What Is Eggshell Paint? Uses, Benefits, and Care

While you might feel like walking on eggshells around your home to avoid scuffing the walls, this type of paint is not nearly as delicate as its namesake. Eggshell paint is a low-sheen option that is fairly easy to apply and stands up to wear and tear beautifully. Here's a quick guide to this popular choice for multi-purpose paint.

What Is Eggshell Paint?

The finish of eggshell paint is a bit contradictory because it has a "flat" sheen. It falls somewhere between matte and satin paints in terms of gloss, bringing a subtle dimension to your walls. The gently reflective finish is where this paint gets its name—it does look a bit like an eggshell, but you can get it in any color.

Eggshell paint is a great fit for spaces you want to reflect light and showcase instead of muting or toning them down with a flat or matte finish. This is partly why eggshell finishes work well in kitchens and high-traffic areas. It brightens the space and is easy to clean thanks to its durability—standing up to stain and grease removal.

Eggshell Paint vs. Other Paint Sheens

Most paint brands offer several different finishes for their interior paint colors: flat, matte, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, and high-gloss. Eggshell paint reflects some light, giving it a more toned-down luster than matte, but it has less resin in the formula than satin, so you won’t get that high-gloss effect. Eggshell paint is more durable than flat or matte paint but less durable than semi-gloss or high-gloss. As a rule, more gloss leads to more durability.

• Eggshell versus satin: Satin paint has a much glossier sheen than eggshell paint. While it costs a bit more, it offers greater durability and is a better option if you’re painting a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, or another high-traffic area. Eggshell paint makes more sense if you’re looking for less shine and a more matte look.

• Eggshell versus flat: Compared to eggshell paint, flat paint has no sheen, making it ideal if you’d like to disguise flaws or imperfections, such as scuff marks or damage. It’s also more affordable and easier to apply. For touch-up jobs, flat paint is likely your best bet.

• Eggshell versus semi-gloss: Semi-gloss paint tends to be shinier than eggshell paint. This allows for a more durable finish that works best for smaller areas like doors, cabinets, and trim. It’s also easier to clean and maintain. Eggshell paint, on the other hand, is a better, more affordable choice for larger, flat areas like hallways and walls.

Benefits of Eggshell Paint

If you feel like you're seeing eggshell paint in all your favorite home magazines and DIY blogs lately, the reason is likely one or more of these benefits.

Beautiful Color

The big draw of eggshell finish is that it can pull out more of a paint's color than flatter sheens. Just watch as your freshly painted living room takes on an elegant, inviting glow. Most popular interior paint colors are available with an eggshell finish.

Durability

The slight gloss offered by eggshell paint is also great for resisting scratches, scuffs, markings, and other forms of wear and tear. One little-known secret about high-gloss and semi-gloss paints is that they create a durable painted surface that can resist staining.

Switching to eggshell will make all the difference if you've ever battled with constant markings on matte paints from artistically inclined kids or frequent furniture reorganization.

Quick Cleaning

All you need to clean your eggshell-painted walls without causing damage is a sponge and a bucket of warm, soapy water.

The glossy, resin-based finish of eggshell paint provides enough protection to deflect the soaking effect from cleaning matte walls with a damp cloth. Eggshell paint also prevents the burnishing phenomenon caused by matte paints, which you know from the sinking sensation you feel when discovering your paint has taken on a much different color after you start scrubbing. 

Easy Application

Eggshell paint is a favorite of DIY lovers because it glides on walls beautifully. Unlike true high-gloss paint, eggshell doesn't have the lapping issue that makes the path of your brush or roller visible. Instead, it creates a flawless, uniform appearance. Eggshell paint is also ideal to get the job done quickly due to its fast, low-odor drying. Depending on the room’s conditions, eggshell paint can become dry to the touch in just one hour. 

Flaw Concealment

High-gloss paints that look good in theory often betray you by highlighting every flaw in the wall’s surface and any imperfections from application. Unfortunately, that's the nature of high reflectivity. But eggshell paint is great for concealing grooves and bumps in a wall.

While the concealment offered by eggshell paint isn't as strong as the smoothing effect of truly matte paint, it is worlds away from the blemishes of a traditional high-gloss finish. Eggshell paint is less expensive than satin, about $2 less per gallon.

