I use BM eggshell on my walls and BM oil paint on my trim - I like it shiny!

Is oil paint the same as laquer? DH was considering going with oil base as we thougth it may go on easier and look nice, clean well, etc. He heard it doesn't go on as "thick" and was concerned about covering all his "imperfections!?" Thanks for the help!

I use a latex high gloss for the shine, easy cleanup after painting and the scrubbability.

I always, always use semi-gloss on trim.

*why* did paint-store-guy say you wouldn't be happy? what color is it?

is it a regional thing?? I live in New England and we have flat walls, so we usually use satin/eggshell or lower sheen on walls(depends on paint--I know Behr satin is almost a semi-gloss to me). SO the semi-gloss is a good contrast

I always use BM eggshell on walls, and BM semigloss on trim/woodwork.

I used gloss on my trim in SW Extra White and I like how easy it is to clean. To me it does not look that shiny. I have a pearl finish on my walls that look very flat to me. I think the painter put the second coat on too quickly after the first coat since I am disappointed in the walls not being less flat. I love my gloss doors that again to me are not too shiny and just look so nice.

We always use semi on all the trim. It cleans up/wipes down well and is easy to repaint w/out any sanding to cut down on the gloss. Semi gives me the hard surface I want w/out too much shine.

Our house is 40 years old and the walls have a LOT of flaws so we use flat on the walls and ceiling because flat doesn't reflect as much light and so makes a lot of the flaws less noticable.

The exceptions here are the kit and baths. The kitchen is very small and doesn't have a lot of open wall space so I have used semi on the walls for easier clean-up. Also did the ceiling in here w/ the white semi trim paint. It's a low ceiling and I wanted to be able to wipe it down a couple times a year.

One bath has a beadboard ceiling and I have used the semi trim there, too. The other bath is sooooooo tiny that I did the entire space in semi for ease of clean-up.

I've tried the eggshell and would probably be happy w/ it in the kit/baths... but it had just enough sheen to it to make the wall flaws really stand out... so we went back to flat for the rest of the rooms.

I always use satin on walls and semi-gloss on trim. I know most people prefer flat or eggshell for walls, but I like a little bit of sheen. Semi-gloss is pretty much standard for trim -- I can't believe anyone would dissuade you from it.

Semi-gloss is the norm. Some people prefer a little more gloss and they normally move up to an oil base paint if that's the case.

The guy might have worked there 5 minutes lol??

Actually I would go eggshell on the walls...that's just enuf sheen and very washable. I think satin would be too much but it CAN vary from mfg to mfg with the sheen.

Don't you know you're supposed to send DH to the paint store with a NOTE?!! lol.......

I've read over on the Paint forum that Michael, (Brushworks) who is a pro painter, really likes a satin on trim. I think he uses Satin Impervo?

But keep in mind that sheen is a choice that varies with different people. I always use eggshell or satin on my baths and kitchen, even though many people like a semigloss there for wash ability. When I do all my trim this Spring, I'm going to be following Michaels advice as closely as I can and I'm going with a satin.
Red

There is no right or wrong, there is only personal preference.

Ease of cleaning does enter into it, however.

I much prefer high-gloss trim.

I like the contrast between the satin texture on the walls and the gloss of the trim.

Walls - B/M eggshell in rooms that get the most use, Matte in the living room

Trim - Used to be all B/M Alkyd Satin Impervo, room by room switching to Acrylic Satin Impervo. Alkyd is oil based - will yellow over time, acrylic does not.

This is something I've been thinking about this week. I've always really, really liked flat paint on walls but I knew it was easier to wash semi-gloss or eggshell on walls. I did my office stucco walls in flat paint because I also really much prefer a matte finish on stucco rather than any hint of a sheen. But I gave in on the half bath in the office and used semi-gloss on the stucco in there so it would be easier to clean. I originally used flat on the laundry hall I repainted this week, but switched to semi-gloss this time because that hall gets a lot of traffic, dust and dirt and the flat just couldn't handle the abuse. I use semi-gloss on all the trim in the house, for the same reasons stated by the others above.

In our last home when we repainted we used an eggshell paint on the walls, because of the fact it's washable.

Look at the exterior of an egg and decide if that's the amount of flatness or sheen you'd want on your walls!

We used a semigloss, oil based paint for doors and trim, also washable and not too shiny.

We used a semigloss in the bathrooms, washable with some sheen.

Semi-gloss wouldn't provide nearly the sparkle I like to see on pretty woodwork. I'm a HIGH gloss fan, no two ways about it. Everytime I request it I get the "hairy eyeball" or the, "are you sure?", lol.

YES, I'm sure. Mix the damn paint and quit thinkin' you have better idea of what I want than I do. ;)

I think you will really like semi-gloss. I like to see some sparkle contrast with walls, it livens up an interior.

STICK TO YOUR GUNS!

High gloss trim is an appealing look to me as well, but you do have to be sure to do a killer paint job because any drips and brush marks show up and look really crummy. I'm good with the semi-gloss, but I don't know that I could do as well with a high gloss.
Have any of you old house owners noticed how ironically luscious the old (toxic) paints were? There is satin paint on the trim in one of the old bathrooms here and it is just like a lustrous pearl!

I can't imagine using satin on trim.......ugh. Who came up with that idea?

Kim,

I TOTALLY "old school". I prefer alkyd paints, personally. And when you really research the VOC regs you learn rapidly that the paint industry doesn't have the money to fight them.

I prefer alkyd paints because they give you more "open" time. You don't have to work as fast and beginner technique isn't a handicap to a nice finish. I'm livin' proof. I've taught myself how to paint efficiently, effectively, and very well. I know how to clean my brushes and rollers equally efficiently AND I know how to properly dispose of used paints and paint thinner.

