Since I can't figure out color, let's talk paint brands.

[kijip]

We are still mulling over the colors for much of the house. I have enough test squares on the wall to call it modern art or something. While we are still hammering out colors, I have started to think about durable, long lasting, good looking brands. The stuff the builder used everywhere except for bath and kitchen is very matte and scuffs easily, shows every speck of dirt, is totally unwashable and in high traffic corners, it chips. I went through and used a bunch of touch up paint even though we plan to paint this summer because I just couldn't tolerate the little white spots and scuffs anymore (only in really high traffic area is this noticable, our bedroom etc is fine.) The halls and stairs were the worst. Since the paint is only about 2 years old, needless to say I won't be using whatever they used again.

So what brand and what finish do you have the best results with? I don't mind touching things up, I just don't want it to look awful after normal use. We have been happy with the paint in T's room which is Ralph Lauren (he dove for their color card so we just got it when we moved in) but I assume that is re-branded of some other paint. And I don't want to pay that kind of price for the whole house, LOL.

[kedss]

We like Benjamin Moore, maybe a semi gloss would work better?

[ccather]

Sherwin Williams. Love it! Only brand I use. Goes on easy, most colors I've used have been one coat....actually, all of them, included a deep, primary yellow. Painting is so much effort that I want something easy to work with and quick to cover (did *not* want to paint my living/dining/hall area twice!) It's not super cheap, but I think it's one of those get-what-you-paid-for things.

[Corie]

Every room in our house has been painted in a different color
of Benjamin Moore Aura paint.
We prefer the Matte. I don't like shine to my walls.



AURA® Matte Waterborne Interior Paint 522

* Extreme hide, never more than two coats in any color
* Provides a mildew resistant coating
* Color Lock® Technology, no color rub-off
* Stains wash off easily
* Excellent touch up
* Self priming
* Easy application
* Long lasting fresh look appearance
* Easy clean up
* This product has been certified under the GREENGUARD Standard for Low Emitting Products and the GREENGUARD for Children & SchoolsSM product certification programs.

[o_mom]

Sherwin Williams is great, but $$$ and I still needed at least 2 coats, even with the premium grade stuff.

We did most of our old house in Behr from Home Depot after the first two rooms with SW. The enamel eggshell or satin worked very well for us in most places. One is slightly more sheen than the other so we use the shinier one in halls etc and the less shiny in our bedroom. I used the kitchen and bath (very shiny, but not quite semi-gloss) in the kitchen below the chair rail and it cleaned extremely well even with three sets of gooey hands. Semi-gloss on the trim, though we used the SW stuff for the trim to make it consistent through the house and since you need a whole lot less of it I could deal with the cost.

My parents had horrible luck with Benjamin Moore, so we have stayed away from it, but it gets good reviews here so, IDK on that. The Lowes house brand I have heard not so good things about from many people IRL.

[kijip]

We prefer the Matte. I don't like shine to my walls.




I don't want shine, I like the look of matte I just don't want it to be so matte, dull and cheap that looking at it causes a mark, LOL.

Your paint sounds wonderful.

[KrisM]

We use Sherwin Williams and only needed 2 coats on a light yellow. Everything else is one coat. We used to use Behr from Home Depot until we tried Sherwin Williams and the SW is just nicer to paint with, goes on smoother, and needs fewer coats.

[MelissaTC]

We use Sherwin Williams and only needed 2 coats on a light yellow. Everything else is one coat. We used to use Behr from Home Depot until we tried Sherwin Williams and the SW is just nicer to paint with, goes on smoother, and needs fewer coats.

Same for us. We started off with Behr, tried SW and never looked back. SW is awesome and very easy to paint with.

[pb&j]

I've used Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore Aura. I liked them both. I usually do an eggshell instead of a matte finish. It's a touch more expensive, but looks miles better, IMO.

[kransden]

I've used Behr before and it is ok. We just used Olympic in Dec and it was horrible. I'll never use it again.

[Mermanaid]

We've used Behr, SW, Ralph Lauren and Benjamin Moore. Once we tried the Benjamin Moore we've never gone back to any of the other brands. I can't remember what finish we get (they have 4 to choose from) though. It's not shiny but not quite matte either.

One of the other reasons I *heart* Benjamin Moore is that it's a locally owned mom and pop store. The guys who work there KNOW their stuff. I've asked their advice on several situations (for instance, painting over 1970s picture frame paneling) and they have never steered me wrong.

[jenmcadams]

We've used Behr, SW, Ralph Lauren and Benjamin Moore. Once we tried the Benjamin Moore we've never gone back to any of the other brands. I can't remember what finish we get (they have 4 to choose from) though. It's not shiny but not quite matte either.

One of the other reasons I *heart* Benjamin Moore is that it's a locally owned mom and pop store. The guys who work there KNOW their stuff. I've asked their advice on several situations (for instance, painting over 1970s picture frame paneling) and they have never steered me wrong.

I agree with this...my DH is the painter in our family and says BM is worth every penny

[KpbS]

We did a SW semi-gloss throughout. I love that I can clean the walls as needed. It doesn't look shiny to me (nothing like a high gloss). With kids--esp. boys I wanted to be prepared for the worst ;)

[wencit]

Another vote for Benjamin Moore Aura. We just painted DS's entire room a couple weeks ago, and I thought we'd have to go over it twice since the previous owner had the room done in a really bright yellow. I was wrong. Only one coat needed and went on super easy, according to my husband. We'd do it again in a heartbeat (but hopefully we won't need to!).

