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Interior wall paint brands and thoughts

Benjamin Moore Aura

As for brushes it seems like Purdy, Wooster, or Corona all work well or I'm just not skilled enough to have a preference.

I've only painted my house once but we did the exterior (Stucco) and complete interior.

BM store was awesome to deal with and the paint covered nearly twice as much as my neighbors who used a lower quality paint.
I noticed that as well. I jsut painted my neighbors house and priced it based on estimating from prior experience with SW. Bought BM and used about half what I estimated so I put a lot more in my pocket. $$$ not paint.
 
So I am slated to close on my fiancé and I’s first house on Monday and we want to repaint all the interior walls as they’re currently uglier than sin. We did some looking at Home Depot for some colors but I’m not sure how I feel about Behr or PPG. I have a Sherwin Williams next to the house we are in right now and was thinking about checking out their options and colors.

Those of you that have painted your homes, what paint brands have you used, what did you like or dislike about them and the experience over the years or months since painting with them? I want to do this once and while I don’t need a contractor grade paint, I also don’t want to hate my life while painting our home.

I appreciate any thoughts, experiences, and opinions on the matter!
I’ve had really good results with Sherwin Williams cashmere line. Rolls on smooth and even and leaves a great finish
 
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+1 on Benjamin Moore. As noted above, semi-gloss in bathrooms - wipes easier. Also, eggshell is better than matte on the walls, especially in small - medium sized rooms, as it reflects more light.

Have you had a professional consultation? It's free! There's a BM retailer in Boulder, here:


Think this location is closest to you, but there are others around metro Denver. Free samples, really knowledgeable staff (I can get you a name, LMK and I can dig it up, since I've used them) and great advice on color selection, etc.
 
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We had a small fire at the pad and had to repaint everything. Contractor told us to go with Benjamin Moore. It’s expensive, but seriously huge diff in texture and depth.
Really worth it.
 
Did my place up on the high tier Baer, this was in a place with a major climate, held up great
 
Flat bright white for ceilings, hides imperfections by killing the reflection. Get the stuff with primer in it and the pink tint that disappears.
 
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Use to work at SW and can tell you that most house paint formulations from different brands are pretty similar.

As you increase from eggshell to satin you actually are increasing the amount of resin or reducing the amount of filler to change the resin to filler ratio. That is why you can clean it easier (less or no chaulking) and it is also why satin cost a little more than eggshell.

Also, some of the more premium paints are not as forgiving in terms of application and you can screw it up quite easily. I prefer SW cashmere as it has a pretty relaxed application window. I used A-100 (overkill for interior) for the ceilings because I had leftover paint.

If you plan on using any sort of caulking compound and want to paint it you need to make sure it is paintable which usually describes the type of resin used for the formulation (latex). Use sealants if movement is expected or use caulk if just filling a hole or no movement is expected (they are different).

Follow the instructions on the can for prep and application.
 
I have renovated two homes and painted dozens of rooms across several more. I've probably used every brand at every price level. I've never been unhappy with any of them - or unexpectedly impressed with any of them either.

My last GF was "artistic" and would only buy from Sherwin Williams. As I was the one doing the remodeling work, I was in Home Depot every day, and compared prices of the paint she was buying to what I would have chosen, and had used previously. I personally don't "get it", and every can I have in my current home came from Home Depot. No regrets.

Unless you're buying from Dollar General, I don't think you can go wrong..
Asking about paint is almost like starting an oil thread.

If you did it for a living you wouldn't say what you said.
It's hard to beat Benny Moore or SWP Pro-Mar.
When you are painting several home a week it makes all the difference in the world to understand time is money and so are solids.
 
I prefer eggshell to satin. Even in the bathrooms and kitchen.

Definitely want a semi-gloss or better in any area that has consistent moisture or if you want to clean the walls.

If people want to read up on it, look up filler to binder (resin) ratio or even pigment to binder ratio. Essentially as you decrease the amount of resin in a formulation while holding pigment/filler constant you decrease the amount of resin surrounding the filler particles which can lead to chalking/washout from water.

