People spend weeks on colour and thirty seconds on sheen. Sheen is what decides whether a wall still looks good in three years.
The trade, in one line
More sheen means more washable and more reflective. Less sheen means it hides surface faults but marks easily. Everything else is detail.
Flat and matte
Ceilings, and adult bedrooms or formal rooms with good walls. Hides imperfections better than anything else and cannot really be scrubbed.
Eggshell
The usual answer for living rooms and hallways. Enough sheen to wipe, little enough to forgive an old wall.
Satin
Kitchens, bathrooms, children’s rooms, laundry. Takes cleaning repeatedly, which is exactly what those rooms need — but it shows every ripple in the surface.
Semi-gloss and gloss
Trim, doors and cabinetry. Hard-wearing, easy to clean, and the contrast against an eggshell wall is what makes trim read as trim.
The mistake we see most
Flat paint in a hallway. It looks beautiful for a month and then holds every handprint permanently, because it cannot be washed without burnishing.
Interior painting covers the choice room by room. Finished work is on our Facebook page.
