Interior Paint: Do Everything In Semi-Gloss??

[FE]

Greetings, A contractor bid to paint an interior condo of about 1,000 square feet. He proposed to do it all in semi-gloss. He gave me another bid in which semi-gloss would be used only on the ceilings and walls of the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room -- flat would go on all other ceilings, and satin on all other walls.

The bid for all semi-gloss was a *noticeably* lower bid (I'm guessing this is so because there would be less taping for this type of job). I am not a professional, but it's my understanding that semi-gloss is good in bathrooms and kitchens but can create annoying glare in other areas. I asked the contractor and he said glare would not be a problem and, if I recall correctly, I think he said he regularly does jobs using semi-gloss throughout. I like the idea of paying less for an all-semi-gloss paint job, but my mind is still unsettled on this glare issue. If you have had experience in this matter, I would welcome your comments.

Thank you.

[Charles Spitzer]

semigloss is far easier to keep clean. see if he'll do eggshell, which is between flat and semigloss, if you're worried about the sheen.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Personal preference. We have the semi gloss in our house in all the painted rooms. Flat looks too dull, satin is OK. Never found glare to be a problem. Ed

[CAStinneford]

I'd worry less about glare than about the semi-gloss showing up absolutely every imperfection in the walls. If you know your walls are in pristine condition, you can go with semi-gloss. If they aren't, I'd go with eggshell which isn't as flat as a flat finish and is a little better to wash.

[tflfb]

Semi Gloss in a home reminds me of being in a public restroom, its tacky!

If you intend to paint over the semi gloss in the future you have to de-gloss before applying flat once again.

I don't understand the bid being lower for the gloss its more expense to purchase.

Tom F

[George E. Cawthon]

We paint our house in semigloss except for some popcorn ceiling. Glare is not a problem, however, my walls are textured (heavy knock down). Semi-gloss is durable and washable. See if you can visit a place he has painted in semigloss. I don't think glare would be a problem. Ask your contractor for the cost of all satin paint, if you decide not to go with semi-gloss. Note that actual paint costs less as the sheen decreases, but paint cost is a small part of the "painting" cost.

FE wrote:

[jmagerl]

My paint guy is recommending using eggshell (not quite a semigloss) for the walls and satin for the trim. I did one bedroom the way he suggested and it looks quite good. He said flat was falling out of favor due to it's durability (doesn't wash well).

[Drew Volpe]

To each his own I guess.

I really like the look of flat. I did my bedroom in a flat midnight blue and love it. It's definitely worth the loss of durability. To me, glossy looks like the inside of a public building; flat is much classier and calmer.

dv

[davefr]

IMHO, semigloss looks like crap. Every little flaw tends to be magnified.

I like flat on all the ceilings and eggshell/satin on all the walls. Even in kitchen and toilets. (use quality paint and it'll clean just fine)

[xymergy]

Another eggshell fan here: semi-gloss on all the walls in my house? No way. Only in bathrooms and kitchens. Eggshell is a really nice compromise between flat and semi-gloss. No glare problems in my experience, and doesn't show the wall flaws/defects nearly as much as semi-gloss.

[Chuck Reti]

Agreed. Just finished a stairwell wall in a gold eggshell finish and am very pleased with the look. Adjacent room has very old flat finish, I'll be doing eggshell this summer when we do that room. Last year did a bedroom with a Behr Flat Enamel, which, in that room, looks really great, and also seems to be easy to clean.

[FE]

Thanks for all of the GREAT counsel. (I was the starter of the thread.) I read enough comments about the semi-gloss to make me back away from using it throughout. Again, I think the cost was higher to use different sheens (semi-gloss, satin, flat) because the contractor would have to tape/mask, but in using only one sheen he can just walk in and spray away. Anway, I would like to draw on your experience once more. Given that it would be less expensive to paint the entire condo using just one sheen (ceilings included) I wonder if satin throughout would work? True or not, I've heard that semi-gloss is actually desirable in bathrooms and kitchens because it is very wipable, mold-resistant, and more durable than other sheens -- so I wonder if satin in these areas would be a risky thing. If you have any experience with this, I would like to read your comments.

[CAStinneford]

Are you talking just walls and ceiling or is there trim involved? I wouldn't do the trim in anything except semi-gloss because they need to be washed regularly and the semi-gloss holds up the best in those circumstances. If it's just walls and ceilings, I don't think it matters if it's all satin or all flat.

[George E. Cawthon]

Satin will work just fine if you use any sort of caution such as bathroom fans when showering (or open a window), stove fans when boiling water, cleaning up spills, etc. If you are sloppy, don't give a damn do anything kind of person, or those kinds of persons live in the house, semi-gloss would be a good idea in the bathrooms with showers.