If buying paint at a big box would save us money, WE WOULD SHOP THERE but as you pointed out, the cost of the paint is only part of the equation.


One thing to consider though is BM's, SWP's and other manufacture's bottom line coatings aren't much better than what the big box sells. To get good paint you need to get mid grade or better.

 

As I sit here having my coffee reading this thread before I continue to paint my kitchen and hallway. Yesterday I did the ceiling w/ behr it needs a second coat in the kitchen area. I think I might return the behr wall paint and get BM after reading this thread. Thanks.

 

Just my two cents. We painted one wall of our family room in Behr red -- it took 9 (yes, 9) coats. My husband was totally beside himself.

We hired some contractors to paint our living room, bedroom and master bath because the ceilings were too high for us to reach. They insisted on only BM. They refused to use Behr. We had some paint left over and my hubbie used the BM to paint our laundry room. What a difference! He said that he didn't have to labor like he did with the Behr. It just glided right on and coated the walls like smooth butter. With the Behr, it went on really thick like frosting.

Anyway, just my two cents. I love this forum. I've learned alot. Thanks!

 

You want to make Behr feel like BM????? Try using Dutchboy Dimension....that will tell the real story!

 

All Benjamin Moore paints of all grade qualities are great values. Their premium grades including the new Aura are outstanding. As a professional painting contractor, I would recommend the Regal line to Do It Yourselfers for both outstanding quality and ease of application.

 

great thread, thanx everyone.

yesterday i bought a glidden eggshell, in what i thought was a very light brown. it turned out a very light yellow, looks almost like vanilla ice cream. it was going over a light gray, which, in the room, didn't look very light. anyway. the glidden was hard to roll on, and it didn't cover for s#&*. 6 coats and its about 3 more to go. after this thread (i should have read here sooner), i'm going to return the other 2/3 can and go get good paint. i hate painting (perhaps because of always using cheap paint), and i want to get the job done asap.

 

I am not a pro painter... I've been a do-it-yourselfer for years & know how to prep, paint & when to prime. I know when I've cut corners & I take responsibility if I have a less than ideal outcome. However, this time I did all the steps properly.

I have never joined a forum before, but today I started a search to see if anyone else thinks that Valspar is evil. I've generally used SW in the past with good luck & used Behr interior once with ok result. Recently I was in Lowe's, had read the CR ratings & found a color I liked in Valspar. This was to cover rather poorly painted contractor paint. I bought & applied the primer - useless. Yet I went on with the paint. It's taken 3 coats to give fair coverage of a medium color over a light color. Cutting in was ridiculous with the # of coats required. The final finish feels chalky even though I used eggshell. The semi-gloss I used on a cabinet went on smoothly enough over the primer, but it's been 2 weeks & it still sounds like it's sticking when I close/open a drawer. I will never use another Valspar product. I will either stick with SW or try Ben Moore.

Thank you to all you earlier posters for taking time for your input.... wish I'd checked online 1st!!!

 

Actually, I was just looking there, it's not rated number one anymore. If you aren't a subscriber you can't view the details of the ratings though. It just says it's no longer number one all the way around.

I'm painting two children's rooms. I'm guessing the job just needs to last roughly 2-3 years before they want something new. There is a Sherwin Williams store right around the block from me, so as for convienence of shopping, they win, just not sure if I need to spend that....mostly because it's not the living room or a room that is going to stay that way for many years to come.

Also - one of the rooms is a deep wine color.....any suggestions as far as a special primer to use?? I'm not trying to paint it a pastel color, but more a bright purple and a bold lime green.

 

Welcome to the forums Imgakg!

You don't have to buy SWP's top of the line paint. Mid grade or better will do fine and likely better than anything at the big box.

The folks at SWP should be able to help you determine which product will best fit your needs [wear/price] they can also advise you on what primer if any you need for any particular coating/color.

 

Hello

I was wondering which BM paint I should choose I know the Aura is the best but is there another one that would do a good job as well.
Thank You
Wayne

 

I'm not real familiar with BM's lines of paint but I'm sure if you walked in their store they would be more than happy to help you pick a grade of paint that worked both for your needs and budget.

