Matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, high-gloss — every tin of paint asks you to make a finish decision before you’ve even settled on a colour. Get it wrong and a beautiful colour can still look flat, patchy, or wear badly within a year. Here’s how our painters actually make the call, room by room.
Why finish matters as much as colour
A paint finish is really a description of how much light bounces off the surface once it’s dry. That single property changes three things at once: how forgiving the wall is of imperfections, how easy it is to wipe clean, and how durable it is against knocks and moisture. Choosing the wrong finish for the wrong room is one of the most common regrets we hear from homeowners who painted it themselves.
The five finishes, explained plainly
- Matte / Flat — no shine, hides surface imperfections best, but marks easily. Ideal for low-traffic ceilings and adult bedrooms.
- Eggshell — a soft, low sheen that wipes clean without looking glossy. Our default for living rooms and hallways.
- Satin — noticeably more reflective and genuinely scrub-resistant. Great for kids’ rooms, kitchens and busy corridors.
- Semi-gloss — durable and moisture-resistant, the standard choice for bathrooms, laundries and skirting boards.
- High-gloss — maximum shine and durability, but every wall flaw shows. Best reserved for doors, cabinetry and trim.
“A wall doesn’t need to be perfectly flat to look great — it needs a finish that suits how the room is actually used.”
A quick room-by-room guide
Bathrooms and laundries take satin or semi-gloss so condensation wipes off before it becomes mould. Kitchens do best with satin on the walls and semi-gloss on cabinetry, since grease and splashes need a scrubbable surface. Bedrooms and formal living areas suit eggshell or matte, where the priority is a soft, even look rather than heavy cleaning. Hallways and kids’ spaces sit in between — satin gives you scuff-resistance without looking like a hospital corridor.
Prep still wins, whatever finish you pick
No finish can compensate for poor surface prep. Higher-sheen paints in particular telegraph every sand mark, filler patch and roller stipple underneath, so our team spends more time prepping walls destined for satin or semi-gloss than for matte. If you’re renovating a room that’s had gyprock or plaster repairs, it’s worth budgeting extra time for a proper sand-and-seal before the topcoat goes on — it’s the difference between a finish that looks professional and one that just looks shiny.
