Sheen savvy

If you’re like most, choosing the perfect paint and wood stain colours to bring your concept to life is probably among your favourite project tasks. While the transformative power that colour has on our built environment is difficult to ignore, some may overlook the pivotal role that your formula and finish selections play in defining the ambiance of a space. Not only will your products’ sheen levels have differing effects on the performance and aesthetic appeal of your design, but your finish choices also impact how your Resene colours ultimately look.

The evolution of sheen levels

Throughout the ages, choosing paint finishes for architecture and interior decorating has been largely tied to practicalities. Although most projects generally include a variety of sheen levels across different surfaces to achieve the look and performance that’s required, it used to be virtually impossible to find low sheen and matte paint options that were up to the task of even low traffic residential applications, never mind high traffic surfaces, wet areas or exterior applications.

Until the 1960s, gloss and semi-gloss formulas made up the lion’s share of the market for interior and exterior commercial and household paints. These ready-made coatings were comprised of a blend of oils, gums, resins and materials which had an inherently glossy quality to them in order to meet consumer demands for washability and provide adequate moisture protection for porous substrates like plasterboard and timber. As paint technology improved, the introduction of synthetic resins revolutionised the industry and allowed waterborne formulas and lower sheen options to become readily available. However, many of the earliest options for low sheen and flat paints weren’t suitable for wet areas or high-touch surfaces. Today, Resene customers now have access to a wide range of waterborne formulas in durable and cleanable low sheen and matte finishes that are up to the task of interior, exterior and wet area applications. For large surfaces like walls and ceilings, low sheen and matte formulas have become hugely desirable in part because they are representative of the modernisation of coatings technology.

top tip  Wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms and laundries often need extra protection from moisture and a high level of durability to withstand frequent cleaning. Traditionally, this meant only gloss and semi-gloss paints could be applied in these areas. However, products such as Resene SpaceCote Kitchen & Bathroom offer a matte and a low sheen option for these areas without sacrificing durability or cleanability.

Matte mania

Matte and low sheen finishes are often seen as a sophisticated choice for walls, trims, joinery and cabinetry compared to more traditional sheen options such as satin and semi-gloss. In addition to being the ‘modern’ option, matte finishes are prized for their ability to diffuse light and create a serene, uninterrupted backdrop. Unlike their glossier counterparts, matte and low sheen finishes impart surfaces with a soft, velvety appearance that exudes understated elegance.

Thanks to products like Resene SpaceCote Flat, Resene Ceiling Flat, Resene Lumbersider Matt and Resene AquaShield, matte finishes can now be applied to a wide range of projects and surfaces inside and out. Depending on the colours you choose, matte finishes are useful for achieving a variety of looks, from natural and earthy to dramatic and luxurious. However, it’s important to keep in mind that colour choices will appear muddied and darker in a flat finish than they would in a glossier finish.

To lean into this effect, choose hues that have a slightly dusty quality. Deep and dusty tones like midnight blue, smoky brown or slate green such as Resene Carpe Noctem, Resene Sepia and Resene Dark Slate tend to give off an especially luxurious effect that lends dramatic allure to designs when tinted into matte and low sheen interior formulas such as Resene SpaceCote Flat waterborne enamel, Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen waterborne enamel and Resene Zylone Sheen waterborne paint. Be cognisant that you may need to adjust your lighting accordingly to get the look you’re after as diffused lighting is key to getting a supple, velvety effect.

Since exterior coatings must stand up to whatever Mother Nature throws at them, exterior paint formulas are typically glossier than their interior counterparts. However, Resene recently formulated Resene Lumbersider Matt to provide designers, painters and clients with a matte option that’s durable enough for exterior walls, weatherboards and landscaping elements. Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen remains a top option for getting a low sheen finish outdoors that can be used on weatherboards, block and brickwork, concrete and plaster, decks, furniture, fibre cement, galvanised iron, repaints, stucco/roughcast, timber and more.