It's also why you get the glossy look as you are forming an apical layer of resin which is reflective.
 
I'm curious how many career paint experts we have on this forum. There has only been 1 post where the guy has formal experience with paint. After that, we all are just giving our opinions.
 
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I'm curious how many career paint experts we have on this forum. There has only been 1 post where the guy has formal experience with paint. After that, we all are just giving our opinions.
I did it professionally for 6 years during the off months from my normal job.
Made dam good money doing it until the illegals came in and started working for nothing.
 
I'm curious how many career paint experts we have on this forum. There has only been 1 post where the guy has formal experience with paint. After that, we all are just giving our opinions.
I worked for two different paint companies. The first was Buten Paint and Wallpaper the second was DURON Paints. Buten sold out to DURON. I was a manager at both places. Buten was geared towards retail customers which made getting side jobs easier. DURON was geared towards contractors, but I was still able to get side jobs. I left DURON in 98, after 5 years in the industry, and a few years after the owner passed his son sold the business to SWP. I am glad I have a different career now for sure.
 
il_794xN.2566737742_8thm.jpg

who don't love that cammo look
il_340x270.3355999535_l230.jpg

in the bathroom it makes a lot of sense when you miss the can no one will see it ... lol ship lap looks sort of good or wood paneling for that almost a log cabin feel .
Wall+Paneling.jpg
 
Out number one best bang for the buck on interior paint is Valspar signature from lowes. Especially the eggshell for walls - more of a matte finish really- good coverage , washable, much better price than most offerings from SW -
Take the above free advice for what you paid for it but we’ve used 1000’s of gallons of the stuff and it’s a sleeper deal that is on par with Anyones top tier product . Top tier not Premium lines. Some things call for a premium line - but often the extra expense of “premium “ isn’t worth the squeeze- a fuller bodied paint- thicker - more pigment - that you’ll have to add water to to get it to roll out well.
And remember also in the residential paint world there are 5-6 refineries in the US that make all paint and some refineries that occasionally make a run of paint and those brews and sold to various distributors who then sell it to various companies who throw their label and price tag on the can.

So inside a standard residential home - Valspar Signature at $38 a gallon does everything just as well as a gallon of SW Cashmere or emerald at $70-80 a gallon - with the exception of maybe fade resistance- one may fade a little more over the course of 20 years depending on amount of sun light and humidity vs the $80 a gallon premium stuff- unless you have to thin- add water to the premium paint to get it to lay out even while rolling - which you do.
 
Painting contractors and related painters get a great discount from SherWill, BenMoore, PPG, etc paint stores and then mark up the paint so they can make a nice margin on the paint- that's why most if not all of the painters in the above jobs recommend SW, BM, and PPG paints- it's a beneficial relationship.

Behr paints (HD) and Valspar paints (Lowe's) don't offer that same business relationship to painters- hence their dislike of it. But they're great paints.

Objective, scientific testing of paints for durability, fading, chalking, peeling, etc., show very good performance from Behr paints.

ETA: Behr isn't the only good paint- the mid level and up paints from SW, BM, PPG, Valspar, are also very good. Also, paint stores offer credit to painters.
 
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The KEY to a great paint job is good prep work of all surfaces, followed by the appropriate primer (tinted to color if recommended by Mfr). Then one or two coats of a very good paint. If painting exteriors, the weather matters!
 
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Painting contractors and related painters get a great discount from SherWill, BenMoore, PPG, etc paint stores and then mark up the paint so they can make a nice margin on the paint- that's why most if not all of the painters in the above jobs recommend SW, BM, and PPG paints- it's a beneficial relationship.

Behr paints (HD) and Valspar paints (Lowe's) don't offer that same business relationship to painters- hence their dislike of it. But they're great paints.

Objective, scientific testing of paints for durability, fading, chalking, peeling, etc., show very good performance from Behr paints.

