Flat or Eggshell: What Type of Finish Do You Prefer for Interior Painting?
The debate over what finish to paint interior walls has been a topic of recent discussion. I have two clients that are about to paint the inside of their homes, and are asking everyone they know what finish paint to use. Seems the answers are as hotly contested as political opinions. I learned that when I was in the new construction condo pre-settlement walkthrough with one of my clients.
My buyer brought up the colors he wished to paint and that he wanted to get started as soon as he took possession of the home. I immediately recommended, since he'd had a bad prior experience with eggshell sheened paint, FLAT. My experience with flat paint is that it cleans easily, and if touch ups are needed, you can never tell where they were made. And on a personal note, I don't like the shine that you get on walls with eggshell. You can see where people start and stop painting. It gives a blocky appearance.
Needless to say, the Builder Rep who was conducting the walkthrough vehemently disagreed. She was all about EGGSHELL. She said it cleaned much easier and she disagreed with my assessment of being able to see touch ups or where people start and stop painting. I hypothesized that maybe the fact that she had small children running around and touching the walls may have factored into her preference.
Then, when meeting with a Rental Property Manager who was helping one of my Clients who is about to become a Landlord, I asked the same question: Flat or Eggshell. Is there is a better person to ask? After all, a Rental Property Manager is someone who handles a lot of touch up paint jobs.
His answer was FLAT. Same assessment as me. Easier to touch up and not see where it was done. Blends right in. He had no comment on clean up.
So what do you prefer and why? Settlement day is about a week away and my new construction buyer is gathering all the information about paint sheens that he can.
Comments(17)