Interior

• Flat – Flat paint has the lowest level of shine, absorbs light, and is good for hiding defects on walls and making rooms appear larger. Flat paint jobs are easy on the eyes since they do not reflect light and are often used for formal rooms and elegant settings. Flat paint should not be washed. Ideal for ceilings, low traffic areas, and rooms that will not require the walls to be washed.

• Matte – Matte paint has a low level of shine and also works well to hide defects. It has a washable surface. It is good for cleaning smudges and fingerprints. Ideal for areas that do not require high levels of wash-ability or moisture resistance.

• Satin/Eggshell – Satin/Eggshell paint has a greater sheen than matte, but is not shiny like gloss paint. Easier to clean surface. Ideal for high traffic areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, hallways, and any other area that may require more frequent wiping.

• Semi-Gloss – Semi-gloss paint provides a medium to high level of shine to an interior, making a room feel smaller and more welcoming with more shine. It is durable for heavy cleaning. Ideal for the kitchen and bath, doors and windows, shutters, molding, utility areas, woodwork, and trim.

Exterior

• Flat/Matte – Flat/Matte paint absorbs light and is good for hiding defects on walls. Flat paint should not be washed. Ideal for main bodies such as stucco, masonry, brick walls, wood siding, aluminum and vinyl siding. Recommended for painting accents, trims and accessories such as soffit, fascia and eaves, and wood fences.

• Satin – Satin paint has a low level of shine and also works well to hide defects. It has a washable surface good for cleaning dirt or stains. Ideal for main bodies such as stucco, masonry, brick walls, wood siding, aluminum and vinyl siding. Recommended for painting accents, trims and accessories such as soffit, fascia and eaves, wood fences, garage doors, pantry doors, and gutters.

• Gloss – Gloss paint gives a surface more shine than satin paint and greater ability to clean. Ideal for painting accents, trim and accessories such as doors and windows, shutters, garage doors, gutters and metal gates.

Exterior Paint Failures

South and west exposures will weather sooner than north or east sides. Also areas that are covered by plants or trees don’t get good air circulation or sunlight and can remain damp for longer periods. Also, improperly positioned sprinklers that repeatedly get wood areas wet will begin the paint failure process. These areas will be the first areas to fail.

Wood windows are beautiful to see, but can be a maintenance nightmare. Most people don’t consider painting until they can visibly see peeling paint on their windows. When this raw wood is exposed to moisture and direct sunlight it develops small fissures or hairline cracks. This condition will dramatically shorten the life of your paint job. Fortunately, there are special primers just for this application. Also when your home was built most likely your house was painted with one coat of solid stain (check any left over cans your builders painter may have left you). One coat of solid stain during the construction process should be repainted after 3-5 years. Solid stain should never be applied to windows. With that said a new quality paint job using top quality paint such as Sherwin Williams Duration or Emerald should last 10-15 years and trim and siding but only 5-7 on windows, especially on window sills and horizontal surfaces where moisture can sit. Typically the windows need a coat of paint before trim and siding.

An annual inspection of your paint along with a proper “touch up” can extend the life of your paint job on your windows by years. 

Interior Paint Failures:

Many new homes have oil base paint as a finish coat on the trim. While oil base is a good durable paint, today’s water based paints are better. Unfortunately conventional water based paints should not be applied over oil based paints. Special prep and/or primer with the correct water/alkyd top coat can be used or just use oil based paint again. The drawbacks of oil are the odor and dry time.