We are getting ready to have our master repainted. 8 foot ceiling, normal size master. It will be a lighter shade. When I read the internet, it says one of these two, leaning towards flat. What do you think.
Flat for bedrooms and living areas, egg shell for bath is what we were told. Currently in the process of painting our whole house, and I actually prefer the flat. Also, more sheen means any wall texture imperfections will be more visible.
^^^ This true but also eggshell is very low sheen.
@conmama do your bedroom walls have any texture? Are you painting a dark/deep color?
I prefer the look of flat. (And nowadays, I find it just as washable.) Your eggshell may look like lower sheen but it reflects light differently. And if there are any imperfectionsin the walls, they can be highlighted in some light.
I think quality paint matters, even if pricier.
Hmmm… Maybe sheen is the wrong word then? I’m just looking at my eggshell and there is definitely more shininess if that makes sense.
And maybe it differs by brand?
Agree with getting a higher level paint. Don’t skimp on paint to save $$. When you look at how long its on your walls an extra $50 or whatever is worth it.
It will be a light color, Sherwin Williams. I think I might go flat. We are matching ivory color of wall, furniture and carpet. If any sheen gives off a different hue, I don’t want that. We will also be doing the bathroom and vanity area. So, maybe that should be sheen.
It probably won’t make much of a difference, but this will be the last time we do this room I’m sure.
We had our entire interior repainted a few years back and went eggshell for the walls throughout the house. I like the look better. We used Benjamin Moore Aura.
Benajmin Moore (and I’m sure others as well) have special formulations for high humidity areas like bathrooms. We BM Bath & Spa for the bathrooms.
I didn’t use bath paint, but it is eggshell. But now, the kids are grown and no issues with handprints and spills everywhere, no kid running a long shower at full steam. And a good vent fan.
I painted the foyer and up the stairs in a low eggshell and regret it. Thing is, that space gets light on 4 sides (indirectly from the LR and DR.) I think A LOT depends on the natural light.
I like flat generally and only use eggshell on places people can’t seem to resist putting their hands like on stairwells. Our stairwell is very dark so we don’t have lookforward’s issue.
Ask the paint store about a Matte finish. It’s in between flat and eggshell and doesn’t have a visible sheen. It’s a bit more washable than flat and I think it has a richer look. Personally, I don’t care for eggshell as it has too much sheen for me. We did the whole house in Matte, including bathrooms.
Eggshell if you have any wall imperfections. I don’t know about Matte – something I should check out next time we paint
^ That reminds me of a decorator friend who used matte for a light mossy green and the finish is beautiful. But not all brands offer that.
I’ll ask about the Matte, thanks! And thanks for your opinions, it’s really helped!
Disagree. The flatter the better for hiding imperfections. For a MBR, flat is a no-brainer. Eggshell in little kid’s rooms so you can wipe when necessary.
Agree. Flat hides imperfections better. Light doesn’t bounce off of it, hiding imperfections.
Also, the flatter the finish the easier it is to touch up.
I did do the back wall of build in bookshelves in the living room with flat this past winter. I really like the way it looks.
If you like to be trendy Benjamin Moore is coming out with their color of the year on October 11. Not BM but Jeff Lewis picked a dismal grey/brown last year.
If the room has a lot of natural light then go with flat.
You know, after I typed that post I wondered if I had it backwards! You can see how often we paint. Mea culpa!