It's one of those decisions that looks simple until you're standing in front of a wall of paint tins wondering what the difference actually is. Matt, silk, eggshell, satin, gloss — the terminology shifts depending on the brand, and the advice online tends to be vague at best.

Get it wrong and you'll notice. A high-sheen finish in the wrong room looks cheap. A flat matt in a high-traffic area starts showing every mark within weeks. This guide breaks it down room by room, so you know exactly what you're choosing before a brush goes near the wall.

Understanding the basics

Paint finishes are defined by their sheen level — how much light the dried surface reflects. As a general rule, the higher the sheen, the more durable and washable the finish, but the more it will highlight imperfections in the surface beneath.

Lower sheen finishes look softer and more refined, but they're less forgiving in areas that take a lot of wear. With that in mind, here's how to think about each room.

Room by room: what works where

Each space in your home has different demands. Choose the finish to match how the room actually gets used:

Living rooms and bedrooms

These are the rooms where most people want a clean, sophisticated look, and matt emulsion is usually the right call for walls and ceilings. It absorbs light rather than reflecting it, which gives walls a depth and richness that silk or vinyl finishes can't quite match. It also does a far better job of hiding minor surface imperfections — uneven plaster, old filler, slight texture variations — which matters in older North East properties where walls aren't always perfectly smooth.

The trade-off is washability. Matt finishes mark more easily and don't clean as well, which is why the woodwork in these rooms — skirting boards, door frames, architrave — should be finished in eggshell or satin rather than matt. It holds up to the occasional scuff and wipe without looking out of place against a softer wall colour. If you'd like to see how this looks when it's done properly, take a look at the interior decorating work we carry out across the North East.

Kitchens and bathrooms

Moisture is the enemy here. A standard matt emulsion in a kitchen or bathroom will absorb steam and humidity, leading to staining, flaking, and in worse cases, mould working into the surface.

Eggshell or a specialist kitchen and bathroom paint is the standard recommendation. It's washable, handles humidity reasonably well, and still looks considered rather than plasticky. Some people opt for a satin finish on walls, which sits between eggshell and full gloss and offers more wipe-clean resilience. Gloss tends to be reserved for woodwork — cabinet doors, window frames, and architrave — where durability matters most.

Hallways and stairs

High traffic, narrow spaces, walls that get brushed past dozens of times a day. This is where a lot of decorating jobs fall apart quickly if the wrong product is used. Matt emulsion in a hallway will look tired within a year in most family homes.

A durable matt or a mid-sheen finish — sometimes marketed as a wipeable matt — is often the best compromise. You keep the softer, less reflective look of a traditional matt but gain enough surface durability to actually clean the wall when needed. Some painters will use an eggshell throughout the hallway, walls included, for a more hardwearing result.

Getting it right first time

Paint finish is one of those details that's easy to overlook when you're focused on colour choices, but it has a real impact on how a room looks and how long the decoration lasts. If you're planning a redecoration and want to make sure the right products go in the right places, we're happy to advise as part of any free quotation.