Well, I need to make a qualification regarding my prior statements about preferring satin enamel instead of semi-gloss for trim, doors and baseboards.

I did a job this week using SW ProClassic satin on the trim, etc. The ProClassic satin was more of an eggshell, and not the satin I’m accustomed to with other brands of paint. So, I switched to ProClassic semi-gloss.

In the past, I’ve used SW “All Surface Enamel” satin and it was “satin,” not eggshell. So it seems, the terms satin and semi-gloss, etc. seem to vary depending on the manufacturer and product line.

Do I prefer satin over semi-gloss? Well, that depends...

 

Absolutely

I have a great example of this in wall paint with bathroom paint

You may have noticed I recommend Zinsser's Perma-White for bathrooms, kitchens, or any problem high humidity/cleanability area

If the paint need to be tinted darker than the Z's will allow, I'll use Moore's K&B (eggshell)

The flattest Z's P-W comes in is eggshell
Perma-White's eggshell is pretty much flat

I just did a bathroom with this combo yesterday
I used an Moore's K&B eggshell on the walls, and Z's P-W eggshell on the ceiling
You'd swear the ceiling was flat
There's no way the sheen of the ceiling is close to the sheen on the walls

Which is fine as they prefered a flat ceiling (but were willing to live with an eggshell for mildew resistance/cleanability, it's a severe mildew problem area)
It looks flat even to me, so you can imagine how happy thet are

If they had wanted an eggshell ceiling I would've stepped up the P-W to satin

Though I won't call Z's P-W a "flat" to a customer (they can read on the can it's "eggshell"), I will say it is the "flattest" this superb problem solving paint comes

 

Thanks for the valuable tip! I'll be keeping a close eye on the satins and eggshells.

 

I think you will find that with different brands there will be sheen differences even though they might say the same thing. Satin, eggshell and low lustre are basicly the same thing but can vary greatly between brands. With SWP satin and eggshell are basically the same thing. Brand X may have a semi-gloss that is about the same sheen as brand Y's gloss. If you get into all the technical data you can find how each paints flat or gloss is rated. A good reason to stick with just 1 or 2 brands so you can be familiar with their products and know what a certain paint will do on a particular job.

 

Yes, it makes sense to be very familiar with only 1 or 2 brands of paint.

Thanks!