I like the BM eggshell; have used it several times in high traffic areas. If you love flat finish though, why not use it at least in some areas where wear and tear aren't a big issue?

I use BM egghshell on all walls.

BM also has a Regal Matte finish which is in between flat and eggshell and offers cleanability. You could also get the BM colors formulated in their Aura Matte line. The Aura is really great paint and cleanable.

This is a description of the Matte finish copied from a website:

Matte finishes are a new style basic. Now you can splash that style all over your wallsÂand not worry about what else gets splashed. Because Benjamin Moore has come up with a designerÂs dream: a soft, matte- finish paint that is as scrubbable as higher sheen products, such as an eggshell finish.

The new Regal® Matte Finish is an interior flat paint that is durable, washable and stain-resistant. That means everything from fingerprints to grease spatters can be scrubbed off without leaving a mark.

ItÂs the perfect solution for areas where you want the durability of a glossier paint, without the sheen. A few ideas on where to use it:

I didn't find the BM Regal Matte to be at all cleanable, forget "scrubbable". It was awful, because we had pets that liked to lean against the walls (the cat especially loved to scrub her face against walls and particularly corners, leaving grubby places from skin/fur oils) and my balance is poor so I leave fingerprints on walls where I catch myself from falling over. The blurb says "everything from fingerprints to grease spatters can be scrubbed off without leaving a mark"? That was a crock IME. Even after months of curing, even with only gentle rubbing with a soft rag the paint would burnish without the marks on the wall getting clean, and then I had to touch it up and the touchups were far more visible than was claimed. I went back to eggshell, the BM Regal Aquavelvet or C2 Eggshell. When we repainted for sale we were given a bunch of paint and it was almost all matte/flat - you can bet we were VERY careful around it lest we get a mark on it.

However, the OP said specifically (emphasis mine) "I don't want to use flat but wanted recommendations on eggshell vs satin finish." So to answer the question she asked, I prefer eggshell rather than satin - I usually find satins to be a bit too shiny, although a lot of people like them for kitchens and bathrooms. I used a satin paint (Valspar Signature in Satin) in a bathroom in my previous house and it had almost as much sheen as the semigloss paint we put on the trim; it had a slick, plasticky feel and appearance. The sheen level of an eggshell finish does vary from brand to brand and you may find you need to purchase a sample quart to be entirely certain of what finish you're getting.

Christina,
If you are painting yourself, perhaps get a sample from the paint store in the brand you intend to use so you will know exactly how the paint looks. The Benjamin Moore sample sizes are small and relatively inexpensive.

If you are paying for the service of having your house/rooms painted and their sample size was too small, speak up and request larger samples. Painters are not cheap, and many are justifiably proud of the skill they have developed, they want you to be happy with their services and it seems to me they would be happy to provide a larger sample so you could make more of an informed decision.
I am fixing to paint and had the same sorts of questions, and decided on eggshell for the walls.

Another vote here for BM Matte. I used the Flat in my finished basement, and even washing carefully with a damp rag leaves a mark! I used Matte in my Living and Dining Rooms, and they wash up great! I like the Matte best because it doesn't look shiny, yet cleans up well. I used eggshell in the bathroom and kitchen.

Formulations change all the time -- sometimes with big fanfare and an effort is made to advertise the "new and improved" and sometimes it just happens quietly behind the scenes.

It wasn't all that long ago that BenM Regal Matte was reformulated to 100% acrylic, which it was not prior. I've had really good luck with it. I equate it to SW's Super Paint in that it accommodates a wide range of DIY painting skills. Just about everyone can paint with it and end up with a lovely final finish.

Between egg, satin, and matte, I must say I prefer the color resolution that matte delivers.

Funcolors,

I'm new to decorating, and to talking about paint. Could you please say more about what color resolution is?

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.

Thank you for the explanation. Is Aura available in matte? The sample jars that one can buy at the paint store, what gloss are they?

Aura does come in Matte, but the sample jars are Eggshell.