I looked at the color...very nice! My bedroom walls are painted with BM matte, and I used the BM primer also...I love the way it looks and have received compliments.

I would go with the matte...listen to your mother now!

Now that I have the eggshell up on the wall im not really sure I want it all over the room. I understand that they are trying to not be pushy and let people make their own decisions at the Benjamin Moore store, but it seems like matte in bedrooms (unless its a child's bedroom) is pretty much the rule, I wish one of the two sales people I spoke to said something. Oh well, at least I hadn't gotten far!

With that color, did they mention that you might need a gray tinted primer? Does the eggshell look like it covered well?

"Is eggshell in an adult's bedroom a mistake?"

Oh gosh, I guess I've been making horrible mistakes my entire painting life, because I ALWAYS use eggshell/velvet/"lo-sheen" - if using BM, that would be BM Regal Aquavelvet. I use eggshell everywhere actually, because I much prefer how colors behave with its barest hint of sheen, but I don't like walls any shinier than that no matter where they are (including baths and kitchens, you won't catch me dead with semi-gloss on a wall - it feels so institutional) and flat paint just looks dead and blah to me. Matte/flat paint in bedrooms is NOT a set-in-stone RULE at all... it is nothing more than personal preference.

Did you use enough coats and a tinted primer? Strong color in an eggshell finish CAN look a little peculiar if you don't have enough coats, and the red family is notorious for often needing three or more coats!

Michelle, (Give the sheen a WEEK to even-out b4 judging)

I'll have to agree with the "horrible mistakes" Johnmari & millions of others are making...and endorse Eggshell in a bedroom!!! The decorators in our store highly recommend it to clients.
>>> Some flats burnish easily when marred, ESPECIALLY in deep tones where so much colorant is added!!!

I can't in good faith endorse most flats...UNLESS it's one of the premium varieties in...C2, B/M, ACE Sensations, S/W.

* Take kylie & johnmari's advice on the (I recommend gray) tinted primer!!!
* You'll regret it if you don't!!
* Even on gray primer, I can't rule out a 3rd coat of Red...FIVE hrs. apart!!!
* Why do I say that??? Most people push paint too thin; and techniques/tool-qualities used vary so much. Kylie's wall might look great in two coats...while johnmari's could be blotchy-looking!

Good luck,
Faron

I used 3 coats total on my bedroom walls. I used BM fresh start tinted to the color of new paint, then 2 coats of BM regal matte.

I seldom paint anything in one coat anymore.

Keep us updated on how your room turns out!

It is a personal preference

they did recommend that I use a grey primer, when I tested the color on my walls I didn't put a primer down, the walls are sort of a grey blue already, though I will use one before I do the whole room. With two coats it isn't splotchy, I know reds can be difficult sometimes, and with one it certainly looked a mess. I've had it up for a day, and it certainly looks less shiny than when freshly applied yesterday, but I am still unsure. The house is in a colonial style, and the other bedrooms have colors from the BM historical collection with a matte finish, so I almost feel like a room with a slight sheen is a bit out of place. I plan on buying the paint in the next couple days, so hopefully I can make a decision soon! Thanks for your help, I'll let you know how it goes.

Michelle,

IMO, Please consider the actual "day-to-day" life your walls have to put up with before deciding.

It's one thing to "stay colonial", and quite another when trying to clean a flat-sheen wall. Unless you try some of the "premium" flats I listed above.

"Real-life" still has to take place, and most flats aren't very forgiving! A slight sheen can be your best friend over the years. Again, deep-toned flats burnish so easily too.

JMO!
Faron

IME even the "premium" flats ain't always all that, or at least BM's not. We've had BM Regal Matte in a light midtone (BM Boardwalk) up in one room for almost two years. It STILL burnishes on cleaning (and I'm not scrubbing it with harsh cleaners and rough cheap sponges or the rather abrasive Magic Eraser, I wash gently with a soft cloth and mild soap) - I have poor balance and often steady myself against walls, and I have a cat and dog that both like to sit/rub against the walls, so the walls get grubby. Someone talked me into the matte insisting that it was totally washable, I wouldn't have used it otherwise. Thank goodness we have most of a gallon in the basement because we're going to have to put another coat on before the house goes on the market, it looks so tatty.

My BM dealer says 80% of his customers love the Regal Matte, 20% hate it, and no one seems to be in-between. :-)

We'll be using flats in the two bedrooms we're painting before we sell but that's because the paint was free and I don't examine the dentition of an equine received gratis. LOL And we'll let the realtor tout that it's the "new washable flat" (they're BM and C2) even if we've had a rotten experience with it.

well, I'm going with the matte, honestly I think it's the right choice. I patched about 50 nail holes today, and there are other imperfections that will just bounce light and be highlighted if I use something with sheen. Also I switched colors. I started to get nervous about an entirely red room, it just didn't seem like something that would be relaxing, so now its going to be yorktowne green from the BM historical colors. I got two gallons and a gallon of tinted primer, plus an off white for the trim and the ceiling. I appreciate everyone's input, I'm finally not anxious about painting it, so that has to be a sign that I've made choices I can live with.

All of my walls are in the eggshell. It's not really shiny, but the walls appear to have a little life to them. The Aquapearl is definitely shiney. We only use matte for the ceilings.