Eggshell or Semi-gloss paint?

[Hawkvenom]

I just bought a house with a 2 car garage that use to be a daycare. The old owners painted everything in the garage eggshell mustard yellow. I want to paint a light grey color over the yellow but Im not sure if I want to get eggshell or semi gloss. I plan on working on my car a lot in the garage so I want something that is easy to clean. Does semi gloss paint clean a lot better than semi gloss? Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[bmwpower]

I went with semi-gloss and it seems to have worked well. Eggshell is a not as glossy IIRC.

 

[nadogail]

:::: Does semi gloss paint clean a lot better than semi gloss? :::QUOTE]

Semi Gloss cleans better than Egg Shell. I am hesitant to say it cleans a lot better. Egg Shell is more forgiving of surface flaws than Semi Gloss.

 

[rsanter]

most of the eggshell is intended for bathrooms and kitchens so it has an added mold/mildew inhibitor. it is also a couple of dollars more a gallon.
could be a benifit, or not

bob

 

[usmc_noma]

i thought it was the other way around. semi gloss was better for bathrooms and kitchens. eggshell has less of a sheen to it. semi gloss will be easier to clean up.

 

[vjquan]

Eggshell is between flat and semi-gloss. Semi-gloss will clean easier, but may be too shiny. Also the less sheen, the better it hides imperfections. I'd semi the bathrooms/kitchen and eggshell the rest.

 

[nate379]

For a garage gloss or semi-gloss.

 

[fomocoforrester]

Ascending order of "glossiness" and ease of clean up - and descendig order of ability to hide flaws and uneveness - goes as follows -

high gloss
gloss
semi gloss
satin
eggshell
matt

You can also get an additive to adjust the level of gloss between these.

For the average garage wall surface I think semi gloss gives the best compromise.

 

[Kevin54]

Semi gloss fan here for a garage. Eggshell or flat for the house. FWIW....I don't think any eggshell or flat cleans worth a **** without showing where you cleaned it. Especially on a large wall.

 

[RAYJAY]

glosser the better for cleaning mine is done with high gloss, any defect ...its a garage rather be able to wipe off the oil splashes than have to repaint agin

 

[larry4406]

I used Behr Semi-gloss over Behr drywall primer from Home Depot. Has a nice dull sheen, hides surface blemishes well, and cleans nice.

 

[jshillin]

I painted all of the walls in my garage with a light grey eggshell and they came out great.
Eggshell and Semigloss both have good qualities.
Eggshell, you can wipe down eggshell, you can touch it up without seeing it and it doesn't make the imperfections stand out.
Semigloss - easiest to clean, but you can not touch it up as it the spot you touched up with show up and the sheen makes blemishes/imperfections show up more.

 

[rickairmedic]

I used high gloss on my walls and ceiling to reflect light better . I figure its a garage I would rather be able to see well than worry about being able to see little imperfections on the wall.

Rick

 

[dps]

Generally, oil-based paints are more scrubbable than latex paints at equal gloss levels. So an eggshell alkyd (oil) may be at least as good as a latex semi-gloss for cleaning while still hiding flaws.

 

[ahaidet]

I just finished painting mine with an exterior latex semigloss in white. So far I love it. Easy to clean up and I have had some oppurtunity to clean up as I have been hanging cabinets and things on the freshly finished walls (dirty hands touching walls). The gloss is great I almost expected it to be shinier but its perfect.

 

[Tom2]

Yea..Go with semi-gloss. Very washable.

I just painted a room recently with eggshell..I really don't like it. It's good at hiding surface flaws with sheetrock work..but it's just not very washable. Meaning you'll probably be repainting it in a few years (especially in a garage).

A good semigloss job..You wont need to repaint for a very long time other than touchups.

 

[ket-tek]

I couldn't make up my mind between eggshell or semi-gloss. I wanted it to be able to wipe down the walls, but I did not want it to show all the imperfections as the sheetrock isn't perfect.

