Is Benjamin Moore interior paint good?

Contractor's grade will never compare favorably with top line paint! I've always said that contractor's grade coating colors the wall but good coatings will paint the wall.

smalc, how long did the duration get to dry before it started to peel? Outside corners are always problematic because of the abuse they tend to get. It takes latex paint about a week or so to completely cure.

 

It's had plenty of time to cure, months and it still does it. I wouldn't it "peels"- not by itself anyway. Something rubs hard against it, then it comes off in big pieces. (and my 4 and 6 year olds continue the job started) And like I say it is quite rubbery. The previous paint was Pittsburgh applied by the builder's painter, a professional I suppose. It was dismal when it came to washability, and was pretty chalky. But, I didn't really have problems with the corners. Is it a trade-off? Washability for durability?

Here's a picture of an abused corner:

corner1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Ya, that's pretty typical of how outside corners get abused by kids or even careless adults moving stuff

Usually new houses are painted with a builders grade of paint which is why it wasn't very washable. I haven't used any PPG paint in 20 yrs or so but like most, they have good coatings along with the cheap stuff. SWP's Promar 400 probably isn't any better than the paint your house came with. I've not used much of the SWP's Duration line although I've used a lot of their Super Paint line. I suspect the original paint did the same thing on the outside corners but dirt/grime likely camouflaged it - unless you touched the paint up often to keep it looking nice. The change in color probably highlights it some too.

There isn't a whole lot you can do other than touch up the corners however often you need to. The kids will grow up and start treating the walls better.... but their behavior then might make you yearn for the good ol' days when it only took a little paint to fix things

 

Thanks marksr. What you see is actually the metal corner, the previous (and first) color was a beige. I realize the corners are a problem area, but it rubs off a little to easy for such an expensive paint. That's why I am considering BM for future work.

 

No painter (I hate painting!) but it seems like a lot of the problem is that the mud over the corner bead is very very thin. And how well does it really stick to metal bead anyway? Once it gets knocked off, trying to paint the bare bead with just latex is futile. I could paint my car with latex and wash it off at the car wash. Like that Bruce Willis movie The Jackal (I think?).

 

A waterborne enamel like SWP's ProClassic or maybe an oil base enamel might fare a little better on the corners but basically any paint on the edge of the corner bead will come off if it receives more than minor contact. Paint just isn't formulated to be an armor coating. BM has some great paint but I doubt you'll get any better results as long as the edge of the corner bead gets things dragged across it.

 

If you're seeing the metal in the corner bead, I think the problem might be below the paint.

 

As stated many times the various manufacturers make different quality paints. IMO the color and sheen of hte paint make a big difference.

Case in point - I have 3000 sq ft to paint in various colors and sheen. I started with SW Super Paint and was SHOCKED to find one coat covered the builders spray on "skim milk color". The one coat wonder was a light yellowish with a hint or green (picture a light earthly yellow color). Same SW SP I painted orange with grewat results using 2 coats. Also did black and was shocked it looked great in 2 coats. Then onto maroon - I had to get SW Durations bc they didnt make the color with Super Paint... three coats and the maroon looked terrible..... SW Durations is also very shiny - their satin sheen IMO is really semi-gloss.

Anyway - time for 2 kid rooms and a bathroom so I went back to Behr for kick (painted my prvious house -inside and out with Behr). Behr is generally a thick paint. I did turquois eand paint a 12x12 room with one coat / one gallon. Second room was a darkish purple and needed two coats. (I am guessing the purple had red which made the second coat necessary).

I think Behr is a good paint. Have not used their primer in one paint.

SW was easy to use except the dark red. the dark red cost more, was thick and gooey to use, looked terrible even after 3 coats (and i'm kinda anal). Also the sheen was too shiny with Durations.

Never used BM but may try in the future.

I found an $8/gallon paint at Lowes I used to spray the ceiling in my basement - I think I used 9 gallons so for less than $100 I sprayed the joints and underside of the upper floor over about 1,000 square feet. I thought that was good coverage especially fo rhte cheapness and it was going in untreated lumber.

So to each his own - we all have loyalties someplace - do not be afraid to try somethign new!! Hope my post can help someone

PS: i saw someone say you can not get 40-50% off paints - I get all kinds oc coupons from SW. Most for 20% off, a couple times a year for 30% off and once a year for 40% off.

 

Red is typically the color of paint which covers least well, so I'm not surprised your worst results were with it.

 

I am so glad that I found this discussion because I am settling on paint colors today for a remodel project that will begin tomorrow. I had been told Ben Moore paint was the best and had already decided to go with it, but was gald to find out that even within their line that the contractor grade isn't that good. I'm going to have cabinets, previously painted paneled walls, and dryway all in an open floor plan painted. Kitchen, living room, dining room to be done.
I'm going with hues in the brown/grey undertones range. What do you think about having the bottom cabinets painted one color and the top painted one shade lighter? Any ideas on how this would look. Also should I choose all colors from the same paint card which is basically just lighter to darker of the same shade? Or will this be too monochromatic? I think I'll go with the regal line of paint after reading all these threads on the subject. Just have to see if my local store has it as I live in a very small community and don't know what they carry and what they don't.