 

I just finished painting a large Living Room and Dining Room with the BM Regal line. I tried a sample from the Aura line (based on the salesperson's recommendation) and the same color from the Regal line. Both went on very easily and over the 2x2 foot sample patch I couldn't tell any significant difference in look or application effort. I decided to go with the Regal line ($30/gallon vs. $47/gallon) and I am extremely happy. I used 2 coats, but honestly could have had sufficient coverage with one. My issue is the plaster walls in my home are very uneven and, because of my less than professional technique, missed several spots on the first pass so I decided to put on an extra coat.

The colors EXACTLY matches the paint chips the wife has been pinning to the wall for the past couple of weeks and application was incredibly smooth. A couple of years ago I used Behr and it was a nightmare to apply and the results were poor.

One other difference with the Aura vs. the Regal is the VOC level. Aura is considered a low VOC paint if that's important to you. However, my wife is very sensitive to smell/allergins and had no problem whatsoever with the Regal. If fact we both commented on how little 'paint smell' there was with the Regal.

Hope that helped. In fact I was so happy with the BM Regal results that I registered to this forum just to address this question!

Pete

 

Pete

Thank you for the info it does help. I have a lot of painting to do and was hopeing to have someone elses experience help with which brand I was going to purchase.

Wayne

 

Hi everyone!
Pete, thank you for the valuable information on BM paint. I’m in a process to paint my new (dry wall) kitchen ceiling. After reviewing the recommendation about different paints, I made the decision to Not go with Lowe’s or HD brands, but will go with BM. Want to do it ones and correct. Almost done my painful journey with the sending and now ready for the next step - painting.
My question: Do I have to use the Same Brand Primer to do the job.
Thank you in advance.

 

Manufactures want you to use their primer and their primers are usually tailored for their finishes. Use of a different primer, may or may not have any effect on warranty issues.

That said - there is no problem using a different brand of primer providing it is a suitable primer for the job.

 

Thank you very much Mark for your quick response!

 

The wife has me reading about paint instead of getting ready for March Madness.....Ugh. So, I happen to type in the correct words and found this forum and it has taught me tons. Thank you to everyone that posted on here. We are either going with Benjamin Moore or SW. I am trying for SW since they have a 15% coupon if you download colors from their site. The wife like BM, so chances are I will loose. Ahhh the joys of homeownership.

Thank you all again and I will be back to update.

 

Welcome to the forums weekendpainter!

Both BM and SWP have good coatings, just be sure to get mid line or better as they also have some cheap coatings
If you run into any problems, just give us a shout.

 

Coming in way late on this topic, but to answer the question, Ben Moore paints are simply the easiest to use for the DIYer. They are formulated for just that reason, to be easy to apply...

Bill

 

My family just bought a 3000sqft home with all white walls. I am not sure if its been painted or not but the walls are rough when you run your hand through it. So does this mean i can skip the primer and just do the top coat. I am thinking about Movajo color in BM aura. Do you have any advice for me? I have a bet with my parent that my brother and I can do a great job on it.

Teresa

 

Welcome to the forums Teresa!

More than likely the walls are painted but often builders use a cheap grade of paint that often doesn't do more than color the wall [even if it's white] I don't use enough BM coatings to be familiar with their colors. Aura is their top of the line coating and they claim it doesn't need a primer. I've not used it and I think I've read that it applies a little different than most paints - your BM sales rep should be able to answer any questions you have.

 

So I went to Ben Moore paint dealer. I am interested in Aura line. He told me the builder prob used a cheap paint on wall (i think so too). So he said I would probably need 2 coats even with Aura because he said the wall is so dry it will suck up my paint. Is this true?

I have also been reading on tips for painting but I am still confused abbout 2 things: ONe what is cutting in and why do we do it? and two why does people make that w thing and then go over it?

Teresa

 

If I remembr correctly, BM claims that aura can be applied over raw drywall and cover with 1 coat. If that's true, 1 coat should be fine. With tradional paints it might take 2 coats over the builders flat paint. Some of the cheaper builder paints can benifit from a primer to seal the wall.

Cutting in refers to taking a brush and painting the perimeter where you can't paint with a roller. The W pattern is where you take a roller full of paint and roll a W pattern and then back roll over it to even it out. I'm not fond of rolling paint this way. IMO it is better to roll 1 roller width up and down and then back roll [roll again] the previous strip of paint.