So I just went in the middle and used satin. It turned out well so far. Has a little shine to it but doesn't really reflect or glare, and I've already retouched a couple spots that I patched and you can't really tell.

The kitchen in my old house was satin paint and the grease splatter on the wall by the stove was easy to clean off and never left any stains.

I've heard if you cut the paint with a little bit of thinner when doing a patch or touch up area it will help blend the sheen in better when using satin or semi-gloss, but have never tried it.

 

[mpraddict]

If you like the look/less sheen of the satin/eggshell paint but still need cleanability, look at Sherwin Williams interior duration. That stuff is amazingly durable and scrubbable. It does come at a $$$$ premium though.

 

[brassmoney]

I painted all of the walls in my garage with a light grey eggshell and they came out great.
Eggshell and Semigloss both have good qualities.
Eggshell, you can wipe down eggshell, you can touch it up without seeing it and it doesn't make the imperfections stand out.
Semigloss - easiest to clean, but you can not touch it up as it the spot you touched up with show up and the sheen makes blemishes/imperfections show up more.

Same here light gray eggshell. Look great and cleans up very well.

 

[south pier garage]

someone said the operative word here: exterior paint

after that, the choice is yours

 

[Stargeezer]

We used acrylic latex exterior semi-gloss over two coats of kilz2 in our garge ( newly textured drywall) and it is awesome. Reflective and easy to clean. Lot of work though..

 

[ahaidet]

I used Kilz 2 Latex Primer as well for mine. It was fresh drywall but smooth. I did the drywall finishing myself. First time ever and the imperfections are hardly noticeable even with the SemiGloss Exterior Latex. I thought my finishing job was only good but you can hardly see any problems... no "photographing" as they call it where you see the seams or anything.

Now I look at the walls in the house and notice things and they are finished with eggshells and flat paint.. but they were done by previous owners.

 

[porschedude996TT]

Another point I would like to inject is that the higher the gloss the more you will see the drywall inperfections. Also, the higher the gloss the harder it is to cover that discusting mustard yellow. To make you coverage I would recommend a flat white for the first coat or a white primer then top coat with your eggshell or semi-gloss.

 

[bop_pa]

In my opinion flats look the best as they hid all the bumps and scrapes the best. Traditionally, flats were not as easy to keep clean however, at the local Home Depot you can have them put an additive into your flat for a nominal feel that makes it a scrubable flat. By far this looks the best. Same reason many new homes use flat on the inside. Looks the best. Semi gloss in the garage seems good at first but I tend to think they end up looking a little dirty in the end. Just my 2 cents.

 

[krehmkej]

Just finished painting mine with Miller satin in a very light gray. Wife liked it so much she wants me to paint the dining room the same!

 

[Painting247]

Dam guy's.....I could have had the garage painted by now. Check the manufacture....not all companies offer eggshell and semi-gloss. Some manufactures call semi-gloss "Satin". I'm sure you would be happy with an exterior latex with the sheen of your choice. After all, who scrubs the walls? Yes, it's true the glossier the surfact the better it is to wipe down, and less likely to smudge. If you wanted to go so far there is a latex product out there that is scrubbable! Hope this helps.

 

[jshillin]

Dam guy's.....I could have had the garage painted by now. Check the manufacture....not all companies offer eggshell and semi-gloss. Some manufactures call semi-gloss "Satin". I'm sure you would be happy with an exterior latex with the sheen of your choice. After all, who scrubs the walls? Yes, it's true the glossier the surfact the better it is to wipe down, and less likely to smudge. If you wanted to go so far there is a latex product out there that is scrubbable! Hope this helps.

Satin is not semi-gloss, it's the sheen that falls between eggshell and semi-gloss.

 

[krooser]

If you truly have a "working" shop you'll want gloss or high gloss enamel... you can actually wash it with solvents to get the grease and oil off of it.

If you have a "parking" garage go with what's on your bedroom walls.