I have flat walls and then later came the kids and there went the walls... Fingerprints/stains can not be wiped off as the paint comes off and you can not touch them up either. The whole wall needs painted. But they are beautiful!!

I would say a minimum of satin on trim, semi if the walls are not flat... I usually do a semi gloss on trim. I like flat walls also, but with kiddos here, I have resorted to satin walls.

No young kids here anymore. How many of you put semi gloss on crown molding??? anybody want to chime in?

I also love flat on walls and ceilings, but after finding too many CAT PAWS (no kids here, just a tribe of CATS) on the walls that were only painted 2 years ago, I've switched to eggshell. I use semi-gloss on all trim, except the Victorian front door that had some decorative bands/carving that I painted in satin. The brand of semi-gloss paint available here isn't really all that glossy, so it's a bit more 'matte' than 'gloss' but it still cleans well. We don't have any crown molding so I can't say about that.

I am painting the interior of my house for the first time starting tomorrow. Yikes.
The ceilings are flat white.
The walls will be Benjamin Moore Aura Eggshell.
The trim, including doors and windows, will be Aura Satin.
Aura does not have a semi-gloss out yet, though it's supposed to be out soon. If it was out, not sure if I would stick with the Satin or not.

skymom

what color Aura paint are you using. I did my bedroom and MBR in thicket and can't wait to get to the other rooms.
mclark

I just used high gloss on my woodwork sills , crown molding and doors for the first time and love it.

I love Pearl or Satin finishes on walls or eggshell if it is not too flat. I love gloss on my woodwork sills and doors for the contrast, the look and the ease of cleaning. Since I have hardly any overhead lighting the pearl finish to me looks flat without that chalky look.

denali_2007, We like color, we are not beige people. So, I don't know what people will think, *lol*.
I am using Serenata in the LR, Dinner Party in the DR, Potsticker in the Hallways, and Lucerne in my closed off front entry room.
I went through a lot of colors, and a lot of color changes before deciding. It's tough selecting so many colors at once, as I am also painting my kitchen, powder room, and guest bedroom.
The painter really loves working with the Aura and suggested the Satin on the trim. He said the semi-gloss was supposed to be out, but they've delayed it once already. We didn't want to wait to paint, and the painter said Aura Satin is really beautiful.

Semi gloss is what I used on all my trim, crown and doors. Flat walls and ceilings. I used a washable flat from Lowes in the guest bedroom and I really do like it, its almost flat. I really cant tell the difference. However, I decided to to SW Preline (dark golden brown) in my master bath. DH is messy using his towel and I didnt want water marks on the walls. I used SW Superpaint in eggshell (just one above flat) and its way too shiney....I dislike the finish so much. I knew not to use a dark color with a shiney surface, hopefully I learned my lesson this time:(

We used semi-gloss on all of our trim, including the window sills, crown and winscot. I think it looks wonderful. On the walls we have satin, egg shell and flat---depending on the different rooms.

I don't mean to hijack this thread or anything, but...I couldn't go through with dinner party red in the dining room. It was just too much for me. The Serenata looks gorgeous, but there is too much contrast with the red. I think we're going to use Lucerne there instead.
I hope I'm not the only one who had to make a painter go back to the store last minute.

Looking through this thread, it looks like people pretty much have their own favorite sheen for trims. I would get some test samples and try them out. Live with them for a few days or so.

skymom
I'm a color girl too. I do not like blue in my home but I love these blues. That Lucerne looks wonderful. I love the way that the Aura brochure pairs serenata with the jicama. I have a sample of that.

denali_2007, We love blue in the house. I find it very serene and comforting. They finished the LR & the DR today, and both are beautiful. I am so happy we didn't go with the red. The Painter was really nice about it too. I also love the White Dove Satin Aura on the trim. My trim has never looked this good. Tomorrow he paints the upstairs & downstairs hallways.
I am charging my camera battery tonight, hopefully I can put up some pics or send you some in e-mail.

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 :)

Skymom
Would love to see your pictures. Can't wait to see serenata. That's what I'm thinking for my DDs room.She has a navy comforter and curtains so this might go well. She just moved to a new house and the PO has everything done is a horrible shade of brown.

I use all BM paints, flat ceiling white, eggshell walls and semi gloss on trims, baseboard, doors, moldings, wainscoting.

skymom

Any pictures yet?

denali_2007, Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, I've been so busy & tired. I took pics today, but they didn't come out good. I can't get the color right with my camera, and they came out too dark. Your best bet is to buy the little sample bottle and trying it out on a poster board or the wall. Although, we found it came out a bit lighter on the walls than it did on the sample board.