Which sheen do you prefer for exterior paint?

rosieo

10 years ago

It's been so long since I've painted an exterior I can't remember.

Flat/Matte: Has more pigment. One coat coverage. Covers imperfections.

Satin/Eggshell:
More durable than flat. Sheds water and offers better resistance to sun damage

I like the look of flat better. But if satin is more durable...
Which do you choose and why?

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Comments (6)

My3dogs ME zone 5A
10 years ago
I chose flat in a very good quality paint. I used semi-gloss for the trim. I have had NO problems with it at all. See your other post on 'What color do you think this is', and I tell you what I got. Your sample went out in today's mail!
lala girl
10 years ago
Hi - we used flat for the exterior, it was a recco in Susan Hershman's book and I have been really happy with it. We have an older house and it seemed smoother finish
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OK, this has to be the worst virtual ever. I'm sorry. I happy to think it's OK on some houses to paint the garage door to match other trim. It depends on the house. On yours I think it looks perfectly fine. I did do a virtual with just the trim part painted. Not the way I really wanted to, but I don't have the time it takes to do it right now. I think it would be neat to paint your chimney to match the trim. Since I can't see the side of your house I really don't know if this idea would work. The color red your choose is rather brick like and I think it would be neat to paint the front porch in a bit lighter shade then the trim and then faux it to look like brick with other shades of the brick red. Actually a good way to do that would be to get a few sponges in the size and shape of the brick and just paint over the porch leaving the cement as the grout lines then seal it. I'd also add more wood trim around your front door and sidelite so they look as one unit. Adding brick trim to the edges of your flower gardens and painting your arbor as is your trim would bring the color around the yard too. Just a thought. I wish I had a really good program to make good virtuals I hope you can visualize what I'm trying to get acrossed here.
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PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
10 years ago
The proper selection has to do with a number of factors. What are you painting? Wood, stucco, brick,? Where do you live in terms of weather. If you're painting a dark color on a wood frame home, you don't want a sheen because all the imperfections are exaggerated. Satin can be different than Eggshell, & I'm not sure every manufacturer has Eggshell for exterior paint.

I'm in the South and on our stucco villas we have semi gloss paint, but we have to bleach our walls often to keep up with the mildew & to be able to wash down the buildings after hurricanes.
newbuyer2007
10 years ago
I use satin paint. It cleans up well and doesn't look chalky like flat paint can. I used flat paint on the interior and regretted it because I couldn't clean it.
PRO
Lori A. Sawaya
10 years ago
Matte for exterior or never more than a satin. I never spec flat paint because of maintenance issues - a little sheen helps keep it clean and durable. Flat/matte doesn't necessarily have more pigment.

Some of the modern mattes are equally as durable as higher sheens.
LuAnn_in_PA
10 years ago
We use a semi-glass here, for the excellent wash-ability.

Which sheen do you prefer for exterior paint?

Comments (6)

My3dogs ME zone 5A

lala girl

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