Hey everyone,
This is my first blog, so do not judge me too harshly. I get the question "what's the big difference between the SHEEN of paint?" I thought it might be helpful if even half of you got something out of it.
FLAT:
This sheen is great for large areas, or walls that have many small imperfections. It dries dead flat, so even with a light source coming down the wall, it will still look good. The positive side is that it touches up really easily, which means you can simply dab paint on the area and it will blend back into the paint. The negative side is that it is not washable, so you will need to touch up.
MATTE:
This sheen is similar to FLAT except it brags washablility. I am not 100% convinced of this because I have washed MATTE walls before, and can see them. But then again I am my worst critic. It touches up well, but again, does not wash quite as well as an EGGSHELL or SATIN.
EGGSHELL:
This is my favored sheen as it has a little shine to it, but it hides fairly well. The higher the sheen, the more imperfections it will show, so just keep that in mind. With any sheen above FLAT you will need to do a good job at, what we in the "biz" call Back Rolling. This happens after you have rolled a couple lines. You take the semi-dry roller and lightly roll back over the freshly rolled areas. This will help reduce the appearance of roller lines.
SATIN:
This sheen is very similar to EGGSHELL except that it has a bit more shine to it.
SEMI-GLOSS:
I almost never use this sheen. It is the highest marketed sheen, but also one of the worst, in my opinion, and here.s why. SEMI-GLOSS is said to have a slight shine, with a nice finish. Every time I have used it on a job it shows all the imperfections on the walls, looks the same dry as it does wet, and takes a much longer time to dry. Because of these factors, I always steer people towards EGGSHELL or SATIN. A lot of my clients are set on SEMI-GLOSS until I talk them down. Afterward they thank me.
GLOSS:
Unless your painting the inside of a power plant, just say no. :-)
I leave you with this final direction. When painting any walls, after you have patched and sanded the patches, make sure you roll a light coat of paint on the patch spots. Otherwise after you coat, even up to 3 times, you will see right where you patched. By rolling a light coat on all the patch spots, you do a much better job of hiding the patch spots.
Thank you for reading, and have a blessed day.
Any questions, email me at dave@paradisefinishes.com
Dave Racer
Paradise Finishes, Inc.
dave@paradisefinishes.com
www.paradisefinishes.com
651-705-2211
