Getting some interior painting done and trying to decide on finishes. I do like the matte finish in some rooms as it has a more velvety texture. Someone told me to go with eggshell. We have some eggshell in our house and I’ve found it is more prone to chipping on corners and can be harder to touch up. We have no young kids nor pets in the house to worry about any longer.
What do you prefer and where?
This is a high grade Benjamin Moore paint and both are supposed to be washable.
I prefer eggshell or satin over matte personally just because I think it gives the space a little more warmth. I find a matte finish to be cold. I actually feel like eggshell and satin are more velvety than matte and I like the tiny bit of luster they provide. Eggshell has so little luster that it just adds the tiniest bit of sheen to the wall. I have not found a a matte paint that cleans very well but I have not tried B. Moore so it may be something new. If you like the matte finish, go for it. You are the one who will see it everyday so you have to be happy with whatever you decide.
There’s a basic rule of thumb for paint finishes:
If your walls have a heavy texture - either old original plaster or some heavy drywall texture - you need to use Flat Paint. Paint with a sheen will look horrible on textured walls. Also, if there are a lot of imperfections, the shinier paint will highlight the issues.
If you are going for a traditional or ‘original’ design in the rooms, you should use Flat paint (I guess you call this Matte)
If your walls have orange peel texture (popular in 70s and 80s) you can use satin or eggshell, but understand that it will emphasize the orange peel texture
For lighter colors you can get away with a eggshell or satin or flat. For dark colors that are trying to make a ‘statement’, you will need to have at least eggshell sheen or maybe even shinier
You need to have a minimum or eggshell or satin in bathrooms and kitchens for easier cleanup
Eggshell, satin and semi gloss ‘bounce’ light around the room and make a room appear larger. You might even consider eggshell on ceilings if you want to ‘bounce’ a lot of light
@coralbrook and @takeitallin - Thanks for your thoughts and advice.
Would love any and all opinions. I kind of wish I had hired a decorator now. I find making these decisions nerve wracking! 
When we had our kitchen remodeled last year, the recommendation was matte. I had thought eggshell would be recommended because of easier cleaning, but, no. It’s really beautiful, and we’re happy with it. It’s also not hard to clean. Also Benjamin Moore.
For those who know something about walls, I have a bedroom with really lumpy plaster and who knows what under it.
I do not have time or interest to put in drywall.
We have outdated wallpaper, which somewhat conceals the lumps in the design. Is that my only option since I can’t tear out the wall?
It is just one wall, but it isn’t one that I can put furniture or anything in front of it.
I guess I could texture the wall, is that still being done?
I feel your pain. We just finished building our dream house and there was endless discussion about what finish Benjamin Moore paint to use. The builder was strongly in the flat camp, my decorator likes eggshell and I like matte, which we have in our old house. The builder was very concerned about touch ups with anything other than flat. We ended up with matte for all the lighter colored walls. The guys at the paint store said that matte will touch up like flat, but without any of the chalkiness that is often found in flat paints. There are 2 rooms that are painted a very intense blue from the Ben Moore Aura line and we used Satin. The painters first tried Aura eggshell and found that you couldn’t even touch the wall without leaving a mark, sort of like burnishing. They consulted with someone at Ben Moore and were advised that we had to use at least the satin sheen with that color. Normally I don’t like a lot of sheen, but those walls look amazing. So far, so good with the matte walls.
To add to my angst, the friend who recommended the eggshell has good taste but different from mine. I had her come over to take a look at some paint samples up on the wall. I think she was unimpressed with my choices. She’s more bold, I am more serene and subdued, and I will probably be moving in the short term so am steering away from anything too out there. It’s made me second guess myself and I need at least a few choices by Wednesday. Ugh.
I really like Benjamin Moore’s newer top-of-the-line matte paints. Their matte bath and spa paint is gorgeous. I used to use eggshell on walls but have moved into the matte camp. GRITS80, interesting about the darker colors. Our darkest wall is also the shiniest finish and I dislike it, but it’s a Sherwin Williams product so perhaps irrelevant here. I love Benjamin Moore paint.
doschicos,to get an idea of the color on walls, you can always google the name of the colors you’re considering and look at photos of rooms that you find. Just be sure to read the text accompanying the photo to determine whether it’s really that color (as opposed to someone guessing it’s that color); keep in mind that color names can represent different colors in different brands; and remember that lighting, exposure, number of windows, size of room, adjacent colors and furnishings, and photography can cause the same color to look very different in different rooms and photos. Still, it’s worth a try.
One site to search is Houzz, but there are many comments on Houzz in which posters guess about what color the walls may be. You’ll want to ignore those and instead read comments from the designer or individual who posted the photo to find the actual paint color and brand (if noted).
Good luck!
@zipyourlips - Thanks for the comments. I definitely did the google/pinterest thing extensively. It was helpful in narrowing things down. Have really found what you said about colors reading differently to be very true! Its been trial and error thus far. Amazing how things change during different times of the day as well!
Yes, I’ve noticed that in my own house! Since you are planning to sell in the not-too-distant future I think you’re wise to avoid statement colors.
I’m also a matte fan and have been very happy with Benjamin Moore Aura and Regal Select paints. They really have a depth of color. I think paint is a “get what you pay for” item. The BM dealers I have gone to are very knowledgable about their products. Go in and show them the color you’re considering and explain the lighting and room usage. I bet they will have some suggestions.
@my-3-sons Great tip. Have you found a substantial difference between the Aura and Regal Select lines? Enough to justify the price difference? BM is great quality paint to began with. I have one room done last year with Regal Select (guest room in matte and suggested by the BM dealer) and am wondering if I should upgrade for the rest of the house.
The Aura is the smoothest, most velevty paint I have ever used, but since you may be moving, I probably wouldn’t spring it in this house.
I have matte/flat paint throughout my house, except in the bathrooms. My painting contractor convinced me because it is an old house and some walls are still plaster and quite irregular. The light would catch on more satiny finishes and he also said that touch ups are easier with matte/flat.
You can get a “cigar roller”, or mini roller and touch up any marks that doesn’t wash off and you don’t have to go “corner to corner” like you would with a shinier paint.
It is a wonderfully rich look, especially with the darker colors. My bedroom is magenta and it does look like velvet. On the other hand, our stair hall is a light yellow and it gets marked up all the time! I’ve pretty much given up on it by now. When we repaint someday I will use a darker and/or harder paint.
By the way, we used Sherwin Williams and they have about 10 different grades of textures! That’s why I was saying matte/flat because those are actually two different textures to them and I can’t remember which is the flatter one.
Also, don’t fall for paint and primer in one. I don’t find that it covers any better than priming first and then painting. Clean up of roller spatter is much harder and clean up of your clothes is next to impossible.
Eggshell. Think washability. Pros and cons to every paint finish but I think matte is too dull wherever I’ve seen it. Chipping of corners shouldn’t be a paint issue but rather a bumping into them one. Always use eggshell nice minimal sheen to it.
Go with a quality paint. No need for the top of the line but second to top, which often claims one coat or having primer works well. I used Behr’s second best and it gives good coverage (although that second coat gets any missed spots).
H and I have a difference of opinion on this. He says matte paint hides imperfections on the walls. I prefer eggshell as it is easier to clean.
I have BM matte on my (very) imperfect walls. Looks great, holds up very well, and can be wiped down. I did use eggshell in the kitchen, and their “bath and spa” paint in the bathroom.