Paint sheen levels explained, matt to gloss

01Matt: the standard for walls and ceilings

Matt has almost no reflectivity, which makes it excellent at hiding minor wall imperfections such as slight unevenness in plaster or filled areas, since there is no sheen to catch raking light and highlight them. Its main drawback is washability, since matt finishes mark more readily and are harder to clean without leaving a visible patch, which is why it suits low-traffic areas like bedrooms and ceilings better than hallways or kitchens.

02Eggshell and soft sheen: a practical middle ground

Eggshell and soft sheen sit between matt and satin, offering noticeably better washability than matt while still being forgiving of minor wall imperfections. These finishes have become the default for walls in busier rooms such as hallways, kitchens and children's bedrooms, striking a balance between durability and a finish that doesn't flare under normal room lighting.

03Satin: durability with moderate sheen

Satin sits higher up the sheen scale than eggshell and offers strong washability, making it a common choice for woodwork and for walls in areas that need frequent wiping down. Its higher reflectivity means it will show surface imperfections more readily than a matt or eggshell finish, so preparation standards need to rise to match the finish being specified.

04Semi gloss and gloss: maximum durability, maximum honesty

Semi gloss and full gloss offer the highest washability and are the traditional choice for woodwork, doors and metalwork that gets handled and knocked regularly. Their high reflectivity means every dent, brush mark or filled repair becomes visible under normal light, so gloss finishes demand the most exacting preparation of any sheen level, and cutting corners at the filling and sanding stage will always show.

• Highest washability of any sheen level
• Best suited to doors, skirting, frames and metalwork
• Shows surface defects more than any other finish
• Needs the highest standard of preparation to look right

05Where each sheen belongs by surface

Ceilings almost always take matt, since they are rarely touched and benefit most from hiding imperfections. Walls generally suit matt in low-traffic rooms and eggshell or soft sheen in busier ones. Woodwork typically takes satin or gloss for durability, and metalwork such as radiators and railings usually takes a specific metal finish in satin or gloss rather than a standard wall or wood paint.

• Ceilings: matt in almost all cases
• Bedrooms and low-traffic walls: matt or eggshell
• Kitchens, hallways, bathrooms: eggshell or satin
• Woodwork, doors, skirting: satin or gloss
• Radiators and metalwork: dedicated metal finish, satin or gloss

06Washability versus flare, the real trade-off

The general rule is that washability increases with sheen level, but so does the visibility of every defect in the substrate beneath it. A perfectly flat matt wall hides a multitude of small sins; a glossy one exposes them under any raking light from a window or downlight. Choosing sheen is really a decision about which trade-off matters more in that specific room, durability or a flawless-looking surface.

07Getting sheen and colour decisions right together

The same colour will look different in matt and in satin because of how each reflects light differently, so sheen and colour should be decided together rather than the colour chosen first and the sheen added as an afterthought. Testing a sample board in the actual sheen intended for the room, viewed at different times of day, gives a far more accurate impression than a swatch card alone.

08Commercial and specification-driven sheen choices

In commercial settings, sheen level is often specified for practical reasons beyond appearance. Corridors, stairwells and back-of-house areas in schools, offices and hospitality venues frequently specify a wipeable eggshell or satin finish because they need to withstand frequent cleaning with disinfectant products, and a matt finish would mark and dull quickly under that regime. Fire-rated or specialist coating systems sometimes come in a narrower range of sheen options than standard trade paint, which is worth checking early if a project has a fire strategy or infection control requirement, since the available sheen may not match what would otherwise be chosen on appearance alone.

09Testing sheen before committing to a whole room

A small swatch card gives almost no useful information about how a sheen level will actually read on a wall, because reflectivity only becomes obvious across a larger, lit surface. Painting a sample panel of at least a metre square, in the actual product and sheen being considered, and viewing it in the room at different times of day, is the only reliable way to judge whether eggshell will look right next to the existing woodwork or whether satin will flare more than expected under a downlight.