 

At this point I have used a fair amount of Aura paint. Not saying I'm an expert, but a painter with experience with the product.

I believe in the beginning just before Aura was released to the market, there were claims that it was a one coat miracle paint. Rumors spread this claim around quite a bit and everyone got really excited. BM eventually officially said nope not true, and instead guaranteed ANY colour in TWO coats.

The paint does perform very well. It takes some getting used to though. I'd go with Marksr's suggestion of trying to get used to the full roll up to the ceiling and down to the floor and carry on until you've rolled out the entire panel of wall your covering. I've found you really have to work the paint a bit more onto the surface to get even coverage. Don't squeeze your roller hard on the wall, just go over it a few times fairly quickly to get even coverage.

The "W" method will likely result in something you won't like. Aura is designed for a quick recoat and tends to dry very quickly. If you use the W method with your roller, your paint will be setting up and drying before you get a chance to maintain your 'wet edge'. Going back into the already drying paint will result in mottled texture that looks horrible. Spread the paint out evenly and don't go back into it. No backrolling. Can't emphasize this enough.

They do sell a product like Floetrol which extends the drying time of Aura paint. It's BM's version of a paint extender. I haven't tried it, so I can't comment.

The cutting in process with Aura is pretty much the same as with other latex paints. One coat looks a little weak in terms of coverage, two coats looks great. Again, the paint dries quickly so once you've brushed your paint on, don't drag your brush back over it too much. Mottled brush marks will result.

Personally, I love the stuff. It's pricey, but you save lots of time not having to prime patches, etc., which ends up saving money in the long run. Never tried it on an entire room of raw drywall. I still can't convince myself that one coat would do it, but again I've never tried it.

There's my two cents. Canadian pennies so might be worth less! Just kidding.

 

My friend suggested using a spray since his brother owns one. Is spraying better comparing to rolling? which choices is more economical? I heard that spraying cost more paint? Iss it true?

Thank You so much for answering. I am so glad you guys are here to give me unbias and detailed explaination.

I am going to start painting this Tues/Wed? I am nervous. lolz

Teresa

 

While I've done a lot of spraying on new residential work, I rarely ever spray an interior repaint. Compared to labor, a little extra paint means nothing BUT when you spray in a finished house everything must be covered up or masked!! Overspray can and will go everywhere - including rooms you aren't working on. The time and effort needed to properly get the job ready for spray negates any labor savings. Generally any walls that are sprayed need to be back rolled [rolling behind the spray] to make the walls look their best.

I'd brush and roll. Don't use a roller pan, get a roller screen/grid and an extra 5 gal bucket to roll out of.... and an extension handle for the roller frame. You will also want to use a quality brush. Since you don't have a lot of experience cutting in, I'd recomend a 2" purdy sash [angle] brush or similiar.

 

So i went to buy the paint today and I also asked about spraying. The guy there told me the same thing. So that idea went out the window. What do you mean by brush then roll? Does that mean brushing the whole wall by hand then use a roller as a second coat?

I am so wondering why shouldn't I used the rolling pan? I thought it is one of the must have materials for the job. What would you do with the grid and extra 5 gallon bucket and why? I have never seen any one used it before.

I am sorry for asking so many question. Painting is truely has its own world. I never thought it was this complicated. I hate to admit it but my dad was right when he said i am asking for trouble by wanting to paint the whole house.

 

Brush and roll means you cut in what can't be rolled with a brush and then roll the rest.

A roller pan doesn't hold much paint and can be spilled easily. If you pour a few gallons of paint in a 5 gal bucket and the insert the roller screen/grid, you can dunk the roller in the paint, roll off some of the excess on the screen and then apply it to the wall/ceiling. This way you wind up ith more paint on the roller and you don't have to reload the pan = quicker

So we need to prove your dad wrong
Look at it as a learning experience and how good you will become at painting by the time you are done

 

Just wanted to put in one more vote for BM. Four years ago I used Valspar and I've seen places in the last year where it's flaked off, plus it's not very scrubbable. I used SW in another room at the same time; unfortunately when I asked the salesperson if I needed to use primer over the builder's thin spray job he said it wasn't necessary. I had to apply numerous coats (lost count of how many) and I finally just gave up even though the coverage was still not great.
Recently I got a sample of SW and a sample of BM; and like the others said, the BM goes on sooo nice. If you want to do it yourself but want a professional looking job, spend the extra money and get Benjamin Moore paint (but prime first!)
-Not a pro or a real handywoman, just someone who has painted

 

Last year my husband and I bought Behr for our first-ever painting experience. It was oddly heavy and thick, our rollers couldn't even roll, and felt just plain hard to apply. I was loathe to ever try painting again.

