Hi Kimba,

You can't. If you're going to apply a FLAT paint over Satin, you should sand the wall w/a fine sandpaper first. The new paint will need 'something' to 'grab' on to.

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: Visit your local Sherwin-WIlliams, or whatever, and ask them. Be sure to buy your paint there. (Forget the Home Centers for paint - It's not as good as the paint in the small Retail Stores ...)

PPS: God Bless America!

Would you recommend a FLAT finish for most living rooms and dining rooms? Our house is old and does have a lot of imperfections in the walls? The employee at Home Depot recommened the satin finish but I think its too much especially for the color we chose (RED).

Also, thanks for the quick reply.

Bear in mind that it takes up to 30 days for a satin latex to dry down to it's final sheen level. So you may want to wait before you go and redo the walls. Also when you are using dark colors a satin/eggshell will hold up much better as a flat finish in these dark colors will mark up very easy.
Hope this helps out.

Flat paint is the 'better' paint to 'hide' imperfections. The more glossy the paint is, the more likely you'll see imperfections.

Red??! Why not something softer??! It's a dark color, and dark colors make rooms 'look' smaller. Just my closing thoughts ...

My best to ya and hope this helps.

Jay J -Moderator

PS: God Bless America!

All right J.....I see you are back on the site. I take a few days off - and you pop back up.

I have a bone to pick

First of all - she has plenty of choices if she doesn't want a satin. She can try an eggshell INSTEAD of a flat. At least she can wash an eggshell.

She should also check the sheen level of the paint she is going to replace it with - the range in each category is huge - some manufacturers satins are very close to semi-gloss.

She could look into a Ralph Lauren Eggshell or a Glidden Evermore Eggshell. Both are flatter eggshells - look nice - but washable.

Both are available at The Home Depot. As for that crack about big box paint not being as good a quality product - you need to just cut that out - it is getting old.
Your love for the "Paint Store" above all others is admirable - but you end up looking like an imbecile when you make blanket statements like that.

Mr. Paint

Do you have kids?
If so I would go with the eggshell for cleaning purposes like Mr.Paint said

i just painted my living room with Benjamin Moore (hardware store) eggshell paint. I have a lot of imperfections and it covered very well.

Two friends just bought a satin paint from Home Depot. They bought Behr paint. The sheen on this satin paint is almost like a semi gloss. One friend likes it and the other is going to repaint it. I just thought it was odd that you ran into the same issue although I don't know which brand you purchased. Personally, I like Pratt & Lambert paint. Pricey, but great paint.

Happy - Your friend discovered what is very common in the paint industry.

The terms "flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss", etc. are arbitrary. There is a range a product must fit into to be labelled a particular sheen - but there is a huge range that fits the term. What this means is for example Behr has a new "flat enamel" at The Home Depot. This paint is in fact on the very high edge of the flat range - it is more technically an eggshell.

Each company has different products in different ranges - depending on whom the product is marketed to.

What this means is that even the same company's products can range from line to line.

You have to experiment to see the one you like

Mr. Paint

Flat paint has more visual impact than any gloss, particularily if using punchy colours (red/dark green or blue or black) on walls.

If you have kids, teach them to keep their hands off the walls. It's not unreasonable to expect your kids (and visitors) to have respect for your home.

I painted a deep chinese red in lr/dr combo. Really intense with wood floors and pure white trim and vertical blinds.