For me, satin is way too glossy, I never like any glare on the surface.

Egg shell is my go to, a nice finish, but todays matte finishes are very durable compared to years past. Love a matte finish, looks like suede. Good Luck!

I still much prefer matte for walls and ceilings and maybe satin for the trim. Color drenching IMO should all be the same sheen to enhance the illusion

I have only house painted in recent years with Farrow and Ball. Their dead flat is incredibly cleanable. But, I don't know if Aura matte compares. Is matte not flat?

We will only stay in this home a few weeks out of the year and I can stand something that isn't my usual preference, but I don't want it to look like a lip gloss factory.

@Lyn Nielson - When you are not color drenching do you use matte on walls and eggshell on trim?

Yes, I do. Aura is great for high humidity rooms too. A great choice for a bathroom.

if it were mine, I'd paint the ceiling and the walls matte, eggshell for the trim and doors. the vanity cabinet too. Brass hardware would fancy it up a bit.

Your tile will look great with that lighter paint color... use Salmon/shrimp colored towels if you want to enhance the pinky/orange hue.

Gloss accentuates every little flaw in the surface, IMPE. I prefer eggshell as well. It's not shiny, and it's not chalky like most flat/matte. Satin comes close.

I have used Benjamin Moore paint exclusively for over 15 years.

I love the Aura paint and used it in Hale Navy (satin) on a piece of furniture.

But it chips quite easily.

The newer line of Scuff X (comes in matte, eggshell, satin & semi) is my favorite of their interior paints.

The matte has about 8% gloss, and the satin is perfect (IMO) for doors and trim.

We painted our lower level with it over 5 years ago. It's a walkout to the beach & lake.

With 17 grandchildren (and their friends) there's not one ding or smudge yet!

I've used aura matte a lot lately. Very easy to clean and no reason not to use in bedroom.

Agree with other opinions, do matte on the bedroom walls and ceiling and satin on the trim. You won't regret the matte. It's a beautiful finish.

I always like the advance on the trim, usually in satin.

For the bathroom, the aura bath and spa is really, really good and worth it for bathroom with shower.

Scuff X is also really great, esp for trim. Be aware that you kind of need to go down a level in the scuff-X to get the sheen you want (Kind of like sizing down in clothes :) ). The scuff-x satin has almost the sheen of a semi-gloss, etc.

The Scuff X satin is listed as "20 – 35 @ 60° for sheen, whereas the semi is 40 – 60 @ 60°, so quite a bit higher. (All listed on the TDS sheets.)

As with everything paint, your lighting will have a big effect.

We have A LOT of trim work, and IMO, the satin is very low key, but has a beautiful feel and is not prone to chips, or metal marks, etc.

Aura matte is 3-5 @85 vs. Scuff X matte at 8-15 @ 85, so personal preference.

Even though I have heard scuffx, Advance, and Aura bathroom are great, I unfortunately need to stick with just plain Aura because I'm super chemically sensitive and know plain Aura doesn't trigger a reaction.

I saw sheens in the store today, and reminded myself this apartment has ugly flooring and tile I'm not changing. I need to make it not worse and be easy to clean when I move because I won't paint again. So now I'm thinking:

* Bedrooms - Matte walls and ceiling. Eggshell trim, doors, radiator.

* Hallways - Eggshell walls, trim, and doors.

* Bathroom - Matte walls and ceiling, eggshell door and door frame. (No real trim in there and tile from floor to 2/3rds up the wall.)

* Kitchen - Eggshell walls, splash, trim, and doors

Talk me out of this or into this, please. My husband would be grateful to not have to think about it this weekend. :)

You want Ben Moore

Aura Bath and Spa in Matte

Aura Bath & Spa: Specifically designed for bathrooms and humid environments, this paint has a luxurious matte finish that resists mildew and doesn't show water spots or streaks after steaming, even though it's matte.

For trim.......Satin finish. "Advance" Ben Moore.

I have matte on my dining room ceiling, and I really hate it. All my other ceilings are either the same color as the walls, or are a flat white. My dining room, ceiling was just painted a year ago, and its a huge mistake, and is going to be redone, again, in the spring. I would choose flat ceilings, and eggshell paint, and satin for your trim.

@Kendrah, I also have a lot of allergies, so I completely understand using what you know is safe for you.

I agree with @cat_ky, that "flat ceilings, matte or eggshell walls, and satin trim" makes a very nice contrast. It's nice that your BM store has sheen samples for all the paint lines.

IMO, BM Advance is now "old school", and not worth the extra time and trouble for trim work.

The directions require 16 hour recoat time and a full 30 day cure time.

You could check the TDS/SDS for the difference between regular Aura and Aura Bath & Spa.

It does have the same "Green Promise" and lists zero VOC's.

532_TDS_US.pdf

Frustrating, BM doesn't list an actual sheen % for their specific products, only a range. I know I want matte on walls and ceiling everywhere including bathroom. (Aura doesn't come in flat, and most of bathroom is tile and I don't want to risk the mildewcides and my allergies of spa and bath.)

I'm leaning towards satin trim and doors for ease of washing. But if Matte Aura is actually say 3% and satin is actually say 35% - that is a tremendous contrast in sheen that I think isn't going to look great.

And, what is on the sheen card they gave me and on their in store samples? You can't know what you are looking at without a percentage.

--> Matte - 3-10% sheen at 85°

[Aura®, Aura® Bath and Spa, Regal Select®, Ben®, Scuff-X®]

--> Eggshell- 10-25% sheen at 85°

[Aura®, Regal Select®, Ultra Spec 500®, Scuff-X®]

--> Satin / Pearl - 20-35% sheen at 60°

[Aura®, Regal Select®, Advance WB Alkyd, Scuff-X®, Ultra Spec 500®]

--> Semi-Gloss/ Gloss - 40-65% sheen at 60°

[Aura®, Scuff-X®]

I've been spoiled by using Farrow and Ball that lists a specific % for each product you are purchasing.

Yes, I hear you. I've had the very same frustration.

Your lighting (style, brightness, # of windows) will affect how you "see" the amount of gloss.

Softer lighting = softer gloss.

And you can't just buy samples to test, because BM samples are for color only - it's not the actual paint.

I like some kind of continuity from one room to the other. My suggestion for paint for the other rooms, is Linen White for all the trim and B.M. Muslin for the walls. I have done the combo and it's quite lovely. The white I used was B.M. Decorator's white.

So, eggshell or matte for the walls, matte for all the ceilings, satin for trim and the louvered doors.

Hardware looks tough...

I ended up using matte for ceilings, eggshell for walls, stain for trim and doors. It works for the needs of this condo. If this were my full-time home, I'd much prefer matte walls. I don’t like how reflective the eggshell is in here, though am happy with the paint color.

I painted everything in one color - no contrasting ceiling or trim. It really helped the details in the ceiling show more, which I like.

Glad to see all one color and no contrasting trim in a tight space like this.