Reason for the confusion is most know only a few paint finish terms.
Paint for garage door semi gloss or satin.
Acrylic latex exterior house paint is the best choice but be sure to choose a high quality paint.
The same will hold true for doors window moldings and trim.
95 of all exterior trim satin paint finish is used where as 95 of all interior trim semi gloss is applied.
In most cases a single coat of paint is all it takes but keep in mind it could take more than one coat to provide good coverage if you re painting the garage doors a color that s lighter than the original color.
Exterior paints are sold in flat matte eggshell satin semi gloss and gloss sheens in order of the lowest to the highest.
Flat paint may be suitable for a garage door but any high traffic entry such as your front door usually looks better painted in satin or semi gloss.
A satin finish is also durable against scratches and peeling but lacks the ability to stand up against high moisture like a semi gloss finish.
Hammered effect a great decorative option it dries to give a distressed machined or hammered finish.
Most notably semi gloss has more sheen than satin.
Go for a semi gloss finish which is as durable as it is attractive.
Sheens run from flat to semi and high gloss.
Use a synthetic nylon polyester bristle brush to contour the raised panel and a 4 10 cm roller to provide a nice finish.
Satin silk a good middle ground between the two finishes above it has a semi gloss finish with relativity low sheen.
Semi gloss is a common finish for interior trim.
Interior doors baseboards moldings are painted with semi gloss.
It s another great option for helping old garage doors look good again.
It is recommended that mat or semi gloss latex water based paint is used to avoid highlighting imperfections in the metal.
However if you really want to put a flat paint on your front door newer brands of flat or matte paints are stain resistant and washable.