I purchased Ben. Moore's "high gloss" latex paint because I couldn't buy a GALLON of alkyd high gloss in my state, but I could buy QUARTS (that meet the VOC regs. because they're based on volume) for way more money. The long and short? latex "high gloss" SUCKS. I did all the requisite prep. work (as per the label), applied 4 coats and IT'S PEELING in under 3 months. And, it ISN'T high gloss, at all! IT WAS A RIP OFF and I'm bull--it.

I'll be shopping in Vermont, where their savvy legislators aren't fooled by jerk-water statistics (that mean nothing compared to the automotive industry's contribution to "air quality"(+) and you can still buy ALKYD high gloss paints in gallons.

Give me a break!

I've always preferred semi-gloss for trim. We are painting now and using BM Regal Matte on walls and loving it. All trim is BM semi-gloss oil-based Super White.

We never use anything but SATIN on walls, and on trim we've always used SEMI-GLOSS....

The last time we had a contractor do the painting in the bathroom and he used the oil-based semi-gloss on the trim, saying it would wear better. And I think he's right. But I'm tempted to try glossy for once!

And OT, but what the best cleaner for washing a painted wall? Thanks!
Susan

We recently painted out stained doors with SW Pro Classic trim paint in Gloss. It was terrible to work with! It dried very quickly and left many brush marks. We ended up sanding them again and using SW Super paint in semi-gloss It was easier to work with. They now look much much better.

jant: "I can't imagine using satin on trim.......ugh. Who came up with that idea?"

Well, I can't say precisely...as it was painted 82 years ago. Nevertheless, the finish is really pearly. Perhaps age has contributed to that appearance, but it doesn't look like either semi-gloss or high gloss, so by process of elimination I'm concluding it's satin.

Chelone, I'll keep what you wrote in mind regarding alkyd paints when I have a situation in the future where a high gloss might be desirable. If memory serves, I believe they are available here, and in gallons! Where I live the aridity affects the drying time of paints quite a bit, so something with a slower setting or drying time would be helpful.

B.M makes a washable matte finish. That (or their less expensive flat) would be my preferred choice for a warmer looking wall in bedroom,dining room and living room. I know some folks like eggshell (and the gloss varies with brands) because it cleans better (not as good as their special matte,though) or is more reflective. I know some people like to use a flat or matte on the walls and eggshell on the ceiling. For these rooms, I would never use anything shinier than eggshell.

Bathrooms, I prefer full or semi gloss.

Kitchens- kinda depends on how much tile you have etc. The higher sheens are easier to clean, but it depends on the look you want.

Wood Trim- Full or semi-gloss- latex for indoors

I'm a strong believer in water based latex paints. Your brushes and rollers clean up better and it's healthier. There are some very low odor, no VOC or very low VOC paints on the market now, and Milk paint (I haven't used it).

Oil based paints - I use them on metal window frames, sometimes on wood, but I don't think they're necessary.

Clean and prep walls and trim. Use a good primer-if necessary.
Zinsser makes good primer paint. Primers are latex,oil, or shellac. I mention the shellac (B-I-N) because it covers water stains or grease, mold, and stops odors better and dries really fast. Sometimes it's used as a touch up primer.

I too wanted BM semi-gloss on my trim and my painter talked me out of it. He just finished painting the trim, and it looks nice, but I think it would have looked even better in semi-gloss. Wish I had stuck to my guns!

I prefer semi-gloss myself. I don't like many shiny things and I find high gloss to look too plastic-y for me. Semi-gloss looks more like painted wood to me.

I have cabinet coat paint on the trim in my kitchen. It was a nightmare to use but I mail ordered it and I think I got a bad batch or one that was stored/shipped in temperatures that were beyond it's tolerance. It has a beautiful satiny finish - more sheen than a true wall satin but less than semi gloss. Satiny is the best way to describe it though. I'm trying to decide if I want to go for it again in my bathroom if I can find a local supplier. Moonshadow is the big cabinet coat pusher here. :)

I like a little bit of shiny bling here and there (metals etc) but not in my paint. The flatter the better.

Kim.....latex paints weren't invented until the late 1950's and the satin/eggshells not until the 1980's so it's probably just aging that's affected either an oilbase or a "specialty" concoction. Painters used to mix their own back then...closely guarded secrets lol. Most, if not all people hired painters.....DIY's were much too complicated and everything was brush work...VERY time consuming.

And.....you BETTER have gotten your color "right" back then lol. Rollers weren't invented until the 40's.............

It was an easier task then though...not too many colors to choose from!

Of course wallpaper kinda ruled back then ....probably easier than painting!

I did wonder when the special finish paints were created, and thinking about it, the ultra pearly layer is not the very first layer but it is in a very period-specific color, that light 1930's green. We know the bathroom was done in 1926 (we found a newspaper with a date in the wall), but I'm guessing that the pearly color was probably applied in the 30's. Whatever it is, it's just a very lovely texture that I wouldn't mind having now. And did we ever have wallpaper here--I removed up to 14 layers in some areas!

Thanks for all your help! We did go with the semi-gloss for the trin and dh should be starting application as I type. We will stick with the satin for the kitchen and baths (it is already bought). We will however go with less sheen for the rest of the home (family, dining, foyer, bedrooms, halls). I had washable flat in out last home & really liked it...so I'm thinking I should go more flat in our "living" areas. Now what about the ceilings? Change color from the trim or keep the same, what sheen?!?! Oh the decisions! What will I do with my time after we move, LOL!