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Finishes

Which finish?

Choosing the colour is the part everybody enjoys. Choosing the finish is the part that decides whether it wipes clean, how much light it throws back, and whether it belongs on a wall or a skirting board. Here is what each of our three brands calls theirs.

Farrow & Ball

The widest range of the three, from a chalky 2% matt through to a 95% gloss, and the traditional finishes for older buildings.

11 finishes

Estate Emulsion 2% sheen
Chalky matt for walls and ceilings in quieter rooms. Gently wipeable, but not washable.
Dead Flat 2% sheen
The same flat look, but washable and scuff resistant, and it takes woodwork and metal too.
Modern Emulsion 7% sheen
Washable matt for kitchens, bathrooms and anywhere that takes a beating. Not inside a shower.
Flat Eggshell 20% sheen
Low-sheen and hardwearing, for skirtings, doors, cabinetry and floors. Replaced Estate Eggshell.
Modern Eggshell 40% sheen
A step shinier and tougher again: radiators, stairs, cabinetry, floors.
Full Gloss 95% sheen
High shine for wood and metal, inside or out. Not for plastic.
Exterior Eggshell 20% sheen
Outside woodwork and metal: windows, railings, guttering, front doors.
Exterior Masonry 2% sheen
Very matt, for brick, render and stucco. Sold in 5 litres only.
Casein Distemper 2% sheen
Highly breathable flat matt for old plaster. Not washable, and nothing else can go over it.
Soft Distemper 2% sheen
The traditional powdery finish for fine plasterwork and mouldings. Brush only, 5 litres only.
Limewash 2% sheen
Lime finish for lime-rendered walls, inside or out. Not for cement render, gypsum or brick.

Mylands

A particularly simple range, with the sheen level published for each.

7 finishes

Marble Matt Emulsion 3% sheen
Signature matt wall and ceiling finish.
Plant-Based Multi-Surface Dead Matt 5% sheen
Very matt, for walls, woodwork, metalwork and more.
Plant-Based Multi-Surface Eggshell 15% sheen
Low sheen.
Plant-Based Multi-Surface Satin 40% sheen
Mid sheen.
Plant-Based Multi-Surface Gloss 80% sheen
High gloss.
Floor Paint 40% sheen
Mid-sheen satin, for floors.
Exterior Masonry 5% sheen
Matt exterior finish.

Little Greene

The broadest range of the three, traditional and modern finishes side by side.

12 finishes

Absolute Matt Emulsion 1–2% sheen
Their flattest wall finish.
Intelligent Matt Emulsion 2–5% sheen
Washable, durable matt.
Intelligent Eggshell 10–15% sheen
Low sheen, very durable.
Interior Oil Eggshell 10–20% sheen
Traditional oil-based eggshell.
Intelligent Satin 30–35% sheen
Hardwearing mid sheen.
Intelligent Floor Paint 30–40% sheen
For floors.
Intelligent Gloss 87–90% sheen
High gloss.
Traditional Oil Gloss around 90% sheen
Oil-based high gloss.
Distemper
Traditional, very matt decorative finish.
Intelligent Exterior Eggshell 15% sheen
Exterior woodwork and metal.
Tom’s Oil Eggshell 15% sheen
Exterior oil-based eggshell.
Intelligent Masonry Paint 5% sheen
Exterior masonry.

Sheen levels are the manufacturers’ own, and ranges change. They are also not measured the same way from one maker to the next, so a bar is worth comparing against the others in its own column and not across brands. The tin is always the authority, and if you are choosing between two, bring the job to the counter and we’ll talk it through.