BM Matte or eggshell for interior warm white smooth walls?

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Hi experts, I'm planning to paint my entire interior walls+ceilings. My husband and I would really want our house to look bright, warm, and welcoming. We'll use either BM simply white or white dove. I've asked my contractor to smoothen previous orange-peel walls. So it should be level 4 or 5. We plan to have our 1st baby in the next 1-2 years, no pet.

So far, I have been reading a bunch of sheen discussions on Houzz re matte vs eggshell for smooth walls, matte vs eggshell for white walls etc but hard to tell if any commenter is having both white and smooth walls. From comments, I got pretty mixed signals. I'm mostly looking at Regal Select & Aura for these 2 sheen comparisons. My takeaways are as follows:

Matte:

Pro: better touchability and forgiving of imperfection; velvet look; white looks better in matte?

Con: some say makes the room darker and it's a shame to paint matte on smooth walls?

Mixed: some say easy to apply some say not due to dry too fast; some say nightmare to clean up & maintain, some say really easy to wipe off and no problem with kids & pets.

Eggshell:

Pro: more durable and washable than Matte; better to show off the smooth wall?

Mixed: some say touchability really bad, some say good.

Regal Select vs Aura:

Aura durability slightly better, not very noticeable?

Aura's unique color technique shows off mostly on CSP colors, for others not much different from Regal Select.

Aura Matte & Regal Select Eggshell seems to be the best product line+sheen combo.

Could anyone help me understand

1. washability & touchability of matte vs eggshell on these 2 product lines?

2. OR could I assume both are good enough to satisfy my needs, not a big difference, therefore just personal preference to make a decision?

3. will colors like simply white & white dove look different in matte vs eggshell? unfortunately my local store only provide eggshell samples

Thx!

Featured Answer

Wenjun Wang
Original Author

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

@B Hensarling I ended up using simply white regal eggshell for all walls, same color regal flat for ceiling.

I researched on the internet and some ppl did say regal matte washabale but some not. The guy at the store said "I won't recommend matte for family with kids." I also mentioned I'm painting off-white color thus easier to get dirt. The store I visited also painted wall in some light grey color and what I wrote above is what they said

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Comments (6)

Wenjun Wang
Original Author
4 years ago
Talked to a guy in BM store, they suggested eggshell for ppl with kids. The store I visited is painted in Aura matte. The guy mentioned even though Aura matte is washable but it is not scrubbable and after washing it for a couple of times, now he frequently touches up the bathroom in the store. He didn't comment on whether matte will make the room looks darker, as is harder to tell without seeing the light condition of the room.

They did mention for painters if they have no experience in Aura before it could be harder for them to apply and Regal will be much easier. For smooth wall, they suggested aura due to its richer color, I bought a sample and going to test it out on the wall :)
B Hensarling
4 years ago
Hello! We are currently in the same boat, selecting paint for all common areas with an open concept floor plan. Our color selection is White dove. We are thinking Regal Select Matte for ceilings and walls and Pearl for trim. We do have kids, but hoping the Matte is still washable enough?
What did you end up choosing and how do you like your selections now?
Thank you!
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B Hensarling
4 years ago
Thank you! I learned today that our samples are eggshell sheen and really aren’t that shiny—I thought they were more of a flat or matte. So, we are deciding to go with eggshell—I need the washability!
Does the same color in flat on the ceiling look similar enough to your walls? We are thinking we will do the same thing now, but with White Dove (eggshell on walls, same color in flat on ceiling).
Thanks again!
Wenjun Wang
Original Author
4 years ago
@B Hensarling interestingly in some room they look same color in some room flat ceiling looks whiter than eggshell wall. My assumptions are:
1. Ceiling is horizontal, wall is vertical so different light reflection
2. Different sheen
3. I bought paint in different batches, maybe there are slight color difference. Also painting not at the same time, maybe leading to some difference.
I am acceptable of the color difference as not drastically but you do easily tell they are not identical. Some ppl prefer ceiling and wall are different as it’s kinda interior design to add more dimensions to the space. But uniform color would make your room look bigger.
B Hensarling
4 years ago
Thank you, this is really helpful! I’m open to a little variation in color, but want to avoid putting White Dove walls up against whiter ceilings or trim.