I use eggshell and get along pretty well. Most marks can be removed with a damp Mr. Clean magic eraser.

What do most of you use for the walls in your LR, Kitchen, and Bedrooms?

ICI/Dulux (now Azko-Nobel) LifeMaster in Eggshell and/or Benjamin Moore Aura in matte. That's what is in my own house and that's what I spec for clients whenever it's 100% my choice.

Two boys, one dog and I am constantly wiping something off or down.

I just bought Valspar scrubbable(sp?)/ washable matte in my kitchen/family room/greatroom. I love how it looks and it really is washable. I have not had to touch it up yet, so I guess the jury is still out on that part.

What is the difference between Aura matte and regular bm matte?

I used BM Matte in our new house. Very cleanable thus far (4 kids and dirty hand prints abound, regularly cleaned with the sponge of death or 409)

I don't go with any more sheen than eggshell, even in the bathrooms. It's just too much sheen for me. I recently tried the BM Regal Matte and it went on very well. I also like Valspar in eggshell as well as the Ace Sensations flat matte. I need to be able to wipe a spatter but no sheen.

Red

What's the diff? Depends on how you look at it. If you're coming at it from a perspective of which one cleans up better and can you tell the difference  overall  between the two.

I like Regal Matte and Aura Matte. There is a slight difference in sheen levels and visual hand. It is a difference that is totally and completely lost on some people.

And it's not because they have bad taste or because they are cheap or because they don't know any better. They just don't see it. Period. Their experience with Aura is not any different from Regal and both are no different than a can of Behr Premium - from their point of view it all looks alike and they really do not understand all the fuss about brands and grades.

Other people most certainly see the difference and sometimes to a point that it isn't merely just a matter of visual hand; it permeates their experience in a room and they can *feel* it. Often times, that type of color tolerance gets labeled as "paint snobbery". They aren't snobs, they're just acutely aware and understand what they like and want to live with.

I think Aura matte has an advantage because what you can't clean off your can touch up - *most of the time* you can touch up a wall painted with Aura and you can't tell.

I use satin. Behr is pretty shiny but Valspar's satin is not near as shiny with a beautiful finish

I was told by everyone asked (color consultant, designer, paint store, and painters) to do eggshell on walls and use satin for trim. When I asked why, they all basically said that unless I want shiny walls everywhere, to use eggshell for walls and that the satin works well on trim to make it "pop". The said "almost everyone" uses eggshell for walls...

eggshell :)

Eggshell. And satin for the trim.

I love and only use Eggshell - it looks matte but has more washability then a pure matte paint does.
(IMO)
Eggshell is throughout my whole house.

Eggshell for walls. Satin oil for the trim. Matte for ceilings.

Eggshell - both for the look and the feel of it.

Does anyone use semi-gloss or gloss for trim? That's what I've always used, but maybe I'll try satin the next time. What about doors? Do you use satin for that also?

Laurie

I use semi-gloss on trim and doors (BM Aura). I grew up in old, victorian New England houses (with an architect dad) and this is what we always used, so it looks "right" to me.

Does anyone use semi-gloss or gloss for trim

Sure. I have hi-gloss white throughout my own house. I didn't choose it, builder did, but I like it.

Lots of people still choose semi and hi for trim and doors. Not so long ago, semi or hi gloss exclusively was used for trim and doors. Kind of went with the time period, mind-set when the rule was semi-gloss was the only option for bathrooms and kitchens too.

Fast forward to 2010 and there are a lot more options due to technological advancements in paint and you are not relegated to using semi gloss in kitchens and bathrooms and modern-day satin finishes are perfectly appropriate for trim and doors. Now, it's more so about choice and preference than rules and paint product limitations.

I just used BM Regal matte for living room and hall. I love the finish and it covered well over a darker paint without priming.

Just today I noticed a few smudges that all wiped off easy with just a wet cloth. Only one smudge gave me trouble where an old, wood stained DR chair rubbed against the wall. I couldn't remove it completely with just the cloth but lightened enough that no one would notice it unless I point it out.

I use BM eggshell or SW Duration satin for the walls, which both seem to have a similar sheen. Ceilings are SW matte, and trim will be SW ProClassic semigloss.

Matte. Any hint of a sheen puts my teeth on edge, dunno why. I don't like any surface reflectivity on my walls (I used satin for trim). In this old house, the slightest bit of shine seems to call attention to any imperfections.

Eggshell for walls, semi-gloss for trim and doors. I like white trim and the semi-gloss really gives that striking pop that appeals to me. Looks so clean and crisp.

Ann

Eggshell for walls and we hate it. You can't clean it and it shows everything. Looks great but not worth it in my opinion. We will gradually re-paint our new home in satin.

Semi gloss on the trim - some sort of oil based paint.

LOL Ok depends on the house. In my alaska home I want reflective quality in the winter, so most straight painted walls and ceilings are in semi-gloss (shock and horror and yet it looks wonderful). Some walls are finished with varnish or shellac (even more shock and horror but they are the walls ya'll always compliment LOL) and others have a metallic finish. A few are finished with paste wax which when burnished is pretty glossy. Only my very deepest wall color in the basement is done in eggshell and that's because it gets too much light and was dang near glowing heh heh I'm also old fashioned so all trim is done in the highest gloss possible and I love that look.

Now in the victorian, flat, matte whatever you call it for walls, though the ceilings will be in metallics most likely on the main floor. Trim paint is mostly being removed but the interim trim paint will be high gloss paint.

I had a high gloss and then lacquered finish wall in one of my townhouses a few years ago. It was for art and it was stunning. The other walls in the room had to be semi so they didn't scream "different sheen" next to that long wall.

I generally use eggshell for walls and semi-gloss for trim, unless I am painting the walls and the trim the same color...then I usually use eggshell and satin. Too much difference in the gloss level can make it look like two different colors. I like a bit of shine on the woodwork, and it does dull down with time.
I use flat paint if the walls are in distressed condition, or if I am using a very deep color and want it to recede like a beautiful shadow, but only in a premium paint. Flat paint in pale colors often seems chalky, although I don't have much experience with the pale Aura flat paints. Aura's finish is so refined that I imagine they might not give that impression.