Facts:

Brand new home, flat paint on all surfaces in a taupe color. Wood trim that has a certain amount of gloss to it. Textured walls, rounded corners, typical new construction.

Issue:

Over the weekend, I finally settled on some paint colors for our great room (after literally 8 tries with tester paint). I got the paint onto the fireplace surround and loved the color. Looks even and beautiful, true to what I expected, etc.

First person to walk in the door goes, "oh, shiny!"

Not my intended reaction.

I used Valspar paint with an eggshell finish, and I also bought what I intend to put on the rest of the walls in eggshell as well. A lot of money on a bunch of now deemed "shiny" paint.

Knowing the eggshell is a little easier to clean, more durable, etc I chose it for practical purposes and also because I wanted the room to have a warm feel to it. The paint colors are earthy (well, the fireplace paint is literally called earth, the other is a golden color).

Is it possible I am so used to seeing the flat paint (which mind you is still right up against the eggshell in that area) that the shiny-factor is in my head? Or is it popping because I haven't finished the rest of the room with eggshell?

Or is there anyone here that would like to make a case for flat paint instead?


One other note also - if the decision is that I should go back to the flat paint, is there a solution to the fact that I have purchased all of the paint in the wrong sheen/finish - such as a wash or glaze of some kind that I can roll over it when completed? Would it work to put a light coat of flat over the eggshell to jsut tone it down a bit?

Perhaps I am being optimistic.

 

I go the other way - I use a satin finish. I don't think eggshell is shiny. Bottom line is what do you think?

 

Well, this is my first real experience with painting anything other than a bedroom being that I was previously a renter. I'm frustrated at the moment because I'm really, really, REALLY tired of painting (now I fully understand how people end up with a horrible color or paint job but learn to live with it!)

I don't have a solid opinion on it yet, and I am usually pretty good about forming my opinions. Thought I would come ask some other folks for their ideas.

My biggest fear is having the shiny, textured wall look... so I might be a little sensitive.

 

Personally I don't think satin or eggshell is too shiny for the walls but what matters most is the opinion of you and yours

If you decide it is more sheen than you want to live with, you can get a quart of the same color paint, but in flat and mix it in well! That should take away most of the sheen but it will still be fairly washable. make sure you mix it throughly! If you do this - make sure you have enough paint, if you run out it may be next to impossible to get a perfect match.

 

A quart to mix with a gallon of paint?

I have a gallon of the accent color and then two gallons on what was going on the other walls (not yet painted).

 

Yes a quart of flat latex added to a gallon of eggshell latex will take most of the sheen away - be sure you mix it well!!!

 

Personally, I use eggshell on all the walls in my house. It wears so much better than flat, and is far more resistant to the scuffs that would turn a flat into a very shiny spot. I think you will learn to not notice it.

What sheen is your trim right now? If you have eggshell trim, it make be making your walls look shinier. I have my trim at full-gloss, the walls satin/eggshell, and the ceilings flat.

SirWired

 

Well, I've sat on the color for about a week now. My boyfriend and I both agree that it seems to catch an awful lot more light than we expected.

With regard to mixing in the quart of flat to the eggshell - I have two gallons of that color, and will be mixing it myself. If for any reason I were to run out of color, would it be best to do this again - buy another gallon of eggshell and a quart of flat - in order to match it?

 

Yes if you duplicate the formula, it will be close but maybe not touch up close - it can be difficult to get all the paint out of the container when you intermix them. Since you are mixing the same colors, the color shouldn't change but the sheen would be difficult to get exact.

If you see you are going to run out it would be best to stop in a corner and start again with the fresh batch on the next wall. You don't want to run out in the middle of a wall!

 

This is the problem with no sheen standard in the industry. one company's eggshell is another's flat or satin. Our company mixes sheens often when the client loves the color but wants to lower sheen. Per the suggestion, buy more than you would need to finish the job. You'll kick yourself when you have to repaint walls in full because you didn't have enough. The cost of an extra gallon up front is minimal compared to your time and mental health. Good Luck!

 

MAJOR UPDATE!

I want to give some credit to my five-month old Golden puppy Ace, here on this forum, for assisting me in a decision that had me paralyzed.

After a wonderful romp in the mud, Ace ran into our house over the weekend, rubbing his dirty wet body along not one, not two but THREE of the walls in my living room that still had flat paint from the builder. The spots dried out and remained in the paint - there was no way to touch them up other than repainting the wall. I grabbed my new eggshell finish paint and said - what the heck, can't get any worse right?

We LOVE the color and the finish now that it's on the wall. I don't really know how exactly I considered sticking with flat paint with a puppy and eventually kids!

The walls look great and I couldn't be happier. Thank goodness.

I appreciate everyone's comments!

 

I realize the posts on this subject are old but in case anyone wants to know.....you can add corn starch to your eggshell paint and it will change the finish to flat.

Start with about a teaspoon per quart and test the finish....adjust as desired, less corn starch, the more shiny your finish, the more corn starch, the more flat the finish.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for the corn starch idea. We probably won't do egg shell white for quite some time since we live in military housing and that is all we get to see. Turning paint to matte might be a must though!