Glossy details

While flat and matte finishes are currently the preferred trend for interior broadwall surfaces and exterior cladding, using gloss finishes to bring attention to select details is a popular technique for evoking a high-end look. From intricate mouldings to decorative panelling to statement furniture, gloss finishes are popular for highlighting and enhancing specific accents and are a surefire way to create a visually striking effect. Gloss paints like Resene Enamacryl and Resene Super Gloss are easier to clean than paints with less surface smoothness, making them a practical choice for areas exposed to heavy traffic or heavy use such as commercial offices, retail, restaurants, hotels, libraries, schools and other projects where fingerprints, grease or grime are common.

Colours tinted into high gloss paints also appear cleaner and brighter than colours tinted into flat paints. Deep, dark colours like inky blacks and blues such as Resene Jaguar and Resene Indian Ink as well as deep jewel-toned colours like ruby reds or emerald greens such as Resene Pohutukawa and Resene Palm Green are ideal choices for tinting into products with gloss finishes because these types of colours allow light reflected by the glossy surface to stand out as highlights. This mirror-like effect is especially enticing in lower-light settings like restaurants, bars and lounges, where glossy painted surfaces build a sense of luxury, drama and romance as they catch and reflect the flicker of candles and accent lighting. Bright whites like Resene Quarter Black White or Resene Quarter Alabaster are also popular options for those that are after a high gloss finish on furniture, kitchen cabinetry, joinery and doors for creating a clean, contemporary and sophisticated look.

Gloss walls are a fun and eye-catching way to bring some maximalist glamour to a space. This ‘lacquered’ effect looks particularly alluring as part of what’s known as a colour drenched look, where a single saturated hue is carried across the walls, ceiling, trims and floor to create a cocooning feel. Moody paint colours like Resene Avant Garde, Resene Atomic or Resene Deep Teal are sumptuous choices for creating this look. When choosing gloss finishes on walls, it’s best to keep wall décor to a minimum to let the gloss paint effect be the star of the space and to avoid overwhelming the eye. Stick to simple accents such as a mirror with a coppery gold frame painted in Resene Bullion metallic, which can play up the look of glossy walls by amplifying their reflecting qualities.

While it is always important to contemplate your lighting, paint colours and sheen levels concurrently, it’s particularly consequential when you’re planning on using high gloss finishes in your project as you’ll need to consider the potential impact of glare. When light hits high gloss surfaces, it bounces off in concentrated beams that may cause discomfort or impair visibility – especially in environments with direct sunlight and bright lighting. This can be exacerbated in spaces that are very white, as white and light-coloured surfaces reflect more light back at the viewer than other colours do. Excessive glare in corridors, stairwells and busy public spaces can create safety hazards by impairing people’s ability to see clearly, identify potential hazards and navigate the area safely. Fully understanding the impacts that glossy surfaces will have on your project’s exterior is particularly critical as glare can affect the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

If you’re looking to bring in a touch of lacquer-like sheen without committing to painting a full wall, consider painting a statement piece of furniture in Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel instead. Dining tables, consoles, side tables and even smaller accents like decorative trays can all help lift your space. Bold and saturated tones like Resene Jalapeno, Resene Decadence and Resene Stromboli or pastels like Resene Paper Doll, Resene Nebula and Resene Sweet Corn are striking options for statement furniture and look particularly impressive when tinted into gloss paints.

Subtle sheens

On some surfaces, it can be practical or desirable to choose a formula that is neither matte nor glossy. With some projects, this could be a design choice to create subtle variation from one surface to the next, such as applying a semi-gloss paint like Resene Lustacryl waterborne enamel to doors and architraves to contrast with walls in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Other times, you may choose a semigloss or satin formula for practical reasons such as increasing the durability or to downplay the appearance of uneven or time worn walls.

Semi-gloss paints have a glossier appearance that is not as reflective as that of gloss paints. These types of finishes offer good stain resistance and are easy to clean. Paints with a semi-gloss appearance are excellent for use on many of the same areas as gloss paints and are more forgiving of less-than-perfect surfaces. They are ideal for walls and woodwork that is subject to wear and on weatherboards and exterior cementitious surfaces. Semi-gloss paints with a gloss level of 30-45% include Resene Sonyx 101, Resene Lustacryl and Resene Lusta-Glo.

