Hello Blue,
Myself...and I work at a paint store...I would use a Satin for exactly the reasons you're finding. Satins shed water/dirt better...simple as that.
* Buy the best you can afford, ideally products over $25/gal.
* Make sure you prime, & that your siding is DRY.
* Painters & store-personnel don't have to clean your house, they just put it on!!

JMO,
Faron

Oh wow. I guess first I'm wondering if you're using the right product to paint your stucco house. Stucco is a different animal. You may have already done all the research for prepping and painting stucco, but I just wanted to mention it just in case. :-)

Secondly, I could not disagree more with the flat recommendation. I never have spec'd flat for an exterior. Always satin. Aside from the functional points Faron noted, aesthetically I think satin looks way better than flat. Stick with your instinct and go with satin. It has the perfect sheen, not too flat and not too shiny in most all brands.

Why not spring for the smallest container of something you'd like to try and do a test area on the house. I have no idea about stucco. In 2000 we used Satin Duration by Sherwin Williams because our painter recommended the satin due to its superior cleanability, durability. Boy was he right! We've not even wiped it down and it still looks freshly painted. For the first 6 months or so it looked too shiny, but that went away with time and I'm so glad we endured that short period of time.

Again, don't know about stucco. What would make it different from siding?

Thank you to everyone for the replies. This is very helpful and I really appreciate the comments.

My impression is that many people still go with flat on the wall and semi-gloss on the trim. My neighbor just had his house done by a reputable contractor and he (the painter) said this is standard.

But I agree with all of the points mentioned here about the superiority of satin and will go with it. I actually did paint a small section with satin and it looked a bit shiny, but this was in comparison to the dingy flat and I agree about the shine wearing off a little over time.

Thanks also for the reminder about proper prepwork and choosing the right paint. What I've been reading is that stucco does better with elastomeric paint because of expansion and contraction. There's a Benjamin Moore store fairly close and I'll head over there tomorrow.

Much appreciated, all!

Elastomeric, satin, Benjamin Moore store - I think you'll be fine. Good luck with the project.

Thanks for the well-wishes, funcolors. I'm actually looking forward to this project.

We use Satin on our house and it doesn't "shine." It just helps repel water and such.

1 coat primer, 1 coat elasto, 1 coat satin for the "cleanability" and UV protection. I also think I understand that while both elasto and acrylic satin are mold resistant you may get better mold resistance (and dirt resistance and washability) from the harder finish you get with satin (elasto MUST stay flexible a bit to do its job and flexible more or less relates to hardness).

Disclaimer: I am only a homeowner gathering info as we built our house.

Elastomerics are appropriate if you are concerned about unusal water penetration (from driving rain)and/or cracking. By their nature, they are soft and in spite of their sheen, tend to collect dirt. Assuming your house is 5 years or older, most settling, and therefore cracking, should be behind you. Keep in mind that by its very nature, stucco tends to collect dirt and that no one formulates exteriors paints for washability, though they should come clean with a good hosing off. All that said, everything else being equal, more sheen equates to easier dirt shedding and a reduction of dirt pickup.

The ONLY place in my house that I use flat paint on is my ceilings, and that's because they are flawed - we live in an older home. Everything else is satin. I'd never consider flat paint for walls - for one it's not flattering and it doesn't clean well.