Guide to Choosing the Best Paint Finishes for Different Surfaces (2024)

When selecting a paint finish for your project, you should consider the look you are trying to achieve as well as practical suitability. Different types of paint finishes are better suited for certain surfaces. Consider whether you are painting walls in low or high-traffic areas, woodwork, metalwork or tiles. You can use varying sheen levels to create different effects in your overall scheme.

Wall & Tiling: Mchanga

For a paint finish without limits, explore the reformulated Architects’ finishes. Available in matt, eggshell, satinwood and gloss, you can apply each finish straight to walls, woodwork, metalwork, tiles, and more. These finishes work effectively in almost all areas of the home. Their formulations are self-priming, incredibly durable, washable, and scrubbable, making them perfect for busy modern homes or commercial properties.

Walls: Fynbos

Trim: Sobek

Mirror: Chelsea Green II

Read our guide to understanding paint finish

For walls and ceilings, select a matt emulsion paint like Pure Flat Emulsion or Architects’ Matt. Their very low sheen levels produce a flat, chalky finish that complements the complex pigmentation of Paint & Paper Library paint colours.

Pure Flat Emulsion is the flattest emulsion paint available. With a sheen level of just 2%, this type of paint achieves a soft, powdery finish in low-traffic areas. Choose Pure Flat Emulsion where design impact is a priority over practical considerations. This finish offers a gently wipeable formula, which is not recommended for busier areas of the home that involve more regular cleaning.

Walls:

Ceiling: Stone I

Trim: Lead III

Skirting:

Architects’ Matt is a completely washable alternative to Pure Flat Emulsion. This finish is suitable for painting interior walls and ceilings in high-traffic areas like hallways, kitchens and children’s rooms. Architects' Matt has been formulated to cope with all the activity of the modern family home.

The multi-surface formulations of the Architects’ finishes make it possible to elevate your scheme by utilising an unexpected combination of paint finishes on your walls and ceilings. Consider incorporating Architects’ Gloss on your walls and juxtaposing its luxurious high sheen with the contrasting flat finish, Architects’ Matt. In a bold Moroccan red shade like Caravan, this finish pairing allows you to appreciate the extraordinary effect of sheen level on colour.

Walls: Caravan

Ceiling: Tablecloth

Window: Lead III

Household woodwork – such as skirting boards, dado rails, panelling, and wooden furniture – experiences lots of everyday wear and tear. As such, it is advisable to use a hardwearing paint finish that can withstand regular cleaning.

The best paints for wood furniture and interior woodwork are Architects’ Eggshell, Satinwood and Gloss, as they provide long-lasting protection. You can choose freely from these finishes, depending on your desired sheen level; low sheen Architects’ Eggshell (10-20%), subtle mid-sheen Architects’ Satinwood (30-35%), or high sheen Architects’ Gloss (80%).

Ceiling: Slate II

Wall: Slate IV

Items on table: Scallion

Lower Wall: Stable Green

Table: Hunter Dunn

Architrave: Teal

Chair: Apple Smiles II

For those looking to create impact with an all-over colour drenched scheme, consider using Architects’ Matt across walls and woodwork. This finish has been reformulated to enhance its durability, providing excellent scuff and stain resistance. Paint walls and woodwork using Architects’ Matt in a rich, bold hue like Sencha. Colour drenching across different surfaces creates a truly immersive setting, ideally suited to bedrooms or living spaces.

Walls: Sencha

Cornicing: Pollen II

Painting kitchen cabinetry is a fabulous way to bring instant character to your kitchen scheme. Choose a related colour to your walls for a coordinated feel, or a contrasting colour highlight for a bolder scheme. As kitchen cabinets experience very high usage, it is important to find a finish with superior durability.

With an elegant satin sheen, Architects’ Satinwood is an ideal kitchen cupboard paint finish, as it effortlessly combines beauty with practicality. Apply this finish straight to uPVC, wood or melamine cabinetry without the need for a separate primer. Architects’ Satinwood has a robust, fast-drying, water-based formula, allowing for a swift kitchen transformation that lasts.

Walls: The Long Room

Cabinets: Roben’s Honour

Ceiling: Paper I

Windows: New Black

For a more luxurious atmosphere, consider painting your kitchen cabinets in Architects’ Gloss. This tough and protective paint delivers real impact with its reflective 80% sheen. Pair with an equally opulent paint colour such as the deep crimson, Scarlet ‘n’ Rust, for a sophisticated kitchen scheme.

Walls: Mink

Cabinets: Scarlet ‘N’ Rust

Ceiling: Clean White

Learn more about our range of finishes

When collating an interior scheme, people often forget about radiators and other metalwork. But including these elements can help to create a coordinated feel that will noticeably elevate your overall scheme.

The Architects’ finishes are the best paints for radiators and other metalwork, due to their excellent adhesive and heat resistant properties. You can apply Architects’ Matt, Eggshell and Satinwood directly to new or painted metalwork once suitably prepared and cleaned.

Ceiling: Eau de Violette

Main Wall & Radiator: Pontefract

Door & Radiator: Pontefract

When using the high sheen Architects’ Gloss or painting bare or corroded iron or steel, we recommend first priming the metalwork using Architects’ All Surface Primer. This primer is tinted to a slightly lighter version of your chosen shade to achieve full depth of colour.

Paint your radiator in the same shade as the walls to enhance your colour-drenching scheme. Consider using a low-sheen finish such as Architects’ Matt or Eggshell for endless wraparound colour. Or add design personality to your bathroom scheme by painting the metal bath exterior in the scrubbable and water-resistant finish, Architects’ Satinwood.

Wall & Trim: Mockingbird

Bath: Kasbah

Ceiling: Lead III