This year, we bought the cheapest paint at Sherwin-Williams, and it went on like a dream, easy, silky. Two coats later, the dining room looks like a new house. Count me among the converted!

I pulled off the old painter's tape (had been on forever, don't ask), and the trim certainly needs touching up. I'm debating whether to redo all the trim, including the sort of baseboard-around-midwall thing, or just try touching it up.

 

Correct assessment, the coverage of a product isn't a good indication of whether it is "good paint" or not, it's ease of application. For all intents and purposes, Behr, SW or BM could all come out of the same 50 gallon drum. Proper preparation, correct priming practices, and quality appliations tools will allow for any paint to be good paint. Think of darker colors as colored varnish, that is what they are, so if you want good coverage, be sure after the correct color priming, that you have good coverage, then when you put the finish on, success.....

Bill

 

Thanks all for this post. I, too, read the consumer reports review of Behr and was super excited by the idea of saving hundreds on paint. But you guys changed my mind.

I have looked for a month for the right interior paint color (yellow) and finally found it at good ol' Ben Moore. But the $50 a gallon price tag nearly sent my husband into cardiac arrest. HOWEVER, my local BM store was filled with knowledgable staff who didn't pressure me to buy and answered all my questions (I've never painted so much as a picture, let alone a house). The Big Orange Box was filled with teenaged gum-chewing staff who had NO idea how to help me even though they were breathing down my neck as I shopped.

So, even though my BM paint purchase will be the equivalent of my mortgage, I'm going for them. Also, BM offers the paint samples (of which I bought five) for $3.99/each. I know Big Orange offers this as well but most of the time they have to mix it for you while you wait...and wait...and wait. And there is nothing more depressing then waiting in a Big Orange Box,

 

As you read through this thread, you'll see all sorts of opinions by all sorts of folks. Each person has both good and bad experiences, mostly depending of application skills. I maintain a professional painter can use any paint and any application tool, a achieve a fine finish product. That being said, no knowledgable painter would make things harder on himself than need be. I recommend Ben Moore paint, because it simply is formulated for ease of application. Many times companies like Valspar who started out in a particular niche, in their case marine, epoxies, specialty, and mechanical coatings, try to blossum out into markets they have not properly developed products for, thus they turn out as "hard to apply." Home Depot (Behr) has a horrible reputation for customer service behind the scenes. They sell seconds in everything they do, wood, hardware, plumbing supplies. Some stuff is created just for them, seconds in the Moen plumbing line for instance. And also in Behr paint, apples are not apples when comparing from Behr to Ben Moore. Sherwin Williams also formulated to a market, you can buy a gallon of flat wall paint for $5 or $25, obviously not the same quality. But SW, behind the scenes owns a lot of paint companies, ML Campbell, P&L, and the old Hancock, to name a few. So on these basis's, I'll just recommend Ben Moore....and take the heat...for you Valspar may work great, I'm just not recommending it. Now if you were asking about spar varnish for your boat, or epoxy for some mechanical contraption you had built, they'd be on the top of my list.

Bill

 

How does Kelly Moore compare to the several different paints listed in this thread? There stores are everywhere around where I live. I've used them in the past but it has been several years. This thread has been very informative and I'm wondering what people have to say about Kelly Moore paint.

 

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share my thoughts after reading through this whole thread. I've never replied/participated in a forum such as this but after reading through this, I thought i'd just share to give some more kudos to Behr.

I came across this thread in search of information regarding a good brand for metallic paints as we are looking to do the metallic finish in our bathrooms.

