My Real Estate Blog

One of the best and fairly inexpensive tips for making a home look new again just before you sell it, is to give it a fresh coat of paint. However, it’s not only the color you paint it but also the sheen that gives it a radiant glow.

Eggshell is a popular sheen that can look somewhat flat on the walls when looking straight at them. However, there’s a bit of a sheen from an angle which also makes the color richer and the painted walls simpler to clean.  Eggshell is excellent for bedrooms. It makes the paint look vibrant. Some complain that it can have a plastic look. If the room is small and you paint it a darker color with white trim, the room can have the illusion of looking bigger. One paint company told me that people always think a small room must be painted with a light but it’s the exact opposite.

High gloss paint is typically reserved for trim because of how reflective it is. Sometimes the walls and the trim will be painted the same color but with different finishes creating a special effect.  Most trim, baseboards, and doors are done in a high-gloss paint. They standout and look bright and cheerful and are fairly easy to clean the scuff marks off as the house ages.

Paint companies have various names they use for paint finishes. What one company calls flat another may refer to as matte. So be sure to ask for samples and take them home and apply a little on the wall. Sometimes the samples will only come in a matte finish. You can at least get an idea of how the color will look. When you increase the sheen, the reflection of light bouncing off the walls increases.