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Should You Paint Your Walls with High-Gloss Interior Paint?

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?

high-gloss-interior-paint-Oakland-1-edited.jpg#asset:5444

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.

  1. 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. 2-3 Coats of Primer

  3. Sand the Walls - In this case, we used a sanding block with 320 sandpaper

  4. Wipe the Walls - There can’t be any dust left behind

  5. 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!

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Customer Reviews

“The entire MB Jessee team is courteous, efficient and professional. From scheduling and estimating to the crew managers and crew, they all did an excellent job on a small (but complicated) two room project in my house. I'm already thinking about getting them scheduled for the next project in the spring.”

— Cari Cheney

“Awesome work by highly experienced, professional painters. They were: Conscious about the amount of time it would take. Ours had a lot of pre-work and took 3 weeks. Accommodating when we added a few last-minute changes Understanding when a heatwave hit and we remove some of the plastic sheeting over windows, which they had to put back up the next day. Accessible, especially the on-site crew (Hi Jose & Victor!) -- always answering questions and checking in. The end result is a perfect paint job that makes our 94-year-old house look brand new. I would definitely hire MBJ again”

— Stacey R.
Oakland, CA

“I just wanted to send you an email to say that John did such a great job over here today. He is truly a hard worker. He has the perfect balance of friendliness, honesty, and professionalism. I trust him. He takes the time to do the job to the best of his ability and that is what sets him (and your company) apart from the competition. He didn't make me feel rushed. He really made me feel like our job was the most important thing in the world. Thanks again!”

— Jo
Oakland

“Hello Matt,Just another notice of thanks to your wonderful crew, Rigoberto, Javier and John. They did fantastic work, with Rigo providing meticulous and conscientious attention to the details and excellent woodwork finishing, as evidenced by the beautiful fireplace. Javier did a fantastic job in the bathroom especially, it looks "brand new," and John always does quality work, both with the interior and exterior. I can tell they care about what they do. Rigo's "punch out" was very thorough, too. I will call again when I need some more work and will definitely recommend your company and fine crew. I also felt as a homeowner, I could leave my house in their good hands during the day and that took a lot of worry from me, they were honest, prompt and reliable. They were also very kind, respectful and clean in their work, very professional. Thank you.”

— Beth Marx & Melissa Kirsch
Oakland

“Today I received a beautiful bouquet from your company. It was totally unexpected and very much appreciated--a lovely surprise. Also today, your crew finished my job. I am so pleased with all their fine work. Richard is absolutely amazing and a total delight to work with. He was also extremely helpful during the paint color process. The interior work in my home far exceeded my expectations. A big thank you to you and the crew for an outstanding job. Thank you, thank you for a terrific job!”

— Barbara
Piedmont

“I want to express my thanks for a job well done. The rooms look great and there is no problem with any marks on the all the trim, floor, carpet, etc. The paint job is lovely. I also want to express my thanks for the level of professionalism the foreman showed in running the job. He was very attentive to any changes I needed to make, was extremely careful in getting the faux paint color and effect correct. Thanks so much for a job well done.”

— Suzan D’Arcy

“I loved working with M.B. Jessee from start to finish on a relatively small paint job that grew a bit. I felt in very good hands from the moment Matt Jessee came out to give me the estimate and talk about my job. He was very easy to talk to and he handled my changes very well. Then the actual work done by Rigoberto and Mario was impeccable. They were neat and meticulous and the paint job looks beautiful. I could not have asked for more and when I did, they accommodated me 100%. I will not hesitate to call M.B. Jessee again and to refer them to friends.”

— Nancy Kurkjian

“I can't say enough about how courteous and professional my foreman was. He was on time every morning and arrived cheerful and ready to go. He is highly organized and very thoughtful. He was extremely careful and respectful when moving my belongings - a mature professional.”

— Nora Robinson

“MB Jessee painters are stellar! As a designer I've worked with numerous companies over the years, and MB Jessee is a top-notch firm. From the first phone call to the final clean up, every person is courteous, professional, and hard working. The owner, Matt, is a charitable leader who has instilled his team with integrity and honesty providing the customer with a first class experience at a fair price with a paint job that is guaranteed to last. I highly recommend MB Jessee. Thank you Matt and your STAR crew-Daniel, Rigoberto, Vicente, Edy, Pedro, and Mario, for a job well executed! Cynthia Brian, ASID, Starstyle® Productions, llc”

— Cynthia Brian
Morgan, CA

“I cannot imagine finer painters--and I have worked with many. They work exceptionally hard. It is a joy to see their workmanship!”

— Alicia R.
Oakland

“My entire experience with MB Jesse was very professional. The crew were very friendly and super accommodating of my ridiculous schedule and geriatric pets in the house. The finished product, which was pretty much my entire house, far exceeds my expectations. Would definitely work with them again!”

— Heather Jordan

“Everyone I dealt with was nice, helpful, and very professional. The price was reasonable! (I didn't feel like I was getting the "San Francisco price." The attention to detail and work quality was excellent. They did what they said they would do in the exact timeframe they said they would do. Highly recommend!”

— Tim Tyson