Kitchen ceiling paint...flat, semi-gloss or something else?

13 years ago

Our new ceilings should be going in later this week. The painter came by earlier today to give an estimate and the question of the day is what finish for the ceiling paint? The rest of our house has flat paint on the ceiling so I was assuming we would do the same for the new ceiling in the kitchen.

However, the old ceiling had semi-gloss and the painter said he still usually does semi-gloss for kitchens...but the kitchen space and the eating area are now all one long ceiling...Help!

What do you think?

Featured Answer

ladyamity

13 years ago

If you are one who washes kitchen walls and ceilings once or twice a year (I'm not. I'm lucky to get them washed every two years otherwise I just paint! LOL) then you are going to want to have a paint that is more washable.

I've always used a satin finish in the kitchen and bathroom because of the washability factor.

Then again, with the new paints on the market now, even flat finishes are wipeable.

We have a family friend whos kitchen and family room are all one room.
They painted their ceiling in the kitchen with a satin finish but the family room area was painted same color but in a flat finish.
Can't really tell until night when she has the lights on in her kitchen and at that, the ceiling reflects a very soft glow.
Personally, I think it looks good but then again, I thought dressing up my statuary ducks in seasonal clothing looked good.......What do I know. :)

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Comments (13)

artemis78
13 years ago
I've generally heard flat for ceilings to make it less noticeable, but I did notice when we were patching some spots on our ceiling that it was painted in satin or semi-gloss the last time around (by professionals). However, our old kitchen walls were also satin, and we're going with flat this time around. I never noticed one way or the other before actually being up working on it, though, so not too big an issue either way, I suspect!
breezygirl
13 years ago
We have always painted all of our ceilings (except bathrooms) flat. We plan to do that during reno.
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sabjimata
13 years ago
Flat. My husband once accidentally used a semi on a ceiling and it reflected the wall color. Not the effect I think you are going for.
blondie859111
13 years ago
I love Sherwin Williams MasterHide. its beautiful and covers everything!
lazy_gardens
13 years ago
Scrubbable flat enamel ... it's going to need washing the instant someone has a blender accident, or a carbonated drink goes SPLOOSHFIZZ
lucik77
13 years ago
I was told to use "matte" from Benjamin Moore. It is washable but looks "flat"
contemporganic
Original Author
13 years ago
Seems like there are more "flats" than anything else...

I will have to look into the srubbableness (is that a word??) of the BM paints.

Thank you to everyone who responded!
pinkpink1970
13 years ago
Take a look at the BM paint Aura- Kitchen and Bath. I love it because it's super flat and hides my drywall imperfections but you can wipe it down with out problems.
JoshCT
13 years ago
I will throw in my opinion. I strongly prefer semi gloss. Aside from being more durable and much easier to wash, I love how semi gloss looks in the kitchen. As another poster pointed out, it can reflect the wall color, so keep this in mind if you choose this route. It can make a dark room feel brighter. It also looks, somehow, richer and more saturated.

My design tip is to think about color on your ceiling. I did my kitchen walls in a very sunny yellow, and the ceiling three or four values lighter in the same color, so it is a very pale yellow. It looks really sharp with white trim and makes the otherwise white kitchen feel much less sterile.

For some reason I have been finding flat finish paint kinda boring. I like how light plays off a glossy surface.
Miranda Keller
last year
Could you post a picture of this?
User
last year
If you use semi-gloss, I hope you have gold medal Olympian mudders and tapers for your drywall ceilings. Semi gloss highlights any surface imperfection, even in the paint job itself. I like flat for ceilings and satin for kitchen and bathroom walls.
Miranda Keller
last year
JoshCT do you have a picture of the yellow wall reflecting off the ceiling?