Understanding the Different Paint Finishes: How to Choose the Right Sheen for Every Room

Knowing the different paint finishes, and where each one belongs in a home, is where I started as a designer. When I first launched JLL Interiors, the first services I offered were interior and exterior color consultations. I have color training through Maria Killam, the godmother of paint education, where I learned how to select paint colors by identifying the undertones of a home's fixtures rather than guessing from a fan deck. From there, my love of paint and the science behind it has only grown. I keep up my continuing education through color theory classes and studies from paint manufacturers themselves.

For clients renovating a classic home, the color story matters as much as the moldings and the mantels. Paint is the fastest way to either honor a home's original character or fight against it, and getting it right the first time saves you the cost, mess, and disruption of doing it twice.

Sheen vs. Finish: What's the Difference?

One thing I didn't learn until later in my career is that there is technically no such thing as a "flat sheen." Sheen refers to how shiny or reflective the paint coating is. The higher the sheen level, the shinier the surface. Finish is the category of the paint surface: how it feels and how it protects the wall.

Higher sheen paint, like high gloss, often reads darker than the same color in a flat finish. This is worth considering carefully when specifying color for any room in your home, especially in a house where the architecture and the light are part of what drew you to it in the first place.

A Guide to the Different Paint Finishes, From Flat to High-Gloss

Each paint company offers its own range of sheens and finishes, and not every formula comes in every option. Below are the finishes I turn to most often when specifying paint for a classic, well-built home. There isn't a single go-to standard for every house, but I do follow a few rules of thumb.

Flat Paint Finish:

• Zero to no sheen

• Ideal for walls or ceilings with texture, where you want to minimize the appearance of imperfections

• Ideal for ceilings or rooms where you want to soften light reflection

• Con: harder to wipe clean

• Pro: easier to touch up

In a recent project, I specified flat paint on both the ceiling and the walls to soften light reflection and blur the line where wall meets ceiling, which makes the room read taller. Because a higher sheen shifts how a color appears, using flat throughout the room kept the color consistent from floor to ceiling.

Matte Paint Finish:

• Similar to flat, with a whisper of sheen

• Ideal for rooms where you want a soft, non-shiny look with more durability than flat

• Ideal for higher-traffic areas

• Hides imperfections well

• Con: not quite as wipeable as a higher sheen

• Pro: more durable and easier to clean than flat

Matte is usually my go-to finish, even in bathrooms and kitchens. Painters of the old school will tell you to avoid matte in high-traffic rooms because of cleanability, but paint technology has come a long way, and a well-formulated matte holds up beautifully. I love what it does for a room: walls that feel velvety and rich rather than flat or plastic.

Eggshell Paint Finish:

• More sheen than matte

• Ideal for a slight shine with added durability

• Some contractors still favor it for bathrooms, hallways, and kitchens

• Con: shows minor wall imperfections due to the added sheen

• Pro: durable and easy to clean

In my opinion, eggshell has become less necessary than it once was. It used to be the standard for high-traffic rooms because of its cleanability, but today's matte formulations get you the same durability without the extra shine.

Satin Paint Finish:

• More sheen than eggshell

• Ideal for definition and a soft glow

• Ideal for millwork, doors, trim, and cabinetry

• Con: shows imperfections

• Pro: durable and easy to clean

Satin is my go-to for trim: baseboards, crown molding, window casings, and paneled wall treatments. It's also the finish I reach for when walls and trim are painted the same color, since it provides just enough contrast to keep the architectural details from disappearing into the wall.

Semi-Gloss Paint Finish:

• High sheen

• Ideal for highlighting architectural detail

• Ideal for millwork, doors, trim, and cabinetry

• Con: shows imperfections

• Pro: very durable, easy to clean, stain resistant

Semi-gloss is the finish most contractors and painters reach for by default on trim, and most paint lines offer it.

High-Gloss Paint Finish:

• The highest sheen available

• Ideal for making a statement and creating definition

• Ideal for millwork, doors, trim, and cabinetry

• Con: shows imperfections significantly. Painting drywall in high gloss typically requires a level 5 finish

• Pro: very durable, easy to clean, stain resistant

High gloss isn't available in every paint formulation, and it isn't for every room, but used well it's stunning. Some designers use high gloss on walls and ceilings to create a lacquered, glass-like effect. In a room with lower ceilings, a high-gloss ceiling can create the illusion of more height and more light.

Paint Color Matching Between Brands: Why You Should Avoid It

I strongly advise my clients against color matching between paint brands. If you or your contractor are buying paint from a particular manufacturer, such as Benjamin Moore, choose a color from that manufacturer's own palette rather than asking them to match a color from a different company. In my experience, a color match is never quite exact.

This matters most down the road. If you run out of paint and need to touch up a wall, a newly matched can will almost certainly read slightly differently than what's already on your walls, since it isn't that company's true formulation. What should have been a simple touch-up turns into repainting the entire room.

I put this to the test by color matching a Farrow & Ball shade to both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams. See the results here. If you do need to match a Farrow & Ball color, I recommend Benjamin Moore. It uses more colorants than Sherwin-Williams, which gets you closer to the depth Farrow & Ball is known for.

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How JLL Interiors Helps You Choose the Right Paint Color the First Time

Choosing the right paint color for a home with real architectural bones is not a project for trial and error. A color that looks perfect on a swatch can shift entirely once it meets your home's north-facing light, your fixture finishes, or the patina of an antique piece already in the room. Repainting a freshly renovated room because the color fought the house instead of complementing it is a cost, and a disruption, worth avoiding.

This is where our formal color training, through Maria Killam and ongoing study with paint manufacturers, makes the difference. Rather than presenting you with a stack of swatches to sort through on your own, we start by reading the undertones already present in your home: your stone, your existing floors, your hardware, your light. From there, we bring you one considered recommendation, matched to your home's architecture and grounded in how that sheen and finish will actually live in the room, not a guess pulled from a fan deck.

For clients in Cherokee county, Fulton county, and beyond who send us an inspiration photo and hand us the keys, this is exactly the kind of decision we're equipped to make on your behalf, with the confidence that it will be right the first time. That's less time spent debating paint chips, and more time enjoying a home that already feels like it was always meant to look this way.

Let's Work Together

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Frequently Asked Questions

What finish paint should you use for the front door​?

I would recommend a Semi-gloss or Satin sheen. If you really want to make a dramatic entrance use Full-Gloss but ensure the surface is free from extreme imperfections.

What is the best paint finish for bedroom walls?

My preference is matte in most cases.