Using paints with slightly different gloss and sheen values can create subtle shifts in depth and color perception. “In a lot of ways, gloss and sheen can be as important as the color itself to a design, depending on the overall effect you want to create,” says Sue Wadden, Director of Color Marketing for Sherwin-Williams. The higher the numbers, the glossier the finish. A low-gloss or matte finish might have a 60-degree value of 10 or less and an 85-degree sheen value between 20 and 30. Thus, a high-gloss paint might have a 60-degree gloss value of 80 or more. Many paints, particularly eg-shel and satins, contain both a gloss and a sheen number: These qualities combined give such paints their distinctive luster. Sheen is measured the same, except the light is reflected off the surface at an 85-degree angle, or five degrees from the surface plane.
Gloss is measured in units from 0 (no gloss) to 100 (mirror-like), with the measurement taken by reflecting light into the receptor at a 60-degree angle. These measurements are taken with a “gloss meter” whose receptor is sensitive to reflected light. Gloss (gloss, high-gloss): High reflection when dry.Īll Sherwin-Williams paints contain numerical measurements for the amount of gloss and/or sheen in the can. Semi-gloss (semi-gloss, pearl, medium luster): Medium to moderate reflection when dry. While subjective, they attempt to describe the “feel” of the paint as much as its look.įlat (flat, matte): No to very low reflection when dry.Įg-shel (low-gloss, eggshell, low sheen, satin, velvet): Low to medium reflection when dry. The sub-categories in parentheses provide a clearer mental picture of the paint’s characteristics. Within the Sherwin-Williams interior paint family, finishes fall into four basic categories. These reflect the same amount of light at a wide range of angles. To achieve the appearance of a uniform color in an area where people will be moving around (say, a hallway), choose a paint with similar reflectance numbers at both 60 and 85 degrees. Referencing gloss/sheen measurements can help compensate for distortions in color perception. Likewise, glossy finishes can look lighter or slightly mottled if the surface is rough, uneven or has other imperfections. They can also look quite flat when viewed straight on, and only seem lustrous from an angle. Matte colors tend to look darker viewed from an angle or in low light. The intensity and direction of the light source factor in as well. Straight on, dark glossy finishes tend to look darker than their matte counterparts light glossy finishes skew brighter and sharper. Change your angle, however, and the color appears to change, sometimes dramatically, strip to strip. Viewed directly from above, the colors should appear close. Paint three strips side by side in the same color, but in different glosses/sheens. 
While gloss and sheen are separate from color (and measured differently), they nonetheless can profoundly affect how the eye perceives color. The sheen of matte or other low-gloss finishes doesn’t reflect as much light or in the same way. Glossy surfaces reflect a great deal of light. Technically speaking, however, gloss and sheen are two aspects of the same thing: the amount of light reflected off a painted surface independent of its color. Sheen looks softer and has more depth and luster. To the eye, gloss and sheen are very different: Gloss is shiny and crisp.
Here, Sherwin-Williams color and coatings experts make simple sense of gloss and sheen, so your designs can finish strong. the finish - which also gives surfaces their distinct luster and overall aesthetic appeal. Among the characteristics that contribute to the look, feel, texture and durability of a paint specification are gloss and sheen - a.k.a. Your guide to gloss and sheen - and the outcomes different finishes deliver when all is done and dry.Ĭolor’s not everything when selecting paint.
0 kommentar(er)
