What is the Best Sheen For Exterior Paint? – Heritage Painting (2024)

By Caleb Clark / April 10, 2024

Choosing the best color for an exterior paint project can be tough enough, but how do you find the best sheen for exterior paint? Will a flat paint fail faster? Will a glossy finish look bad? These are questions that are hard to get clear answers to, and the wrong choice can have major consequences for your home exterior. Luckily, we’re here to help.

The best sheen for exterior paint is satin. Flat sheens quickly lose their color and are more prone to damage. Semi-gloss sheens can become sticky and develop an unpleasant texture. A satin sheen is ideal because improves the paint’s durability and color retention without overly impacting the texture.

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WHAT IS A SHEEN?

In essence, a sheen is the measure of a paint’s gloss, or how much light it reflects. The higher the sheen, the more reflective the paint is. This sheen also improves a paint’s durability, making it more scrubbable for cleaning and more resistant to scuffs and scratches.

Some of the most common sheen types are:

  • Flat
  • Matte/Eggshell
  • Satin
  • Semi-Gloss
  • Gloss
  • High-Gloss

WHY IS SATIN THE BEST SHEEN FOR EXTERIOR PAINT?

Satin improves a paint’s durability, especially against moisture because of its wet-wicking properties. Satin also keeps the color of the paint vibrant for much longer because it protects the paint beneath from the sun’s UV rays.

Many people like the look of a flat sheen for exteriors, but the color and the paint itself may not last as long because there is no sheen to protect it. That isn’t as much of a problem in higher-end paints, but you may notice moisture shading on flat paint during periods of drying after rain or dew.

WHAT IS THE BEST SHEEN FOR EXTERIOR TRIM?

In general, we recommend the same sheen for your exterior, regardless of what system it is. That means the best sheen for exterior trim is still satin.

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Fill out the form below for a free estimate from Heritage Painting on your exterior project. Our trained staff can provide a detailed and accurate estimate, and we can even help you find the right color with our color consulting and virtual rendering services. Fill out the form below and fall in love with your home again today.

Get a Free Quote From Heritage Painting

What is the Best Sheen For Exterior Paint? – Heritage Painting (2024)

FAQs

What is the Best Sheen For Exterior Paint? – Heritage Painting? ›

Luckily, we're here to help. The best sheen for exterior paint is satin. Flat sheens quickly lose their color and are more prone to damage.

What is the most popular sheen for exterior paint? ›

Best Sheen for Exterior Paint

Eggshell paint is the most popular exterior paint finish for the body of a home. Because eggshell isn't dull like a flat finish or too shiny like a high-gloss sheen, it looks great on a variety of siding types such as HardiePlank, stucco, horizontal wood, and others.

Is satin or semi-gloss better for exterior paint? ›

A semi-gloss paint offers visible shine on home exteriors and is ideal for surfaces that require frequent cleaning. The glossier sheen makes semi-gloss paint more durable than satin, so it's easier to clean. Semi-gloss paint can also endure harsh weather conditions and withstand excess moisture.

Is low sheen good for exterior paint? ›

Low Sheen Paint

It has only a slightly higher reflective power than flat which has no reflectability. Architects typically prefer low sheen on the exterior because of these combined properties and increased durability.

What is the best Sherwin Williams finish for exterior? ›

A: Most exterior surfaces look best in a satin or eg-shel finish. However, paint with a matte finish can help hide blemishes on exterior surfaces.

What is the most forgiving paint sheen? ›

Paint finishes generally come in four categories: flat, matte, eggshell and semi-gloss. Flat paint is the most forgiving finish with the best color payout.

What sheen is best for exterior front door? ›

Go with a semi-gloss finish

Semi-gloss paint offers enhanced durability against wear-and-tear and harsh weather compared to flat or eggshell finishes, and it masks surface imperfections better than high-gloss. The glossiness also makes the door easier to clean as compared to flat or eggshell finishes.

What is the most weather resistant exterior paint? ›

Acrylic Latex Paints: These are among the most popular for commercial exteriors due to their durability and resistance to fading and cracking. Acrylic latex paints are also quick-drying and have excellent adhesion to many surfaces. Epoxy-Based Paints: Epoxy paints are highly resistant to abrasion and chemical exposure.

What is the best paint for the exterior of a house? ›

Top-of-the-line latex and acrylic paints all tend to be extremely durable, as they will use significantly higher-quality ingredients than lower-quality or oil-based paints.

What is the best paint finish for weatherboards? ›

For weatherboards, guttering, fascia and most masonry surfaces, a low-sheen or semi-gloss is more appropriate.

Which Sherwin Williams exterior paint lasts the longest? ›

Selecting the right exterior paint for your property can often feel like navigating a maze. Sherwin-Williams Duration stands out as the top choice for durability, according to Consumer Reports.

Which is better exterior Behr or Sherwin Williams? ›

Sherwin-Williams outperforms Behr in terms of coverage. Since both are thicker paints, a gallon does not cover as many square feet as some thinner brands. However, a can of Behr may only cover 250 square feet, but most Sherwin-Williams products would cover at least 300.

What is the longest lasting exterior finish? ›

1) WoodRX is the most durable and flexible exterior finish product on the market. A lifeline of approximately 7-8 years in most parts of the country; slightly less in the hot humid conditions of the south, and slightly longer in the temperate climates of the West Coast..

What is the best paint sheen for a whole house? ›

Eggshell. The perfect mix of durable and great looking, eggshell is the most common paint finish used throughout homes. "This finish provides a low sheen and a smooth finish that can subtly enhance color depth," says Mendelson.

What is the most popular exterior paint type? ›

Water-based (latex or acrylic): This is the most popular choice for exterior painting due to its ease of application, cleanup, and quick drying time.

What sheen of paint do builders use? ›

Eggshell is wipeable, and is also stronger on the walls than a flat paint. You can see drywall imperfections, but there really should be very few drywall imperfections in a new home. In review, there are many reasons that builders use flat paint.

What is the best paint for exterior walls? ›

Acrylic masonry paint, which is water-based, is usually the best paint to use on outside walls. This paint is great for waterproofing your walls, yet simultaneously allows moisture that is already within the walls to evaporate.

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