Best Paint Finish For Kitchen Walls
Getting ready updating your kitchen? Wanting a paint finish for your walls that will withstand multiple scrubs, wipings, being washable is ideal. Well, you're in luck! Having several paint sheens to choose from.
These sheens or finishes today, will keep the same shine or gloss as the day you painted. Most common paints for kitchen walls are an emulsion, 100% acrylic, water-borne latex paint. Wall paints come in a wide variety of colors, also finishes for an enjoyable compliment to any decor.
Very Best Paint For Kitchen Walls Is Washable
- Eggshell more uniform in multiple rooms
- Higher gloss paints allows many cleanings
- Eggshell, Pearl, & Satin offers multiple wipings with damp rags
- Higher the gloss, more industrial it looks
- Darker colors best with lower paint sheen
The top rated paint for kitchen walls will allow many washings, & cleanings. All kitchen wall paints are a water-borne latex, in a specific paint sheen or finish. These particular finishes allows multiple scrubbings, while keeping original sheen, similar to laundry rooms.
Lowest paint sheen recommended for kitchens is eggshell. If you do not fry a lot, and/or have an open space floor-plan for kitchen, dinning room, eating area, eggshell paint sheen works well. Even more reason to use eggshell in your kitchen if you can, is if other areas in your home having eggshell, making paint sheens more uniform.
In years past, kitchens were typically painted with semi-gloss, but not anymore. Eggshell and satin paint sheens allows multiple wipings with a damp rag or sponge.
Of course the higher gloss you go, the more durable and shiny the paint becomes. Higher the gloss, more industrial it looks. So, if your kitchen is in a confined space, creating lots of fumes, frying a lot, you should consider a higher gloss than eggshell. However, eggshell paint sheens looks natural, next to other wall surfaces in adjacent rooms.
Another reason having eggshell paint sheen in your kitchen, is when using a darker paint color. Dark paint colors with eggshell sheen looks more calm and soothing, than a higher gloss.
Satin Or Semi-gloss For Kitchen Walls
Many who paint their kitchens walls have to decide which paint sheen to use. Wondering if they should use satin, or semi-gloss. Many who you ask will say semi-gloss, but that is not mandatory. The same people who quickly say semi-gloss probably does not know your exact floor-plan. Not knowing how your kitchen is actually laid out.
My recommendation is using same finish in rest of your home, providing it is not flat. Flat paint finishes are the least reflective, also not near as washable. Moving up the ladder from eggshell is satin. Satin has less shine than semi-gloss, having slightest paint sheen, and works quite well.
Satin paints tend to keep it's original look, while allowing many cleanings with damp rags, or sponges. Just a tad higher refection than eggshell, and recommended with lighter or neutral paint colors. This includes pantries, closets, and shelving. Making the task of wiping down shelves a cinch.
Be careful using semi-gloss for large kitchen wall surfaces. Especially thinking of using darker colors. Semi-gloss paint sheens do not look natural on walls, unless your in a commercial kitchen. Then, a kitchen which prepares lots of meals, frying, basting, and creating lots of fumes on a regular basis, semi-gloss is your choice.
Semi-gloss is a much slicker, harder finish. The harder it is, less stains, and discoloration will be. So, if you're using Dawn™ dish soap & hot water on a regular basis, in a smaller kitchen space, use semi-gloss.
Best Paint For Kitchen Walls With Grease
Semi-gloss is the best paint for kitchen walls where grease accumulation is a concern. If you have an indoor range hood, more reason to use a semi-gloss paint. If you have a Vent-a-Hood® that exhaust goes outside, a satin finish would be acceptable. But again, if your kitchen has a more open floor print, the lesser gloss you will need.
Similar to a commercial setting, a confined space, with lots of cooking fumes, indoor or either exterior ventilation. Semi-gloss is ideal.Using a mild detergent, or dish soap and wet rag, grease wipes off with ease, not harming the paint finish.
Semi-gloss is a much harder finish than lesser paint sheens, thereby keeping it's shine much longer. Generally, semi-gloss is used on trim, doors, baseboards, and shelving, just for that reason. Having high traffic and cleanings.
Careful though, even if you have commercial ranges, and kitchen appliances, semi-gloss is not required, even for ceilings, which can ruin the overall look and feel of your kitchen cooking area, where grease is an issue. So if you have a Vent-a-Hood® that sends fumes outside, using eggshell, or satin paint finishes.
Best Paint For Kitchen Walls And Ceiling
Painting your kitchen walls and ceilings wanting best paint possible? Depending upon ceiling texture can give you a clue what you might want to use. If your kitchen ceiling is different than other portions of your home, being more coarser, you can go one step higher in gloss. However, this ceiling texture being different in one room to another is old school.
