Need suggestions from users, not sellers, about paint brands.

12 years ago

I have long been an enthusiastic fan of Benjamin Moore paints. We recently had a couple rooms painted by a pro who complained about the paint. It was the new Regal formula and I thought he was grumpy because he usually uses Sherwin Williams and I insisted on the Ben Moore. However, I decided to paint a hallway myself and bought Ben Moore Regal formula. It did not cover well at all. I am extremely disappointed since a few years ago we insisted our exterior painters use the Ben Moore and I was so happy with how much better it held up compared to the previously used Sherwin Williams. We are getting ready to paint the exterior and I am in a quandary about what paint to use. The Ben Moore retained its color and stability so well before, but the interior Ben Moore had previously been wonderful too. Opinions on brands of paint? The pictures show the utility room which required 2 coats of Ben Moore on new walls which were white. I think old formula would have covered with 1. Recommendations?

Featured Answer

bittymonkey

12 years ago

I just used BM Regal on a room we repainted. I feel like we got good saturation on each coat. We needed two coats because the wall was gray underneath (BM revere, ha!). There is a newer, highest end line called Aura. We are going to use that for the kitchen, but again you need two coats to cover anything that isn't white underneath. I don't think I've ever, ever been able to get away with one coat of interior paint. Or maybe I just don't like the way it looks.

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Comments (10)

PRO
PPF.
12 years ago
Like Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams is a paint company, not a paint. Both make different grades of paint. Both companies still make good paints, you just need to pay for them.
PRO
User
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
I like and use Sherwin - Williams. They are a paint and coatings manufacturer. I also like Clark and Kensington but I have only used it once. Benny Moore goes on nicely but does not cover very well in my experience.
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baggie2
Original Author
12 years ago
I have sent for swatches from Farrow and Ball. Any experience with that brand? BTW, the pink paint was painted over a new wall with a white undercoat. My painter said the Regal was supposed to have a base coat in it and still did not cover well. Don't have much personal experience with paints so, sorry I didn't know that Sherwin Williams was a company and not interchangeable with a paint. : (.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
12 years ago
I love F& B it has so much more pigment than other paint you can even feel thr difference in weight when you compare cans. The only thing you need to remember is to paint in the way that is directed on the can not your usual "w" thing and back and forth it goes on like a dream.
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
12 years ago
We did a kitchen earlier this year and for the first time used BM Regal paint. We were very disappointed. The painters had to put on 3 coats (sprayed) to get coverage. We have decided not to use it again. We also generally use Sherwin Williams. For walls we use their Cashmere line and for trim we use the ProClassic.
Melissa Freeman
12 years ago
A
lagwagonshow
12 years ago
Always plan 2 coats, interior or exterior, regardless of the existing color. Some paint salesman may tell you different, but those guys are chumps. (Don't throw rollers! Not all paint salesmen are chumps, just the ones selling BS about their superior coverage.)

Paint goes on fast, it's the prep that gets ya - 2 coats is not much extra work, just twice as much paint.
PRO
User
12 years ago
Let me explain you this one about Sherwin-Williams.

They have various levels of quality in paint. In the Promar series, the higher the number, the lesser the quality, so Promar 400 is a more value oriented paint while Promar 200 is your top coat. I have used Emerald, which is their paint + primer, SuperPaint and Promar 200 as well as exterior Duration. Duration is very thick and I put one coat on my exterior trim. I intend to do another one once I have it all up. It's been several years since I painted and it still looks good(I did back primer everything).
baggie2
Original Author
12 years ago
Final on paints. Just finished having the house exterior painted. We have a brick house, but wide overhang, a peak, a small front porch, and many windows so we used a total of 7 gallons. I was determined, as you probably deduced, to use Ben Moore since I formerly had excellent results with it. Our painters were very disappointed with the coverage so after we ran out of the 4 gallons I had purchased, they purchased Sherwin Williams Super Paint in the same colors and were happier with the results. They still had to apply 2-3 coats in certain areas, but they did a great job! Thank you all for the help. I have learned.