Colour guides

Which finish for woodwork and doors?

Skirtings, doors, architraves, windows, panelling, stairs, radiators: woodwork is everything you touch in a room, and everything that draws it. It needs a harder paint than the walls — and the choice of its sheen changes the atmosphere as much as the colour itself.

Here are the Mylands finishes for woodwork, from dead matt to gloss, and how to choose between them.

Updated September 2026 · by the Mylands France colour team

The short answer

For woodwork, Multi-Surface Satin is the default choice: a smooth, very hard-wearing mid-sheen that picks out mouldings without glaring. For a softer, more traditional look, Multi-Surface Eggshell; for a colour drench or a contemporary look, Multi-Surface Dead Matt; for a front door or a contrast with character, Multi-Surface Gloss. Always over a multi-surface primer.

The finishes, one by one

6 finishes

The primer first

Multi-Surface Primer

Sealed adhesion for wood, metal and floors

Multi-Surface

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators · Interior Floors

A versatile, plant-based sealing primer for wood, metal and wooden flooring, indoors and out, improving adhesion and durability so your finishing paint performs and lasts as intended. Available in white and ten tinted shades matched to our colours.

On bare wood, sanded previously painted wood, metal or a radiator, the multi-surface primer is what makes the finish hold. It seals the wood, blocks the tannins that would bleed through a white, keys onto metal and gives a uniform base. One coat, lightly sanded once dry, before two coats of finish.

Our tip — On sound, already-painted woodwork, a light key and a dust-down are enough before the primer.

The default choice: satin

Multi-Surface Satin Paint

A lustrous, silk-spun finish for refined details

Mid Sheen
Multi-Surface
Washable
Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Metalwork & Radiators · Kitchens & Bathrooms

A mid-sheen masterpiece that provides a smooth, resilient coating. Perfect for accentuating architectural details, it offers a sophisticated luster that stands up to the rigours of modern living.

A smooth, silky mid-sheen, very resistant to knocks, hands and moisture. It is the woodwork finish we recommend for almost the whole house: it draws the mouldings of doors and the profiles of skirtings with a discreet lustre, it wipes clean in one pass, and it doesn't glare like a gloss. On a skirting, a door, a window, a radiator, a staircase — everywhere.

Our tip — Woodwork in satin in the colour of the matt walls: the relief comes from the sheen, not the colour.

Every colour in this finish →

The soft, traditional look

Multi-Surface Eggshell Paint

Luminous low-sheen for effortless elegance

Low Sheen
Multi-Surface
Washable
Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Walls · Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators

A versatile 15% sheen finish that strikes a perfect balance between durability and soft luminosity. Ideal for interior and exterior transformations where a gentle, silk-like glow is desired.

A soft sheen (15%), a notch more matt than satin, that gives woodwork the look of an old paint — that of Georgian houses and cottages. It is tough enough for a living-room door or skirting, and it forgives the small flaws of old timber better than a satin. It is also the classic finish for painted furniture and kitchen doors.

Our tip — For the woodwork of an old house, panelling or a painted bookcase.

Every colour in this finish →

Dead matt, to paint everything alike

Multi-Surface Dead Matt Paint

An ultra-flat, sophisticated heritage finish

Very Matt
Multi-Surface
Washable
Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant

Suitable for
Interior Walls & Ceilings · Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Interior & Exterior Metalwork & Radiators

A 5% sheen level dual-purpose paint designed for flawless 'colour drenching'. This environmentally conscious formula provides a completely flat, non-reflective finish across furniture, radiators, and woodwork.

A washable 5% matt that goes on wood, metal and radiators with the same look as on the walls. It is the colour-drenching finish — walls, ceiling, doors and skirtings in a single shade with no surface shining — and that of contemporary interiors where no reflection is wanted. It is tougher than emulsion, but marks a little more easily than a satin: keep it for woodwork that isn't mistreated.

Our tip — For a colour drench, a corniced ceiling painted in the wall shade, or doors you want to disappear.

Every colour in this finish →

Gloss, for contrast

Multi-Surface Gloss Paint

High-glamour brilliance with enduring strength

High Shine
Multi-Surface
Washable
Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior & Exterior Woodwork · Metalwork & Radiators

The ultimate statement finish. This high-reflectivity gloss provides a mirror-like depth of colour while offering our most durable protection against the elements and daily wear.

Our glossiest and most hard-wearing finish — that of front doors, railings and exterior windows. Indoors it serves for contrast: skirtings and doors in gloss beneath matt walls, in the manner of Georgian halls, or a single lacquered door in a sober room. It demands perfect preparation, since every flaw in the wood shows in the reflection.

Our tip — For front doors, exterior windows, and an interior door in Downing Street or Huguenot you want spectacular.

Every colour in this finish →

Treads and floorboards

Decorative Floor Satin Paint

Master-crafted durability for architectural floors

Mid Sheen
Washable
Scrubbable & Scuff Resistant
Moisture Resistant

Suitable for
Interior Floors · Interior Stairs

Specifically engineered for high-traffic surfaces, this floor finish combines an elegant satin sheen with industrial-grade resilience, ensuring your floors remain a centerpiece for years to come. Not suitable for concrete floors.

Stair treads and floorboards are not woodwork like the rest: they are walked on. No woodwork paint lasts more than a few months on them. This industrial-strength satin finish is engineered for them — treads, risers, landings, floorboards — and gives the same silky lustre as a satin on a door. Not suited to concrete.

Our tip — Treads in Decorative Floor Satin, banister and risers in Multi-Surface Satin.

Every colour in this finish →

Choosing the sheen of woodwork

The sheen of woodwork does two things: it protects it — the glossier a paint, the harder and more washable it is — and it draws it — the glossier, the more the mouldings stand out and the more the flaws show. Hence the scale: dead matt erases woodwork into the wall, eggshell softens it, satin picks it out, gloss stages it.

The colour of woodwork

Three schools. White — Pure White No.1, Charterhouse No.4 or a warm white such as Holland Park No.5 beneath warm walls — which draws the room and brightens it; our woodwork whites are compared in which white for woodwork?. The wall colour, in satin, which unifies and enlarges. A darker colour than the walls — a Downing Street No.10, an Oratory No.237 — which frames and gives character.

Radiators and metal

All our multi-surface finishes go on radiators and ironwork, after a multi-surface primer. A radiator painted in the wall colour, in satin or dead matt, disappears; that is almost always what is wanted.

For step-by-step preparation, preparing woodwork; to compare every finish, find your finish; for front doors, our front-door colours.

Frequently asked questions

Which finish for skirtings and doors?

Multi-Surface Satin: a smooth, very hard-wearing mid-sheen that picks out mouldings without glaring. For a softer look, Multi-Surface Eggshell; for a colour drench, Multi-Surface Dead Matt.

Can woodwork be painted matt?

Yes, with Multi-Surface Dead Matt, a washable matt designed for wood, metal and walls. It is a little less resistant to marks than a satin: keep it for woodwork that isn't mistreated.

Is a primer needed on already-painted woodwork?

On sound woodwork, a light key with fine paper, a dust-down and one coat of multi-surface primer guarantee adhesion. On bare wood or metal the primer is essential.

Satin or gloss for woodwork?

Satin for almost the whole house: it protects and draws without reflections. Gloss for front doors, exterior windows and contrasts with character, on perfectly prepared surfaces.