempt to clean them and others, usually marked as ‘Intelligent’ or similar, can be wiped with a damp cloth if they suffer the odd food smear or scuff and the matt finish will remain unblemished. Always check whether a matt paint is washable before you assign it to a busy room in the house.
Milla points out that Edward Bulmer’s matt emulsion is breathable, so it’s very well suited to lime plaster and period homes where the walls rely on a good flow of air. She adds, “Our durable matt paint has a low 2% sheen and it’s versatile enough for most rooms since it’s scuff-resistant and wipeable. Two coats should give you excellent coverage and it’s also suitable for spraying. Edward Bulmer paints are made only with natural ingredients, so as an added benefit, it’s toxin-free and a great choice for children’s bedrooms and allergy sufferers.”
Milla adds that “People so often rush the preparation side but priming is always key to the best finish. We have a natural new plaster primer for newly plastered walls and then a bare wood primer for new wood, otherwise if the surface is already painted and in good condition, we recommend painting directly onto it.”
On a similar note, Cassandra Ellis, colourist and founder of Atelier Ellis, says her own brand’s matt emulsion is “our signature paint, so to speak, and it’s a customer favourite for its beautifully flat finish and incredible depth of colour. It’s also breathable, which means it’s inherently versatile and suitable for use on previously painted walls and ceilings, plus new gypsum or lime-plastered walls. These types of plaster are highly absorbent, so they need longer to dry (between two and four weeks) before painting begins and you should always use a mist coat first, which is just matt emulsion diluted with 20% water.”
Cassandra emphasises that “the key to the optimum finish is ensuring the surfaces are properly prepared – clean, completely dry, and free from dirt, grease, oil, dust and mildew. We would always recommend washing previously painted walls and gently sanding to remove any loose flakes.“
Patrick at Farrow & Ball notes that matt emulsion remains the customer’s most popular choice for their walls but “there’s some flexibility here too, from the alluringly flat charm of Estate Emulsion to the eminently practical washable and wipeable Modern Emulsion, which is a must for moisture-prone kitchens and bathrooms or hallways prone to scuffs.”
Betsy agrees that you shouldn’t be dissuaded from matt paint for high-traffic areas in your home as they can be surprisingly easy to maintain if you invest in a quality, wipeable product. Graphenstone’s natural mineral paints are matt in their Grafclean and lime-based forms, but they’re also incredibly durable due to the paint’s Nobel Prize-winning Graphene element. Betsy says “A super-matt, dark colour is a great choice for awkward spaces and uneven surfaces that you wish to disguise as it blurs the boundaries and makes the walls look infinite.”
Dead Flat
If your walls are uneven and you need to conceal flaws with a product that doesn’t compromise on practicality, Farrow & Ball's Dead Flat paint is the one to choose. “This was once a beautiful but delicate finish for woodwork but it wasn’t wildly practical for modern living. It has been redeveloped over the last five years into an extraordinary and durable multi-surface product, so it’s now fit for use on woodwork and walls (it’s got a Class 1 scrub rating, meaning it’s washable) and it’s also great on metal, meaning it’s ideal for hiding those ugly utilitarian radiators that can’t be disguised by your sofa. If colour drenching and the flattest 2% sheen are your bag, this is the paint for you,” details Patrick.
Limewash
Limewash has been incredibly popular in the past few years and deservedly so – it has a unique painterly finish that instantly makes all other items in a room look more expensive, it’s surprisingly easy (and satisfying) to apply and it’s made from natural products and age-old methods. However, you should note that deeper colours will be higher maintenance than off-whites and limewash paint isn’t suited to busy family homes as you can’t touch up small areas – you would need to re-do the whole wall if it becomes scuffed or marked (and little hands will mark it with one smeary touch).
Bronwyn Reidel, co-founder of Bauwerk Colour, says, “Limewash paint is kind to the environment and gives a beautiful, nuanced finish. The uneven look of Limewash comes from the balance of the base material, lime, and the pigments used to colour it.
"Whites and lighter colours appear less textured and they offer much more subtle highs and lows in the finish. If durability or ease of application is required, our whites are the perfect choice as they’re fully patchable and the easiest to apply, making maintenance simple in busy parts of the home. Bauwerk paint is breathable and mold-resistant, so it can be used indoors or out and it’s especially suited to rooms affected by moisture.
"Limewash is such a special paint to use as it has a perfectly imperfect look and it’s very easy to apply, allowing the applicator to have creative control over how the final finish looks. Essentially, where you sweep your brush is how the wall will look. We have developed some great techniques for application and our most popular is painting in ‘clouds’, allowing the appearance of gentle cloud-like patterns to form. The drag-down technique creates a more industrial appearance akin to raw concrete, which can also be changed up by alternating the direction of the drag. One coat horizontal followed by one coat vertical gives the appearance of textural linen. We have many customers write and say they sit transfixed by the hand-applied beauty of limewash and the way it changes in the light."