Not true. Behr paints are like thick honey, where SW is a lightweight, heavy pigment paint. Homeowners want a one coat paint. Meaning they want to get done ASAP where a professional painter will always apply 2 or 3 coats. Behr and it's like, paints are almost like plastering your color onto the surface. I'm not a painter, I hate to paint, but I will pay a painter good money to do the job correctly. I wouldn't put Behr paint on an outhouse. Quality cost you money, Behr is far from quality paint.
 
Anyone remember these paints? MAB out of Philly. Finnaren & Haley (now Haley) out of West Philly then and now Allentown. Muralo.
 
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When opening a new can or bucket, most of the brands mentioned in this thread have very similar consistencies within their price point/competitor's level. Of course mixing in additives like Floetrol or Japan Drier will change the consistency.
 
Grew up with Benjamin Moore. Here though, I couldn't get the time of day from the folks. Went with Sherwin Williams and haven't looked back. Easy to work with and for my corporate account they sent a guy out to compute the amount of paint my painter would need, helped narrow down the color, etc. The Benjamin Moore folks at least where I live are awful - so much so, the one store closed in the busiest area of town for home building.

I'd have preferred Benjamin Moore, but frankly, the Sherwin Williams paint has been good. Very forgiving even for a noob like myself. Sadly, I ran out of time and hired half the house done by a rather experienced painter which looks like one would expect a noob to paint, vs what I painted that looks like a seasoned pro.

But, like anything...prep work is key. I had dry walls (even though I was painting over), and it took more paint than it should have (2 to 3 passes). In hindsight, I would prime the walls and then do a single coat of color.
 
SW owns Valspar. When I was there we were going through formulas and consolidating.
 
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Benjamin Moore Aura. Excellent coverage and durable. I painted my entire house with it. It’s pricey but was worth it to me. Go with the matte finish. It’s easier to touch up if you need to. I used mostly eggshell and when I had to do some touch up I ended up painting the entire wall.

Congrats on the house.
Benny Moore is the gold standard. If you cant get that use Sherwin Williams.
 
Benjamin Moore Aura

As for brushes it seems like Purdy, Wooster, or Corona all work well or I'm just not skilled enough to have a preference.

I've only painted my house once but we did the exterior (Stucco) and complete interior.

BM store was awesome to deal with and the paint covered nearly twice as much as my neighbors who used a lower quality paint.
Yep, I had the same experience. I estimated by coverage I had gotten with SW. The Benjamin Moore used 1/3 less and great texture, applies well, covers in one coat. You tend to get what you pay for.
 
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SW owns Valspar. When I was there we were going through formulas and consolidating.
I treid Valspar. Once. Wouldnt buy it for an outhouse.

BM costs a bit more but its well worth it.
 
I treid Valspar. Once. Wouldnt buy it for an outhouse.

BM costs a bit more but its well worth it.

They had some good and bad formulas. One of the worse was for a rain repellant which only had 3% silicone resin....which didn't do shit lol. The mark up on it made me laugh, that one got thrown in the heap.
 
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Go to the closest Benjamin Moore store, not one like Ace that just stocks a bit of it, but a factory store, and you wont need to go any further.
 
Go to the closest Benjamin Moore store, not one like Ace that just stocks a bit of it, but a factory store, and you wont need to go any further.
Same with Sherwin Williams. (But not Home Depot/Lowe’s) SW has lesser and higher quality paints. I use the Emerald when I paint, and I’ve been satisfied with it. Keep an eye out, SW quite often has 30-40% off coupons. It makes a big difference when you’re paying $70 a gallon.
 
Same with Sherwin Williams. (But not Home Depot/Lowe’s) SW has lesser and higher quality paints. I use the Emerald when I paint, and I’ve been satisfied with it. Keep an eye out, SW quite often has 30-40% off coupons. It makes a big difference when you’re paying $70 a gallon.

If you know a contractor or employee of SW you can get a nice discount.

As Hulka stated, Emerald is a great coating but I would suggest cashmere (less stringent and finicky in terms of application). They may have changed the formulation since I departed from the lab but cashmere was always easier application wise for non-professionals. However, if you do everything properly then Emerald is a really nice coating.
 
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