If you've painted entire living area ceilings using flat, ideally you'll want to use eggshell in your kitchen without looking much different. Now, if you have same ceiling texture from kitchen, to dinning room, plus if you have an open floor plan, painting your kitchen walls using either flat or eggshell, matching ceiling is acceptable.
No reason to paint kitchen ceilings using semi-gloss, unless of course it's a smaller foot print, closed confined area, or in a commercial setting. Rarely do ceilings get wiped down in a typical home, using a sopping wet sponge, where walls are cleaned from splatters, grease, or spills.
Consequently, using a lower paint sheen or finish on your kitchen ceiling, more in line with rest of home is recommended. This gives a more homey look & feel.
Choosing Kitchen Paint Finishes
- Kitchen large open area - eggshell, satin, or semi-gloss
- Kitchen confined, and small footprint - semi-gloss
- High amount of grease, daily cleanings - semi-gloss
- External exhaust Vent-a-Hood®, low amount of grease - eggshell or satin
Here are a few important links of kitchen paint brands below;
While many consumers prefer a traditional look for the kitchen and bath, a luxe bathroom and rustic kitchen are also popular choices. Former Sherwin-Williams Director of Color Marketing, Jackie Jordan, shares her favorite color combinations below.
BEHR™
Thinking about adding new color to your kitchen without undergoing a major renovation? Check out this gallery for a few ideas – the goal is to have BIG impact with a small amount time and effort!Benjamin Moore®
Kitchens have several fixed elements, including the countertop, backsplash, cabinets and flooring. While neutrals are very popular for kitchens, there are also opportunities to bring accent colors into the room—even a small dose of color makes a big impact. Benjamin Moore’s Regal® Select Interior paints offer fresh color for your kitchen along with superior durability and washability no matter what sheen you choose.
PPG™
Q: What Are The Best Kitchen Colors To Paint?
A: Finding the right kitchen colors to paint in your home can be tough - but it doesn't have to be. We have assembled thousands of paint colors into curated paint color collections that are perfect for you to use in your next kitchen painting project, or if you are remodeling your kitchen for a modern farmhouse feel or a rustic look.
Glidden®
Playing With Kitchen Wall Colors
DIY Blogger Nicole Balch of Making It Lovely tells Glidden® what a difference a fresh coat and new color can make — even when the color is white!
Advantages Using Best Paint On Your Kitchen Walls
Remembering the very best paint finish for kitchen walls, first and foremost is washable. Kitchens is where most of your food is prepared, besides outside on the BBQ. Keeping your walls as clean as possible, is not only healthy, but pleasing to the eyes. I mean really, who wants to go into a kitchen seeing grease, dust, and splatters around your backsplash on the walls?
If your walls are dirty, looking crumby, physiologically food would not taste near as good. So having a paint that is a very good washable, cleanable paint is ideal. Certainly not using flat paint finish.
The higher gloss you go, the more industrial it will look. So choosing a finish somewhere in between is what most use. Of course, unless your kitchen is that of a commercial one, and/or a confined space, higher gloss paints are certainly suggested.
More kitchen walls today are painted with satin finish, than all the rest combined. Eggshell, and satin sheens offer a very cleanable surface. Both sheens not having too much reflection as doors, baseboards, and trim typically has.
Even more reason not to use a semi-gloss with darker colors on kitchen walls. If you do, be aware. Especially if you have under counter lighting. Oh my, you'll be repainting in no time with a softer, lower reflective paint finish, like the one above.
Summary
So there you have it. The best paint finish for kitchen walls is one which is very washable, but not too glossy. Eggshell and satin finishes offers just that. They also work best painting darker colors in your kitchen.
Even if you have state-of-the-art kitchen commercial appliances, does not equate having a full pledge commercial kitchen. A better description would be a gourmet kitchen, with top level kitchen appliances. Therefore, not needing semi-gloss on walls within your home.
Many national paint brands today offer ideal kitchen paints for your walls. We like using Sherwin-Williams™, BEHR™, Benjamin Moore®, PPG™, and Glidden®.
Hoping to give you our kitchen paint finish knowledge. Always wanting to get it right the first time. Best sampling first for color also it's finish. That way they'll be no surprises, with your exact kitchen setting. Remembering, lighting plays an important role in a color's tint, and hue. Having recessed, and/or under counter lighting can bring your new colors alive.
Hope you've enjoyed reading best paint finishes for kitchen walls. Helping you with your next kitchen painting job. If you are in the Denver, CO. area, needing a team of Denver painters, updating your kitchen, look no further than the professionals at Eco Paint, Inc.
Bon Appétit!
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