Another option is satin paints, which tend to impart more warmth and depth to surfaces than gloss paint finishes. They are also more stain resistant than flat paints, but less stain resistant than semi-gloss and gloss paints. Satin finishes like Resene Aquaclear satin are an on-trend option for clear coating bare or stained interior wood and Resene Summit Roof is becoming a popular option for imparting a satin sheen on roofing.

Resene fandecks include a colour card that offers a visual comparison of different sheen levels so that you can compare how the same neutral will appear if it is tinted into gloss, semigloss, satin, low sheen and flat paints – which can be helpful when using a mix of different sheen levels within a single space. This layering effect is a great option when you’re trying to create tonal looks using variations of a single colour like Resene Duck Egg Blue, Resene Double Duck Egg Blue and Resene Quarter Duck Egg Blue. These colours can be tinted into products with different sheen levels and applied to different surfaces to build interest and enhance the dynamic interplay of light and shadow while maintaining a unified palette.

Sheens in direct sunlight

One of the key benefits of the Resene Total Colour System is being able to get the same colour tinted into a wide variety of formulas so that you can carry the same hue across many different surfaces and apply it to a range of substrates. However, because the way a colour ultimately looks is inherently dependent on the lighting circumstances, there are instances where the same colour may appear quite different when used across different surfaces. This is because light hits different surfaces at different angles and is reflected and refracted differently by different sheen levels. Although this effect can occur both indoors and outdoors, it is often amplified in exterior settings by the bright nature of direct sunlight. So, if you anticipate this effect will prove bothersome to a very particular client, it’s recommended to choose different colours for different surfaces. It is often better for this effect to appear like a purposeful design choice than give the impression that something is slightly off.

Ingenious gamechangers

If your project has already been painted in low sheen or matte paints and you find that certain surfaces would look better if they were glossier, rest assured that there are options available for changing sheen levels without having to apply additional colour coats. One of our favourite techniques is applying clear topcoats of Resene Concrete Clear. Available in flat, satin and gloss, this tough non-yellowing waterborne glaze can be used over concrete and brick surfaces as well as painted surfaces.

While Resene Concrete Clear can be used to take a matte surface to a satin or gloss sheen level, another idea is to use it to create a subtle mural design by applying a glossier topcoat to portions of a wall or ceiling painted in a low sheen or matte formula such as Resene SpaceCote Flat. By first masking off areas that you want to remain the same, you can use a roller to apply topcoats of Resene Concrete Clear gloss over the unmasked areas. When the masking is removed and the design has dried, the light will catch the glossier areas to reveal the design. This is ideal for spaces where there is a lot of foot traffic, such as a reception area, so that passersby pick up on the effect as they move through the space.

Clear topcoats are also a great option for surfaces where you want to increase the durability regardless of whether you want to adjust the sheen level or not. A prime example is a narrow hallway in a commercial office space painted in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen. Chances are these walls will be high-touch areas prone to smudges from hands and clothing rubbing up against them. These painted walls could be finished in Resene SpaceCote Clear to add an additional layer of wipeable durability.

The importance of prep

High-quality finished looks always start with proper prep work – and this can be especially important when you’re working with glossier formulas. Due to their highly reflective appearance, gloss paints tend to highlight surface imperfections. If the surface to be painted is marred or irregular it is best to select a paint with less sheen. Flat paints, on the other hand, diffuse light so they tend to conceal surface imperfections better than paints with higher sheen levels – making them a good choice for general use on walls and ceilings, especially those that are dented or rough.

Whatever type of project you’re working on, taking a highly considered approach to your selection of Resene paints, colours and finishes will open wider opportunities for creative customisation and artistic innovation in your projects. By exploring the diverse array of options available, designers, architects and painters can create spaces that are not only visually stunning but also reflective of each client’s unique personality and lifestyle.

If you’re after a specific look but aren’t sure what product to pick, get in touch with your Resene representative or the staff at your local Resene ColorShop for suggestions that will meet your project requirements and performance expectations. You can also view sheen level samples at your local Resene ColorShop to see how they interact with the light. And remember to review your lighting if you are planning a major colour or gloss level change.

Colours mentioned in this article...

Products mentioned in this article...

Projects: Amber Armitage
Images: Wendy Fenwick and Melanie Jenkins

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