Cons of Eggshell Paint

The benefits of eggshell paint are plenty, but there are a few drawbacks to remember. 

Less Durable Than Higher Gloss Paints

Compared to a high-gloss finish, eggshell paint doesn’t quite hit the mark in the durability department. Glossier paints contain more resin, which is a binding agent that increases durability. Basically, the more shine your paint has, the tougher it is against things scuffs like the ones from the shoes you kick off after a long day at work.

Hard to Touch Up

They don’t call it “eggshell” for nothing! The same hard shell that makes this paint durable against wear and tear also seals it against new paint. It's very difficult to add new paint to select areas without creating visible bands, and doing a touch-up could mean repainting your whole wall. Keep this in mind when you choose paint for an area that may need intermittent fixes. 

Best Surfaces for Eggshell Paint

When painting the interior of a house, eggshell paint is great for living rooms, offices, bedrooms, and other medium-traffic areas. 

Furniture and Decor

Adding a kick of gloss to your bed, desk, dresser, or picture frames can take your room from humdrum to Hollywood. Think about an eggshell finish when you want to make something pop. 

Ceilings

Eggshell paint is often chosen for walls, and we may think the job ends there, but painting a ceiling with the same finish is perfectly fine. In fact, eggshell paint helps reflect the light in the room, so if you want to make the most of your ceiling fixtures, skylight, or windows, think about an eggshell finish. 

Kitchens and Cabinets

Many people choose an eggshell finish for their kitchen or kitchen cabinets because it provides a professional, elegant look that brightens the room many of us spend the most time in. It’s also got the durability most kitchen walls require, wiping away food splatter without stress. If you choose eggshell paint for your cabinet, look around for cabinet-specific paint that most brands carry—it will bind to the cabinet material well and still offer all the same benefits.

Medium-Traffic Areas

Nothing needs durability more than those areas in your home you’re always touching—doors, windowsills, foyers, and banisters. If you don’t like the look of a shinier finish on all your fixtures, eggshell paint has similar enamel properties that will retain the same sheen even through hundreds of handprints, smears, and cleaning sessions. 

Where Not to Use Eggshell Paint 

It’s important not to use paint that has an eggshell finish on damaged, dented, or cracked walls—or any oddly shaped or convex walls. Their light-reflecting properties will only highlight those flaws even more, drawing the eye toward the wall rather than away from what you likely want to hide.

Similarly, eggshell paint isn’t recommended for the novice painter unless they’re ready to show their work. The sheen in an eggshell finish can easily reflect the light of brush marks and roller strokes, so you want to ensure your paint job is perfectly smooth and even—or call a local interior painter to handle it for you.

How to Maintain Eggshell Paint

Since eggshell paint is characterized by a low sheen and fragile texture, there are several steps you’ll need to take to keep it in optimal shape, including:

• Remove Dust: Use a soft cloth or feather duster to dust off the surface of the paint. This will prevent dirt and grime buildup that can interfere with the quality of your paint job.

• Use Mild Soap: If you notice any fingerprints or stains on the wall, a mild soap solution will do the trick. All you have to do is mix a bit of mild dish soap with water and use a soft cloth or sponge to blot it on the stained area. Be sure to avoid too much scrubbing.

• Refrain from Abrasive Cleansers: When it comes to maintaining your eggshell paint, less is more. This means you should stay away from harsh cleaners. Stick to gentle options that can preserve the paint’s integrity. 

• Rub Instead of Blot: It may be tempting to scrub vigorously to get rid of stains, but doing so can damage the paint. Instead, use a soft cloth to gently blot the area and protect it from scratches and other imperfections. 

• Apply a Protective Coating: Use a protective coating to create a barrier on the eggshell paint and reduce the risk of stains. This will also simplify the cleaning process. 

• Perform Routine Inspections: Take a close look at your eggshell paint job on a regular basis. By quickly addressing any stains, spills, or other issues, you can prevent larger, more expensive and time-consuming flaws.

• Consult a Professional: If you want to ensure your eggshell paint looks the part, it might be worthwhile to hire a painter to maintain and improve it as necessary. A professional painter will have the techniques and products that lead to exceptional, long-lasting results.