When it comes to painting, it is normal that people who do not have any knowledge or work in the field of painting and maintenance of colours in houses, such as our painters in Jávea and surroundings, simply base their decision on the choice of colour. But we cannot stop at just looking at the colour of the paint.
Did you know that the finish of the paint is really important and possibly more important than the colour? Today we want to tell you more about 5 types of paint finishes and what importance we should know about them to take into account when painting any surface.
What is a paint finish?
Before we jump into the finishes we want to explain what exactly a finish is. The paint finish is the texture of the paint after it dries and it is also the amount of light it reflects off the wall. These finishes can affect the way the colour is perceived and may accentuate or hide imperfections in the finish. It all depends on which paint finish you use.
The five paint finishes we’ll look at today
If you are in the process of choosing a finish, we recommend, above all, that you put yourself in the hands of experts, in this case, our team of painters at Bartolomé Bas can advise you on both colours and finishes. But today we bring you these 5 finishes so that you can get to know them better and they can give you a clue where to start.
- Matt (
- Eggshell
- Satin
- Semi gloss
- Gloss
PROFESSIONAL HOUSE PAINTERS
Matt finish paint
This paint finish gives walls a uniformly smooth appearance. This type of matte finish paints is perfect for areas where you want to minimise the reflection of the paint surface, such as living rooms and dining rooms. In addition, it helps to mask less smooth areas on walls such as nail holes, patches, protruding nails, etc… This paint is also widely used on ceilings. Low sheen paints require fewer coats than higher sheen paints because there is less contrast between the touch-up and the rest of the paint job.
Eggshell finish paint
This paint finish is an excellent choice for almost any room because it has the smooth look of an eggshell. It has to be said that it is a low sheen finish, but it is actually more reflective than matt paint. This slightly higher gloss than matt makes it easier to clean and more durable than the other.
Satin finish paints
This finish is widely used. When painted with a paint colour with this finish, they reflect more light than eggshell and flat (matt) and are better for high traffic areas such as hallways and children’s rooms. They are clearly easier to clean than the rest.
Semi-gloss paints
This type of paint finish is already somewhat more reflective than satin, and therefore gives rooms a slightly brighter appearance. When a room is dark, semi-gloss paint can give it a little more luminosity, especially when light tones such as white, cream and other neutral colours are used.
The glossy surface shows more imperfections, so we always recommend that this paint job is done by a professional. This paint is a good choice for rooms with high humidity such as bathrooms, because the paint is more resistant to moisture. A very easy to clean finish and perfect for mouldings and doors.
Gloss finish paint
Gloss finish is the diva of the group with the highest level of reflectivity. This type of paint is most commonly used on cabinets, mouldings, doors, etc… The sheen that this paint leaves behind requires more coats than its more matte cousins, but on the other hand, it is easier to clean.
Where to use each paint finish
Matt paints are best used in living rooms, dining rooms, offices and bedrooms or anywhere where you want light to reflect minimally into the room.
Eggshell, on the other hand, can be used in any room in the house, really, although because it is more susceptible to moisture, it is best not used in kitchens and bathrooms.
Satin finish is the most commonly used finish and can be used in any room. The semi-gloss finish is perfect for high humidity areas such as kitchens and bathrooms and also (as mentioned above) is perfect for doors and mouldings.
The gloss finish is mainly used on mouldings and doors, but is often also used to achieve a high impact mirror appearance on walls.
