Who does not love a fresh coat of paint on walls? Few home improvement jobs deliver as satisfying a return for your investment of both time and money. Whether you are refreshing an existing color or changing up the entire look of your room with a new hue, paint is a great way to make a room look great. But even this relatively simple task means having to make decisions. Do you want satin or flat paint? Both have advantages and disadvantages that we explore below.

Application process

No matter whether you are using flat or satin paint, your walls need to be prepared for painting the same way. Once everything is removed from the walls and furniture is pulled away, the walls have to be thoroughly washed to remove all dirt, grime, and grease. Any loose paint needs to be scraped or sanded off, and holes must be patched to create as smooth a surface as possible. For a long-lasting paint job, it is best to use a coat of primer ¹ first.

Flat paint is much easier to apply than satin paint. Because it has no sheen, you do not have to worry about maintaining a leading edge of wet paint as you roll or brush on the paint. The most efficient way to cover a wall with flat paint is to quickly go over the walls with a roller in a zig-zag or W pattern, going back to fill in the gaps and touching up the edges with a small roller or brush. This can be repeated for one or two more coats.

On the other hand, when using satin paint, you will end up with a mark on the wall if you apply wet paint over a dry edge. Using the W technique would leave many spots where the sheen is not even. The best method is to load the roller with paint and apply the paint from top to bottom, one roller wide, and then reload the roller and apply the next strip of paint, overlapping the previous one slightly. That way there is always a wet edge to continue on from.

Best Use

These paint finishes are better suited to different spaces in the home. Ceilings are often painted in flat white paint because they are likely to have imperfections and are meant to be unobtrusive, which is accomplished with the matte, non-reflective surface of flat paint. Flat paint would also work well in a space such as a spare bedroom or home office, where there will be less chance of the walls needing regular scrubbing, which damages the surface.

On the other hand, high-traffic areas like kitchens or children’s rooms need the more durable surface provided by satin paint. Satin paint also better resists moisture than flat paint, making it a natural choice for bathrooms.

Durability

You will probably not have to repaint as often if you use satin rather than flat paint. Flat paint’s matte surface absorbs dirt and grime from the environment, while that same dirt can be more easily wiped or scrubbed off of a satin finish. If you want to get more years out of your paint job, opt for a satin finish.

Remodeling Terms Cheat Sheet

¹ Primer: Preparatory coat applied to materials (drywall, wood, metal, etc.) before painting to ensure paint adhesion, extend paint durability, and help seal and protect the surface to be painted