Semi-Gloss vs. Matte

[Apdl]

The great paint texture debate, or not..

I searched could not find a comparison so i will ask it here

My garage is getting Knockdown on the ceiling as I type and I was wondering do I paint the whole garage Semi-Gloss or Matte ceiling and Semi-Gloss walls?

I will be using a heavy duty Graco sprayer and I guess I would rather only clean it once.

I was originally thinking Semi-Gloss for the ceiling additionally for ease of cleaning spider webs ect.

Here are some pics as a bonus

 

[Steevo]

Semi gloss white everywhere.

 

[Shiftless]

+1
I'm with Steevo on that.
One of my biggest ceiling mistakes was installing rough textured board on a porch. Spider webs are way too hard to remove. They collect dirt and look terrible.
Make your walls and ceilings as smooth as you can to ease cleaning. You've got better things to do than housecleaning chores on your walls and ceilings.

 

[astroracer]

Semi-gloss on everything. Not only eases cleaning but it reflects more light.
Mark

 

[Ainsley]

Between the two choices I'd go semi-gloss everywhere.
When I painted my shop I did gloss everywhere.

 

[gtae07]

Semigloss will make every little mud/tape flaw more visible, but it's a shop. Unless you're going for showroom quality, it doesn't matter. Go semigloss.

Disclamer: I used a satin finish everywhere because that paint was cheaper than semigloss.

 

[Crusarius]

I like satin cause I hate glare.

 

[NedNorton]

Semi-Gloss on it all is my vote as well. Just painted the walls and the ceiling in the shop and I'm glad I went SG.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[Falcon67]

In the house, eggshell or flat. I'd do the same should I feel the need in the shop. Do not like shiny ceilings.

 

[BonzoHansen]

Semi-gloss on everything. Not only eases cleaning but it reflects more light.
Mark

this

 

[rcktpwrd]

My garage walls and ceiling are off-white semi-gloss, done by the PO, he used it as a wood work shop, it makes the garage brighter as it reflects light better. I like, if I were to repaint I would go with semi-gloss white.

 

[Colin Len]

I'd never do flat/matte in a garage, personally I can't stand flat finishes. After living in cheap apartments for a decade which were all painted with the same super cheap flat "almond" color paint I simply can't stand it. It feels terrible to the touch and doesn't clean up well. In painting my house this past year I opted for flat on some ceilings but eggshell for the walls.

For a garage I'd agree with the others or if you want a little less sheen then you could go for a Satin. The satin I've used in my house cleans up well but doesn't have any gloss to it.

 

[404]

Mirror tile or full size mirrors all over. Do it right the first time.

 

[premierplayer]

semi gloss walls & ceiling, for all the reasons listed above
it just works

 

[AndyCBR]

The great paint texture debate, or not..

I searched could not find a comparison so i will ask it here

My garage is getting Knockdown on the ceiling as I type and I was wondering do I paint the whole garage Semi-Gloss or Matte ceiling and Semi-Gloss walls?

I will be using a heavy duty Graco sprayer and I guess I would rather only clean it once.

I was originally thinking Semi-Gloss for the ceiling additionally for ease of cleaning spider webs ect.

Here are some pics as a bonus

On a garage/shop/carport, semi gloss everywhere. Indoors, flat on the ceiling as it shows too many imperfections when viewed at an angle from the ground.

 

[jvitez]

Matte ceiling to cut down on glare if you're planning for ceiling mounted fluorescents.

 

[d.mcfarland]

The great paint texture debate

Sheen. Not texture.

 

[James E]

Sheen. Not texture.

Technically, the sheen is dictated by the texture of the painted surface.

If your tape and mud job on the ceiling is good, you can go semi-gloss. If it's a hack job, the semi-gloss will highlight the imperfections.

Personally, I don't think ceilings should be semi-gloss. It doesn't look right to me--and I see a lot of houses.

 

[Apdl]

If we want to get real technical its "gloss" and is measured with a gloss meter which i currently have at my desk.

 

[Apdl]

I really appreciate the vote and discussion!!

Thank you

 

[Trey T]

matte all over. I don't like the look of gloss (or semi-gloss)... only use it if I have to in wet areas.

 

[racerex]

I'll be painting the interior of my garage this weekend and I'm going all semi-gloss for many of the reasons noted above. Plus, I did semi-gloss in my existing attached garage 12+ years ago and it's worked out well. This time around, I'm using exterior paint...also going with PVC base molding.

 

[Apdl]

I'll be painting the interior of my garage this weekend and I'm going all semi-gloss for many of the reasons noted above. Plus, I did semi-gloss in my existing attached garage 12+ years ago and it's worked out well. This time around, I'm using exterior paint...also going with PVC base molding.

Why Exterior Paint?

 

[k-os]

Why Exterior Paint?

My guess would be due to temperatures the garage may see (if it's not heated year-round). I chose to use Exterior Satin in my garage for that reason. I have a furnace in it, but it is not always heated. The exterior should hold up better to the low temperatures during winter.

 

[pcmeiners]

"Mirror tile or full size mirrors all over. Do it right the first time. " Is that so you can check out your **** crack easily?

Eggshell.... I can tape so gloss can be used, but gloss/semi makes the paint job a highlight of the room, no less the added glare. Not interested in making the paint stand out. As is eggshell is durable and washable and I welcome deployment of spider webs. From my experience if using a decent brand, eggshell is up there with semi as far as cleaning ability. As to shooting it in one coat with a pro airless, thin a bit, it will cover in 1 coat, (that is with primed walls). Most of the time I have shot over white primer, but tint to roughly the top coat color saves top coat paint and makes it a bit easier to cover, though pro airless units make it easy anyway. Airless produce such a smooth surface it really shows imperfections, so you better prep properly. If you think you have a moisture issue, oil base primer provides the maximum adhesion for latex top coat.

 

[racerex]

My guess would be due to temperatures the garage may see (if it's not heated year-round). I chose to use Exterior Satin in my garage for that reason. I have a furnace in it, but it is not always heated. The exterior should hold up better to the low temperatures during winter.

You got it......I'll only run the heat when I'm in the garage.

 

[rburke65]

Semi gloss

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I painted my entire garage semi gloss. Comes in hand when I ended up spray oil or cleaning something and it inevitable gets on the wall. Plus it looks good, and bounce the light back.

Semi gloss all the way.. I did matte paint inside our house on a couple "accent walls", never again, you wipe it or touch it and it looks bad.

-Nigel

 

[gtae07]

I painted my entire garage semi gloss. Comes in hand when I ended up spray oil or cleaning something and it inevitable gets on the wall. Plus it looks good, and bounce the light back.

Semi gloss all the way.. I did matte paint inside our house on a couple "accent walls", never again, you wipe it or touch it and it looks bad.

-Nigel

On that note, don't use those fancy metallic paints in your house, no matter how much your wife wants it, unless she's going to do all the work herself. They're almost impossible to do right, and we only did it on one "accent wall" in our bedroom.