Is satin or egg shell better for an interior painting of a house to be rent out to a family with pre-school children? TiA

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SoCal for now.

the shinier it is the easier to clean

I don't recall who made it, but I saw some paint with teflon in it so it was a snap to clean crayon and whatnot off of the wall. i used it on the walls when I was managing a Jiffy Lube (white walls were a coporate standard), and we could wipe off greasy handprints with just a paper towel and "windex"

I don't know anything about that company, but eggshell is, i think, typically higher sheen than satin. Each company's sheen product line is different.

With sheen, the lower the sheen, the better it will look on the wall. The sheen reflects light. Flat paint (no sheen) absorbs light and looks WAY better - very classy, especially when using color. However, the lower the sheen, the harder it is to clean.

Another issue is that with anything other than flat paint, it's impossible to patch it (e.g. paint over a hole repair, etc.) without seeing the patch area. The sheen of the paint subsides over time and if you patch a nail hole or whatever 6 months later, the new paint is shinier than the old and stands out. Looks like crap. This is why I almost *always* use the flattest paint you can. No, it doesn't wipe well...but you just wipe down what you can and dust paint on the area (feathering out) and it disappears. Flat paint is cheaper, too.

However, since you are renting this and they have small children, I say put in something with the lowest sheen which is also wipe-able. The paint manufacturer will be able to tell you which sheen will work. If they didn't have children, it would be a no brainer to choose flat paint.

Good luck.

kiva

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I'd put cheep flat and have some gallonsof Zinnser when they move out.

Quote
Kiva
I don't know anything about that company, but eggshell is, i think, typically higher sheen than satin. Each company's sheen product line is different.

With sheen, the lower the sheen, the better it will look on the wall. The sheen reflects light. Flat paint (no sheen) absorbs light and looks WAY better - very classy, especially when using color. However, the lower the sheen, the harder it is to clean.

Another issue is that with anything other than flat paint, it's impossible to patch it (e.g. paint over a hole repair, etc.) without seeing the patch area. The sheen of the paint subsides over time and if you patch a nail hole or whatever 6 months later, the new paint is shinier than the old and stands out. Looks like crap. This is why I almost *always* use the flattest paint you can. No, it doesn't wipe well...but you just wipe down what you can and dust paint on the area (feathering out) and it disappears. Flat paint is cheaper, too.

However, since you are renting this and they have small children, I say put in something with the lowest sheen which is also wipe-able. The paint manufacturer will be able to tell you which sheen will work. If they didn't have children, it would be a no brainer to choose flat paint.

Good luck.

kiva

Good info there, kiva. Thanks!

Since this is a Victorian home it will look good and more authentic with flat paint. However, since there might be children (we can't deny renting to family with children) living here we are opting for either satin (lowest sheen according to our paint contractor) compared to egg shell and semi-gloss. The contractor also said that satin is washable as well.

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billb,
We'll certainly put a clause in the contract. However, the children's writing on the walls or parents' carelessness may be legally considered as normal wears and tears hence, it will be our cost to clean (repaint) after tenants vacate the premise.

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SoCal for now.