 

It almost always pays to buy the best paint you can afford. BM like all paint manufactures has cheap to best with other lines in the middle. I'd never recommend any coatings that were cheaper than mid line.

Color selection is a very personal choice. Unless you are planing to sell, the colors don't need to please anyone but you and yours. While not often, I've seen different colors on the top and bottom cabinets and it can look well.

btw - welcome to the forums!

 

Thanks marksr for the welcome and your input!
I would also like to comment on Valspar paint. I have used it one time before and will never use it again. It left brush marks and looks terrible if you view it from an angle or really if you just look at it long enough. The color I used was an off white in a satin finish painted over a panelled wall that had already been painted a similar color. It also feels kind of chalky.
I am really excited to see how the Ben Moore paint performs.
I have only used Wal-mart paint before (always their "top" line) and thought I was getting pretty good results, however after reading comments about thick paint that doesn't seem to cover well and needing multiple coats, etc., I realize that I just didn't know anything was wrong with my painting experiences. I just thought that was how paint was supposed to be.
I am also painting the ceilings in the three previously mentioned rooms, then installing a new subfloor (to replace particle board) and and finally a dark oak laminate floor.
Any feelings on paint hues (light or dark) when the floor is going to be rather dark? I have pretty good natural light coming in and I really don't like the room to be a "dark room". Will middle of the road hues make the room dark? I'm also going to do the crown moulding/baseboards etc, in a bright white.

 

Another question, will it look OK to have the interior doors in a room painted bright white and then do the exterior door in the same room a dark brown? -or- do all the doors need to be the same color, the exterior door located is right next to a corner with an interior door "just around the corner" from it. ie: you couldn't have both doors open at the same time because they would hit each other.

 

While I prefer all the doors to be painted the same color - there are no rules

Light colors always make the room appear bigger while dark colors will always make it appear smaller. The size of the room, lighting and the furnishings all play a part in how much difference the color will make. I wouldn't be scared to experiment with colors. Compared with most any other changes you make to your home, paint is fairly cheap. Some deep colors can brighten up the room while others will just make it dark. The sales staff at most paint stores [not a paint dept] are fairly knowledgeable and should be able to answer most of your questions. They also have the advantage of picking the brains of all the pros that shop there

 

elected lady, IMO i'd paint the cabinets all one color but this is a personal choice so i'd suggest doing either all top or all bottom first with all the coats then need and then expiriment with the others. to break them up you can always add a fancy backsplase or stencil the backsplash area.

i like hte looks of dark floor sand if you have a lot of sunlight dark walls will be fine.

i wanted to update my use of SW paint from my earlier thread. i have a lot of makrs in one hallway and was dissappointed with how will it clean up (rather it didnt clean up). i used flat paint which i know if tough to clean - but at $50 a gallon i expected more. my marks are from a black "canvas and vinyl" like hockey bag and it severly rubs amd marks up the wall - i imagine this is not an easy cleanup for any paint. magic erasure works but also stins the paint a little.

i know flat is not a great paint to use if you want to be able to clean it but i dispise the look of shiny paint!

 

That's why satin or eggshell enamel is so popular - not a lot of sheen but it cleans up well
I've not tried to clean up a lot of flat paint but I've touched it up a bunch and for the most part - touch up works well.

 

Just in case some of you don't know...there was a Consumer Reports review in the March 2009 issue. Some earlier posts mention a CR review that was probably published earlier. Part of the 2009 review is here, but I went to the library and copied the entire review.

Since I didn't see any zero (or even low, which wouldn't be low enough for me anyway) VOC, semigloss, Benjamin Moore paint in the review, I went with a different paint. I almost went with their low VOC P04 primer until I read in the TDS that it's for "professional use only." I received no response when I emailed them 2 days ago to ask:

Luckily, I found an even lower VOC metal primer without the warning.

I searched government websites for information about the "for professional use only" warning and I found various local regulations. I may be wrong, but the warning appears to be required for coatings that are high performance in certain ways, regardless of the danger. The maximum VOC for such coatings is allowed to be higher, but when a manufacturer makes it even lower than the maximum for a not "for professional use only" product, it still seems to require that warning. This makes me wonder whether I should concentrate on the MSDS and VOCs and ignore the warning, but the lack of response to my e-mail is making me go with Safecoat Metalcoat primer.

 

"Then onto maroon - I had to get SW Durations bc they didnt make the color with Super Paint... three coats and the maroon looked terrible..... SW Durations is also very shiny - their satin sheen IMO is really semi-gloss."

Yeah, red can't use the same base as Super Paint, so it won't ever cover like Super Paint. As for Duration, I'm not really a fan. They advertise it essentially as a "washable flat", but let's face it - what they call Matte is actually Eggshell/Satin, so yes obviously it's going to be washable. A bit of a scam that one. I haven't used Aura personally yet, but I think it's the same story there.

 

"This makes me wonder whether I should concentrate on the MSDS and VOCs and ignore the warning"

That's exactly what I would do.

 

Closed this thread because old, and many are posting new posts to it.

Please start a new thread with paint related issues.