Paint Sheens for trim

last year

We are going to paint our family room and kitchen in Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace. I am debating whether which sheens I should use. Baseboard is presently stained.
I am thinking of painting walls and ceiling either matte or eggshell and wondering if I can paint baseboard in eggshell or do I need to step up to satin or semi-gloss? They are presently stained.
What is the trend today? Are trends towards less sheen.

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Comments (10)

acm
last year
It's not really about trends, but maintenance. Matte and eggshell are good for walls, generally semigloss for woodwork, and gloss for furniture.
Carrie H
last year
Semigloss on trim and molding because it’s easier to clean. We did flat on the ceiling, eggshell on walls so we can still clean it a bit without a shine, and semigloss on molding and trim, and I’m very happy with it.
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Mary Elizabeth
last year
last modified: last year
I agree with acm regarding the maintenance. But there's a little more to it with the actual sheen. It helps to know the exact brand and which line of paint. For example - Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace in their Regal line or the Scuff X line? (or ??)

As far as the sheen for the ceiling - flat is most often used because of (1) it doesn't reflect the light as much, and (2) flat hides imperfections better. Unless you pay extra, drywalled ceilings aren't perfect.

We recently finished a 2500 sq ft remodel of our lower level (with kitchenette). We used all BM paint - BM Muresco Ceiling (flat); BM Scuff X Matte for the walls; BM Scuff X Eggshell for the closets; and BM Scuff X Satin for the trim. (We have 15 grandchildren.) We're very happy with the paint quality.

To know how the sheens compare, even in the same brand, you will have to read the TDS sheets. For example -Scuff X Matte has slightly more sheen than BM Aura Matte.

Another note, if you're painting over stained trim, sanding and priming are necessary for the best adhesion and wear. Insul X Stix is a great primer.

ETA: Sometimes here on Houzz, but mostly on a few other painting blogs I follow, people often mention that Sherwin Williams paint has less sheen when compared to other paint - for example, SW semi-gloss is closer to Benjamin Moore's satin. Best way is read the TDS and get the gloss level as a percentage.
Jennifer Hogan
last year
I always do flat on ceilings, eggshell on walls and satin on trim.

Newer trends are going more toward matte for walls. Still flat for ceilings and satin for trim.

I don't know that it makes enough difference to matter. There are slight differences by brand and by line and the TDS will tell you just how different they are, the truth is we don't really take that much notice to other people's walls. Think of your best friends house, or your mom's house or one of your siblings homes. Do you even remember what color their walls are? Have you taken notice to the sheen? Unless we helped pick or apply the paint or they have fairly high gloss walls we generally won't notice what sheen they have. We also don't notice slight changes in sheen from room to room.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
I like matte for ceilings and walls and semi gloss for trim . Trend has no bearing on this choice .
cat_ky
last year
You cant go wrong with flat on ceiling, eggshell on the walls, and your choice of either satin or semi gloss on the trim.
Lyn Nielson
last year
egg shell does have enough sheen to keep clean.

just make certain you prime the stained base boards with a good quality,

high adhesive primer, first.
elcieg
last year
last modified: last year
Using different sheens with white, (or any one tone paint color) results in a very lovely space.

Ceiling, flat finish; walls, eggshell finish; trim. semi gloss finish.
PRO
Color Zen
last year
Semi gloss for wood trim. Matte finishes ake the wood look chalky and not as sophisticated.
Jennifer Svensson
last year
Personal preference. I can’t stand glossy trim in my home. I went with satin and very happy with it. It’s got a nice sheen and the durability is still very good (I have three young children and scrub the trim)