ETA: Oh, it was also extremely low VOC paint, which was a thumbs up in my book. With our previous paint swatches (different brands), the room smelled so terrible, it nearly gave me a headache. But with the Aura, I could barely smell the fumes in there hours after DH had finished painting, and the smell was completely gone after a day or so.

[kcimato]

I agree with Corie. Ben Moore Aura paint is awesome. I have it in my bedroom and Master bath. The other rooms are next. The Matte finish is nice and is a step up from flat but down one from eggshell. I used eggshell and it isn't too shiny. Aura has a Affinity color deck and all the paints coordinate with each other. You can also get their other colors mixed in Aura. The Aura will cover in one coat but 2 looks better IMHO. There is also a learning curve to use this paint if you are going to do it yourself.

[lmintzer]

Another vote for Benjamin Moore. : )

Here's a quick tip--make sure you prime with a good quality primer if what is on your walls is builder-grade paint. A lot of people (even so-called professional painters) will just paint over it. You'll never get a good finish that way. If you prime first, you'll be so much happier! You could go with Benjamin Moore's Aura or there Regal in the scrubbable matte finish.

Good luck. (I have the worst time picking paint colors, too. I've been thinking about painting my DR for more than a year and still haven't decided for sure on a color.)

[SnuggleBuggles]

Most of the professional painters I have talked to use SW. I haven't tried it yet. I did try some Benjamin Moore and thought it was quite good. Did I think it was fantastically better that the Olympic or Valspar that you can get at HD or Lowe's? Not really. We used the highest grade Valspar in many of the rooms here and have had fine experiences. We are painting our drm soon and plan to try SW though just to see what all the fuss is about. :)

ETA- I have embraced eggshell finish. I used to like satin but the eggshell cleans easily but isn't shiny.

I also have a million color swatches on my dining room walls. I took a picture of them with my camera and narrowed things down after seeing them that way. It helped bring out some details in the colors.

Beth

[jenmcadams]

There is also a learning curve to use this paint if you are going to do it yourself.

I just wanted to reiterate that Aura can be a pain to work with. We've always been happy with the paint that's one step down from Aura, but we did use Aura for two bright red walls in my DS' room and it was a little harder to work with than the standard BM paint. Once we got the hang of it, it worked great, but there is definitely a learning curve

[Rainbows&Roses]

We have been doing tons of research because we are painting the exterior of our house. For that job, we have seen mostly sherwin williams being recommended. For indoor, the consensus has been the Benjamin Moore is the best.

[baymom]

One more vote for Benjamin Moore Aura! Our entire house is in a Benjamin Moore Aura paint as well. In addition to holding up well, I really liked that it didn't really smell much at all while the painters were painting, like some other brands do.

[daniele_ut]

If you want a flat finish that you can scrub, then Benjamin Moore Aura is the only one. It is expensive, though. I priced it at $48 a gallon.

Generally with other brands of flat paint the way you clean up is by touching up with more paint. You get no sheen and it hides imperfections. With semigloss you can scrub, but you will see every defect in the drywall and you can't touch up with more paint in small sections because you will see a difference. We settled in the middle with eggshell.

We painted every room on our main floor when we moved in and used Valspar Signature colors from Lowes. In all the rooms where we did 2 coats it is holding up well. I really didn't like how it went on the wall as I was painting. I truly hate the premixed semi-gloss white we used on the trim. It didn't cover well at all and was really thick. We weren't really done in the kitchen and only did one coat in there and it is trashed after a few months. I just picked up 2 gallons of Benjamin Moore Prescott Green to repaint the kitchen if I ever get the window trim done.

[american_mama]

Can someone say what qualities make for a good versus bad brand of paint, in your opinion? For instance, I believe that some paints are thicker, which some people like for.... why? And some are thinner, which I would guess goes on easier but splatters more, maybe? What other pros and cons do different brands have?

I have only worked with Lowe's Valspar and Olympic brand, so my sample is small. The Lowe's semigloss is very glossy, so I guess level of gloss varies by brand. Other than that, I thought both were fine and would be hard-pressed to say anything more about them. But I'd like to know what I might be missing...

[o_mom]

Can someone say what qualities make for a good versus bad brand of paint, in your opinion? For instance, I believe that some paints are thicker, which some people like for.... why? And some are thinner, which I would guess goes on easier but splatters more, maybe? What other pros and cons do different brands have?

I have only worked with Lowe's Valspar and Olympic brand, so my sample is small. The Lowe's semigloss is very glossy, so I guess level of gloss varies by brand. Other than that, I thought both were fine and would be hard-pressed to say anything more about them. But I'd like to know what I might be missing...


I think coverage, how well it goes on, how well it cleans and how it looks when it dries, even several years later if it has faded, etc.

I haven't found much difference in coverage between SW and Behr - I know others say they did. I did two rooms with SW at our old house - one in a light green and one in a darker beige. Then I did two rooms at my sister's in dark blue and cranberry. All of them needed two coats to look good. There were thin spots or dots showing through with just one coat. Additonally, the SW was very unforgiving of re-brushing or rolling. If you noticed a thin spot or drip even just a few minutes later, you could not re-roll it without a noticable roll mark when it dried.

We didn't have any fading with either brand. I touched up rooms when we sold and you couldn't see it at all.

Both washed well, but we used a satin or eggshell, not a true flat.

ETA: I found that using quality brushes and rollers made more difference than the paint type. We used Purdy brushes and I think those are the rollers we used as well. Not sure on the rollers... they were the white ones at Home Depot - I could find them again, but don't remember the brand for sure.