Happy Saturday to you all! Yep...Satin is the "Best" choice, but Eggshell isn't "wrong". The surface-film of a Satin (or S/G) is a little smoother/tighter. Therefore these sheens are better for wetter areas. B4 you do anything tho'... * Wash all walls to be painted. My fave is POWDERED Dirtex. Usually doesn't have to be rinsed. (Jessica- the ACE sku is #10271, if you don't have it already...!) * Most TSP's are great cleaners too, but need 2 or 3 rinse-passes. * Do any repairs, sanding, re-texturing. And, in a perfect world, prime after all repairs are dried. * Then, at last, your 2 finish coats. In my downstairs bath, it was FPE Eurolux Matte that I used. It's a shiny "Matte" though! More like an average Eggshell. $45/Qt. Our entry/foyer was C2 Matte "Stellar". Ceilings? Personal preference! My lower bath products used... Faron

I'm using Duration Matte throughout my home, even in the kitchen and bathrooms. It's a beautiful paint ... looks flat when viewed head-on, but there is a slight sheen at an angle.

Sure! :~D Sheen levels or gloss measurements are terms you will often see regarding paint. The terms are used to talk about how shiny the final finish of a paint will look and *be* once it's on the walls. Sheen is a term that's really best suited to textiles. Gloss is the better term in talking about paint finishes. But, like lots of terms used in color world, they are used interchangeably even if not technically correct. I'm guilty of it too - old habits are hard to break! :D Relative to color resolution in particular, different bumps in gloss will affect how a color looks. The typical color chip simulates a flat finish. With gloss comes darkening. The glossier the paint finish, the darker the paint color will appear to the eye. Keep in mind these steps of darkening can be very slight to kinda major depending on the specific color and the underlying surface, the substrate. It's not unusual for folks to think that higher gloss will help with bouncing light around the room. IME, that's not really true. The amount of reflectance you get from even the highest gloss levels aren't significant enough to contribuite to the overall illumination of a room. Super or semi gloss paint finish is not the same reflectivity as, say, a mirror. Gloss in paint just doesn't have enough oomph to propagate beams of light like needed in order to credit the glossier finish with contributing to general illumination. Unless the lighting plan is well-planned to accommodate high gloss on the walls, what you'll likely end up with instead is just splotches of plain old glare not a *brighter* room. Back in the day, higher gloss finishes delievered the most stain resistance, durability and washability. In this New Age of Color I keep talking about, we have advancements in technology to thank for matte finishes that are equally durable. The BIG plus is that you can touch up a matte finish oodles and gobs easier than you can touch up a gloss finish; safe to say that touch ups are just about impossible with gloss finishes. So, to wrap it up... since with gloss comes darkening and the fact that paint chips big and small are printed in ink made to simulate a flatter finish, I prefer the gloss level in paint to be flat or matte. Matte delivers a softer look which IMO makes color *look* more appealing and natural. It also helps to reduce splotch-ies of glare. Matte and flat are best at hiding imperfections so if prep and substrate isn't flawless, it's not so much of an issue.

Gloss for all woodwork (doors and trim) and I'd never change that. You get the durability of an oil based paint, in a latex based gloss paint. Anything less is well "less" :) I guess if cleanability/durability isn't an issue...and you like to baby your woodwork...go for semi. I'm in agreement it's a fad ;) Gloss or oil based paints have typically always been the standard for wood trim. For walls, I decide that based on the particular room. In a bath or kitchen I like either a gloss or semi at minimum (cleanability) and for accent walls to feature art (they pop better off gloss). Otherwise I almost always use semi. I do the same on ceilings. I like a bit of gloss on the ceiling for evening light, a trick I learned from a great interior designer way way back. She HATED flat paints with a passion :)