Anyway, we just bought a newer home (built in 2006) that had the standard white walls. I couldn't tell you if it was cheap paint or not, but it didn't seem like it needed primer. We bought the Behr Premium Plus brand in red (Dozen Roses), a mocha shade (Chateau), and dark brown (Chocolate Swirl). Both Chateau and Chocolate Swirl only took one coat w/ a few touch ups while the Dozen Roses took 2 coats, but dried flawlessly. We used rollers (not the priciest ones either) and an edging brush/pad for the top. Hopefully the color lasts, but for that I will have to update you all in a few years (if I remember to ).

I do have pictures to share but not sure how to post them directly on here?

Anyway, Behr Premium Plus worked for us...but may be due to what already seemed like prepared white walls we started off with. I will be looking into what Behr has for metallic finishes, but may go with BM for that since BM seems to be the most recommended for that. If anyone has any other input on metallic paint, we'd really appreciate it!!!

Thanks everyone!!!

 

Hi Everyone-

This is my first time on a forum like this, but so far I am amazed at all of the info I have already discovered on this thread...needless to say I will not be purchasing HD paint. I am a 1st time home owner, and will be painting for the first time this weekend. I originally started looking at no VOC paint for my son's nursery, but have discovered that some "no VOC" paint actually has VOC in the color. I was then going to go w/SWP Harmony, but have read some negative things about it, and have read that SWP Duration is better, but that is low VOC versus no VOC. Can anyone offer any suggestions as to which SWP is better, or if BM offers any true no VOC paint, and also if low VOC would be ok for the nursery, or if I definitely need to go w/no VOC? Also, for interior repainting, do we have to prime if the current color is very light? Sorry for all the questions, I am new to painting, but a bit of a perfectionist so I like to have as much info as possible!

 

Welcome to the forums newpainter and congratulations on be coming a homeowner.

Usually a primer isn't needed for repaints although certain colors will cover better if a primer is used first. Generally primers are only needed to either seal a raw substrate or over come adhession issues.

While I've used a lot of SWP's paint, I've only used a little of the harmony line and don't recall any issues with it. Duration is their top residential coating line of paint. I don't often use BM but they do a good reputation providing [like most paint co's] you use their mid grade or better.

It's hard to say if you need a VOC free paint. Most folks don't have any ill effects from short term VOC exposure if there is plenty of fresh air ventilation in the room being painted and while it's drying/curing. Obviously you want to err on the side of caution with a new born. How soon after painting will your son be in the room?

 

Thank you for your quick response! We are planning on painting this weekend, and moving in next weekend, so there would be a good week before he would be in his room, and we would be able to keep the windows open to air it out during the week before moving. I spoke w/someone at SW, and they pretty much sold me on the Duration, mainly b/c of the washability of the paint, and it is still low VOC. The person I spoke w/did say the SW super paint covers great, but isn't nearly as easy to clean, and I'm thinking the extra cost of the duration will be well worth it for that reason. I read some reviews of the Harmony that it is very watery, and also that it tends to fade? Have you had any experience w/fading? Also, should I be buying any specific rollers/brushes to get a better quality paint job?

 

The harmony paints that I've used were requested by customers and I haven't had much feedback, good or bad. I only know that I didn't have any problems with application. Most of my SWP experience with wall paints has been either the promar 200 or super paint. I'm not 100% sure but I think the duration wall paint is a continuation of their everclean line which was very washable.

Better brushes and rollers will give a better and easier job than their cheaper counterpart. I'm partial to purdy brand brushes and lambswool covers. Lambswool covers are some of the most expensive sold but I like how they work. I'm old school and never could learn to like the more common synthetic covers that most use. Used correctly a lambswool cover can last a long time but if missued they can wear out sooner than a synthetic cover.

You will also want an extension handle for the roller frame so you can make good even stripes from the top to the bottom of the wall. Forget the W or N pattern. Rolling straight up and down usually works best. Apply a stripe or two with a wet roller and then reroll those stripes with your now almost dry cover to even it out. The folks at SWP should be able to help you pick the right tools for you and your job at hand.

 

Ok, great. I was recommended the Purdy brand roller covers also, I think 1/2", I was told the roller cover type could make the difference between 1 coat or multiple coats...do you agree? Also, is there anything special I need to do to prep the walls prior to painting? I was going to wipe down all the walls, but wasn't sure if there is any recommended products, or does anything work? What would you recommend?