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Matt or silk emulsion

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have been told to use silk in the hall and matt in the bedroom, and you need a condition rather than a slogan. Matt or silk emulsion is a choice about what the wall must hide and what it must survive. Choose matt when the plaster is uneven and you will not scrub it. Choose silk, eggshell, or a durable matt when you will wipe, and expect the extra sheen to show the bumps. This page does not rank the eight matt tins on the [matt emulsion paint comparison](/hub/paints-and-varnishes/matt-emulsion-paint). Gloss was not measured on these tins. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have been told to use silk in the hall and matt in the bedroom, and you need a condition rather than a slogan. Matt or silk emulsion is a choice about what the wall must hide and what it must survive.

Our top picks

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L

Best overall

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L
9.0/10about £17.01
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Johnstone's Johnstone's Manhattan Grey matt 5 L

Alternative

Johnstone's Johnstone's Manhattan Grey matt 5 L
9.0/10about £28.65
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Dulux Dulux Pure Brilliant White matt 7 L

Alternative

Dulux Dulux Pure Brilliant White matt 7 L
8.8/10about £27.05
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On this page
  1. 1.What changes when the sheen goes up
  2. 2.Bedroom and ceiling
  3. 3.Hallway
  4. 4.Over an old finish, and the label

What changes when the sheen goes up

Matt dries flat, so a filled crack is less obvious, and the same surface marks when a hand polishes it. Silk wipes more cleanly and shows every dent. Painters World puts matt on older, low-traffic walls, and silk where you can live with the flaws. Eggshell is usually tougher than ordinary matt and less shiny than a full silk. Washable matt is a flat look sold for wiping. The vinyl matt in this comparison is not that product. Crown Trade warns that more than a gentle wipe can burnish standard matt. The roller steps are on how to apply matt emulsion.

Bedroom and ceiling

A bedroom that is not a route for wet coats can take matt. Silk is a poor trade on bumpy plaster. The comparison listings are matt. None of them is a silk sold under another name. Ceilings in a dry room are the clearest matt job, because a silk ceiling flashes every roller join. Screwfix points matt at ceilings for that reason.
Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L

Testsieger

Johnstone's Johnstone's Pure Brilliant White matt 2.5 L
9.0/10about £17.01
View offer

Hallway

A hallway is where the advice to use silk is only half right. Ordinary matt marks, and silk shows every bump. Ideal Home's hallway advice is eggshell or a washable matt. If the hall is wet from bathroom steam, silk is still the wrong fix. Wickes does not put vinyl silk in bathrooms. Use matt emulsion for bathrooms and kitchens for that room.

Over an old finish, and the label

You can put matt over old silk if you key the shine. Dulux says to abrade a silk film lightly first, or the new coat can crack. Sugar soap alone does not cut the gloss. Under the VOC Regulations 2012, interior matt at or below gloss 25 at 60° is capped at 30 grams per litre. Glossier interior wall paint sits at 100 grams per litre. None of the eight matt listings prints a gram figure. If you still need litres, the matt emulsion buying guide has the 10–14 square metres per litre rule of thumb. Uneven and rarely wiped, use matt. Smooth and wiped, use silk or a durable matt. A hallway with knocks wants eggshell or washable matt.

Common questions

Should a bedroom be matt or silk?
Use matt when the walls are a bit uneven and you will not scrub them. That is the usual bedroom. Use silk when the plaster is smooth, you want a little sheen, and you will live with flashing around repairs. Ordinary matt marks if the room is a route for coats and bags. Silk will not hide a bumpy skim. The tins in the comparison are the flat side of this choice.
What about a ceiling?
Matt is the usual ceiling finish in a dry room, because roller joins flash under silk. Screwfix points matt at ceilings and at low-traffic walls for that hide. Use a medium-pile roller and a wet edge. A silk ceiling only makes sense on a smooth surface when you want the shine. It will not make an uneven ceiling look flatter.
Is silk the right hallway paint?
Silk wipes better than ordinary matt and it shows dents and roller texture. For a hallway, eggshell or a washable matt is the tighter choice: tougher than flat matt, less glossy than a full silk. Gloss shows even more. If the hall is wet from a bathroom, silk is not the moisture system. Wickes rates vinyl silk as low moisture resistance and keeps bathrooms separate.
What is eggshell doing in this choice?
Eggshell is a mid sheen, not a synonym for silk and not a matt. Hallway guides recommend it, or a durable matt, where hands and bags hit the wall. It shows more plaster than a flat matt does. It is not one of the eight ASINs here, which are matt emulsions. Buy it as its own tin if the hall is the room you are painting.
Will silk hide a bumpy wall?
No. The shine finds waves, filler edges, and old brush marks. Matt hides those better and then marks if you scrub. A badly out-of-plane wall needs a flat finish, or a skim if you want it level. Silk will not level lumps. A durable matt is the compromise only when you also need to wipe, and it is a different product from ordinary matt.
Does more sheen mean a higher VOC limit?
It can. Interior matt at or below gloss 25 at 60° is capped at 30 grams per litre. Glossier interior wall and ceiling paint is capped at 100 grams per litre. A silk tin may sit in the higher band if its sheen is above the matt cut-off. Read the label. These eight matt listings do not print a gram figure. The cap is not a waterproof claim.
Can I put matt over old silk?
Yes, after you key the old silk. Dulux advises a light abrade first, or the new matt can crack. Wash off the dust, then paint. Sugar soap without sanding leaves a shine the matt may not grip. A matt touch-up in the middle of a silk wall will still show, because the sheen change is visible even when the colour matches. Box tins if you repaint a whole wall from more than one can.

Related pages

Best matt emulsion paint

Matt emulsion paint

Matt emulsion bathroom and kitchen: skip ordinary matt

Matt emulsion buying guide: litres, wipe and colour

How to apply matt emulsion: prep, cut in, and roll

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file. The price band is this set, not a market average. No listing was lab-tested.

  1. VOC Regulations 2012, Schedule 2 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. VOC in Paints, Varnishes and Vehicle Refinishing Products Regulations 2012 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. BS EN 13300:2022 preview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Dulux: painting on new plaster (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Dulux Matt (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Johnstone's matt emulsion (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Crown Trade vinyl matt emulsion (retrieved 22 October 2026)