Should You Paint Your Walls with High-Gloss Interior Paint?
Should you take a walk on the glossy side?
Here's a quick recap.
You want your interior walls to look their best, but also to be durable, washable, and easy to touch up. Typically, this would call for a slightly higher-sheen interior paint, like a middle-of-the-road eggshell or satin. Popular options like these provide a pleasant balance of shine, durability, and easier application.
If you go with a glossier paint, like semi-gloss or gloss, the finish is super durable but the application is much more labor-intensive. Imperfections are obvious, both in your surface and/or your technique, making it crucial to invest in serious preparation and have strong painting skills. That's why high-gloss paint is typically used for surfaces like trim, doors, and cabinets.
Insider Tip...
Low sheen paint used to be used for ceilings only since it was easy to scuff and mark. It covers surfaces beautifully, and is very forgiving, but just not strong enough for higher-traffic spaces. That's all changed in recent years as paint formulas have improved. So, if you want a high-gloss finish, go for it! But if you're worried about durability, don't write off lower-gloss paint too quickly. Talk to your painting company about your goals and needs.
Painting a Wall with High-Gloss Paint - What’s Involved?
As you can see in the photo above, high-gloss paint covering a whole wall offers a simply stunning look. The sheen makes the surface appear almost liquid, creating a depth that just isn’t possible any other way.
Here’s another example, used in a bathroom ceiling we recently painted.
So, how can this effect be achieved? Here are the steps that led to the dark walls you see above, outlined by one of our talented Crew Leaders.
Drywall Must Be a Level 5 Finish - This means it is flawless and smooth, often involving skim coating to make sure the surface is nothing short of perfect
2-3 Coats of Primer
Sand the Walls - In this case, we used a sanding block with 320 sandpaper
Wipe the Walls - There can’t be any dust left behind
Finish Coats - 2-3 coats of acrylic high-gloss applied with a sprayer
Should You Hire a Professional for Your High-Gloss Interior Painting Needs?
Yes, we definitely recommend it.
There really is no margin for error; one misstep will create a blatant flaw. It also is an extremely labor-intensive process, calling for very specific skills, tools, and experience.
Let’s Discuss Your Bay Area Painting Project!
The MB Jessee Painting team is ready to help. Contact us today!
