“Sheen level” is one of those things that sounds simple until you are standing in front of a colour card trying to choose one. Matt, eggshell, satin, silk, gloss: they describe how much light a dried paint film reflects, from almost none to a mirror shine. Getting it right matters for how a room looks, how well the paint wears, and how easy it is to keep clean. This guide explains what each sheen level actually means, where to use it, and one thing a lot of people get caught out by: the same paint can look noticeably shinier in a deep colour than in a pale one, which is why sheen is usually quoted as a range rather than a single figure.
Sheen, or gloss, is simply a measure of how much light bounces off the surface of the dry paint. A flat matt film scatters light in all directions so it looks soft and non-reflective. A gloss film is smooth and even at a microscopic level, so it reflects light in one direction like a mirror.
Manufacturers measure this with an instrument called a glossmeter, which shines a light at the surface at a fixed angle and reads how much reflects back. That reading is given as a percentage or “gloss units,” and it is why you see sheen described in numbers. Low sheens are usually measured at a steep angle (85 degrees) and higher sheens at 60 degrees, so the figures are a guide to where a product sits on the ladder rather than something to compare across brands to the decimal point.
Some ranges even build the number straight into the product name. With Tikkurila, the figure after the name is the sheen percentage: Optiva 5 is a 5 percent matt, Optiva 20 is a 20 percent soft sheen, and so on up the range. Once you know that, you can read the sheen off the tin at a glance.
Wall paints (emulsions) run from completely flat up to a soft mid-sheen. From lowest to highest:
A quick note on kitchens and bathrooms: you no longer have to jump up to silk just to get a wall you can clean. Today’s durable and moisture-resistant matt emulsions are just as wipeable and scrubbable as the old soft sheens, so you get that tough, washable surface with a flat, modern finish instead of a shine. It is usually the better-looking choice. We cover the options in our guide to durable paint for kitchens and bathrooms.
Trim paints (for skirtings, doors, window frames and radiators) run higher up the scale, because woodwork needs a tougher, more wipeable film than a wall does. From lowest to highest:
Because these two ladders (walls and woodwork) use some of the same words, “eggshell” or “matt” can mean different products depending on whether you are painting a wall or a windowsill. If in doubt, tell us the surface and we will point you to the right tin.
Here is the part that surprises people, and the reason a tin will say something like “sheen 5 to 15 percent” rather than a single number.
Paint gets its opacity and its pale colours largely from white pigment (titanium dioxide). A pale or brilliant-white paint is packed with this pigment. Those solid pigment particles sit near the surface of the dry film and scatter light, which keeps the sheen low and even.
To make a deep or dark colour, the paint is made from a tint base that contains very little white pigment, with a lot of colourant added instead. With far less solid white pigment near the surface, more of the clear resin (the binder) is exposed at the top of the film. Light reflects off that smooth binder more directly, so the sheen is “brought back out” and the finish reads shinier, even though it is exactly the same product.
The practical upshot: the darker the colour, the higher the sheen tends to sit within that quoted range. A matt emulsion that looks genuinely flat in white can look like a soft sheen in a deep navy or charcoal. That is normal and it is why the sheen is given as a range.
What it means for you when choosing a dark colour:
Colour drenching — taking one colour across the walls, ceiling, skirtings and doors for an enveloping, seamless look — is hugely popular right now. But there is a trap that catches people out, and it comes straight from everything above.
If you put a matt on the walls and a satin or eggshell on the woodwork, those two finishes reflect light differently even though they were tinted to the exact same colour code. The matt scatters light and reads slightly deeper and softer; the satin bounces more light back and reads a touch lighter and, in some lights, subtly warmer or cooler. So the skirting can look like it does not quite match the wall it is sitting against, despite both being, on paper, the identical colour. It is not a mixing error — it is the sheen difference doing exactly what sheen does.
There are two ways to handle it:
Either is fine — the key is to decide it on purpose rather than be surprised by it after the second coat. If you are planning a drenched scheme, bring us the colour and we will help you pick wall and trim products that either match sheens or step them deliberately.
A rough rule of thumb:
If you are matching an existing finish or working to a scheme, bring us a photo or a sample and we will match both the colour and the right sheen.
Sheen is one of those things that is far easier to judge with a tin in your hand than off a screen. Pop into the shop in Bucksburn and we will show you the same colour across different sheen levels, talk through what suits the room and the wear it will get, and match the right product to the job. We stock durable matts, eggshells, satins and glosses for walls and woodwork from the leading brands, and we offer free UK delivery on orders over £75.
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