What is the difference between matt and satin?

Matt absorbs light, so the surface reads calm and even, and it hides an imperfect wall better than anything else. It also marks and does not enjoy being scrubbed. Satin carries a low sheen that wipes clean, which suits hallways, children's rooms and anywhere hands meet the wall, but it reveals any hollow or ridge in the plaster.

Why does my wall look worse after painting?

Because sheen catches raking light and shows what was hidden before. A wall that was never made properly flat looks worse in an expensive paint than a cheap one, since better paints often carry more sheen. The answer is not a different paint. It is filling, sanding and priming the surface first.

Can new plaster be painted straight away?

No. New plaster needs to dry fully, then take a mist coat, a thinned first coat that lets it breathe and binds the surface. Painting plaster that is still drying, or skipping the mist coat, is the most common reason paint peels away in sheets a year later.

How many coats does a wall need?

A primer and two topcoats is the normal expectation, and a third may be needed going from a dark colour to a light one or with strongly saturated colours. A quotation that does not state the number of coats leaves room for fewer, which is worth settling before work starts.

Paint sheen, and which one each room needs

The same colour in two different sheens reads as two different colours. Most disappointment with a paint job traces back to the sheen rather than the shade.

People choose a paint colour carefully from a small card and then leave the sheen to whoever is doing the work. The result is a colour that looks different on the wall from the one they picked, and flaws that were invisible before are suddenly obvious.

Sheen is not a finishing detail. It decides how the surface handles light and how it handles use.

The levels, and what each one does

Matt absorbs light rather than reflecting it, so the wall reads calm and flat. It hides undulation and patched repairs better than anything else, and it is why large surfaces in matt feel restful. In exchange it scuffs, shows wipe marks and does not tolerate repeated cleaning.

Eggshell carries a very slight sheen. A practical middle ground that keeps most of matt’s ability to hide while accepting a gentle wipe. Bedrooms and formal reception rooms sit here comfortably.

Satin has a clear but non-reflective sheen. It cleans well and belongs in hallways, entrances, children’s rooms and kitchens. It shows wall imperfections rather than hiding them.

Semi-gloss and gloss belong on joinery, doors, architraves and skirtings, where the surface is small, properly prepared and expected to be wiped. Used across a large wall they expose everything underneath.

The trade-off is unavoidable

The more washable the finish, the more it reveals. That is the whole decision, and the right answer depends on who uses the room.

A bedroom used by adults takes matt or eggshell. A hallway everyone passes through daily takes satin. A children’s room takes satin without hesitation. A wall with strong side light from a window takes matt, because raking light will find every flaw.

The paint is the last five per cent

This is the most useful sentence in the article.

Filling, sanding and priming are the actual work. Paint is what you see, but it does not correct what is underneath. A wall that has not been made flat will look uneven whatever goes on it, and it will look worse in a better paint because better paint usually carries more sheen.

New plaster needs to dry properly and then take a mist coat before anything else. Skipping that postpones the problem by about a year.

Two local conditions worth planning for

Dust settles on wet paint. The room being painted should not also be the room being cut or sanded on the same day. That is a good reason to sequence the trades properly, which the villa renovation checklist sets out.

The wall on the sun side of a building expands and contracts more than the others, and it is where hairline cracking usually shows first. Dealing with it before painting makes the result last.

Where painting sits in the programme

Painting comes after the fitted joinery is installed and before the furniture arrives. Getting that order wrong is how new cabinetry ends up with overspray on it and how a finished floor collects the drips.

There is more on wallpaper, panelling and the other wall finishes on the wall painting page.

Questions

Questions we get asked

What is the difference between matt and satin?: Matt absorbs light, so the surface reads calm and even, and it hides an imperfect wall better than anything else. It also marks and does not enjoy being scrubbed. Satin carries a low sheen that wipes clean, which suits hallways, children's rooms and anywhere hands meet the wall, but it reveals any hollow or ridge in the plaster.
Why does my wall look worse after painting?: Because sheen catches raking light and shows what was hidden before. A wall that was never made properly flat looks worse in an expensive paint than a cheap one, since better paints often carry more sheen. The answer is not a different paint. It is filling, sanding and priming the surface first.
Can new plaster be painted straight away?: No. New plaster needs to dry fully, then take a mist coat, a thinned first coat that lets it breathe and binds the surface. Painting plaster that is still drying, or skipping the mist coat, is the most common reason paint peels away in sheets a year later.
How many coats does a wall need?: A primer and two topcoats is the normal expectation, and a third may be needed going from a dark colour to a light one or with strongly saturated colours. A quotation that does not state the number of coats leaves room for fewer, which is worth settling before work starts.