Faron,
Thank you for your info. The spec's are for BM Regal Aquavelvet, Aqua Pearl, Regal First coat interior primer, Moorcraft "super spec' alkyd enamal underbody, Moorcraft Alkyd enamel semi-gloss for the various surfaces. Have read a lot on this site about Farrow and Ball, but looked it up and it's $70/gallon!
SBNC

Are the top levels of most lines fairly equivalent? One painter likes Duron better because he says it touches up better.

Thanks for the help.

1st...Sorry I transposed your Monikers' letters...my "lys-dexia" must've kicked-in there!!!

I hope Michael chimes-in here for the BM comments...
* However, Architect is spec-ing Moorcraft ALKYDS S/G? & primer!?!?!
* Nowadays, there's no valid reason for an Interior Oil.
* If this is for just "ordinary" trims and wall use, I'd be nixing the Oils in a hurry!
* If the intention is for Oils to be used on shelving or "built-in" type of units, I'd STILL opt instead for the Cabinet-Coat (Insl-X), ACE Cabinet & Trim, or similiar "leveling" Oil/Latex hybrids. The ACE version is a REAL-LOW VOC product. These are from ~ $28/gal to $40 for the CC.

Top-Lines' equivalency...
>>> Every brand has its unique properties...
>>> Many painters get TOO hung-up on "touch-up-ability".
>>> There's much more to living with a paint than how it touches-up!

What kinds of sheens are slated for Kitchen & Bath areas??

Look up your paints "Percent Volume Solids" rating.
* Highest quality levels end up in the mid-30's to a little over 40%.
* For example, our C2-lines' PVC% are...
Matte=43%, Eggshell=41%, Satin=39%, Semi-Gloss=37%.
* These are the kind of %'s you'll see in the Top-level paints.
* Low-level lines are often in the low-20% range.

Bottom-line: The higher the PVC%, the more Solids you're leaving on the wall....

Faron

If it was my new house, the only thing that would touch those newbie walls would be Ben Moore's Aura and it's $55 a gallon pretty much no matter what. It'd be worth it. Totally worth it.

What I dislike is the orange peel, slight texture that you get with the cheap paints. The better the grade, the less you get of this effect.

Muralo's Ultra Ceramic would be another one I'd consider -- don't know if you can get it or not.

It's all about the final finish. You can see it. Cheap paint in flat looks cheap. Aura or the Muralo Ultra Ceramic is a marked difference. F&B is a great high-end choice too, but it can be a pain to obtain and it is 70 bucks a gallon.

The ACE brand that Faron mentions is a great suggestion too. Very nice finish. But again, if the walls have never been painted, I would so go with Aura or Muralo Ultra Ceramic.

Faron is correct about painters hyper-focusing on touch-up-ability. It's almost ridiculous and can totally be used as an excuse to use cheap paint in a flat finish. Super Spec anything wouldn't get near my new house, I detest that stuff.

It's your new house, I just can not emphasize enough that you need to fight for and invest in the very best grade of paint that you can muster. In a new house low VOC matters. You can see and feel the difference between a cheap paint on your walls and the good stuff.

Primer. Walls.

I recommend you prime the walls with Benjamin Moore Fresh Start acrylic primer. The only exception would be is if the walls have a lot of imperfections due to poor quality drywall finishing. If so, I recommend the high build primer at Sherwin Williams.

Finish. Walls.

I also recommend the Aura paint. The matte finish is one of the nicest finishes I've used in a long time. Whether dark or light colors, Aura is your best choice.

If you have access to Muralo, then the Ultra Ceramic Matte is another fine choice.

The two finishes above will leave no roller stipple when applied professionally.

Primer. Millwork/Trim

The Sherwin Williams PrepRite Classic primer is ideal for new millwork/raw wood. It's sandable, has good body to it, and holds the sheen much better than most other acrylic primers. I also question the need for alkyd underbody. Perhaps the architect has not investigated other sources of primers.

Finish. Millwork/wood

I recommend two products for best appearance and durability. Sherwin Williams Pro Classic (semi-gloss) or Muralo Ultra (satin). The reason for the different sheens is because Pro Classic semi-gloss is similar to most other satin sheens.

Benjamin Moore offers Satin Impervo. That would be my third choice if the other two were not readily available.

Be your own boss here. Demand the quality and products you prefer. Any painter or contractor who resists your requests isn't the best person for the job.

Michael

Thank you to Faron79, funcolors, and Michael. Your advice is very appreciated. If you will tolerate a couple more questions:

1. Why no oil based for trim?

2. The guy at the BM store said if we use Aura, no primer is needed. If a primer isn't needed when do you do the point up of the drywall? Michael I noticed you still recommended primer even if using Aura.

3. Is there an "easy" way to estimate the number of gallons based on the square footage of the house, without figuring out each room?

4. We will be using a combination of MDF for window casing trim and a pre-primed clear pine for the base and door casing. The reason for the pre-primed is to get the interior trim back-primed for extra moisture barrier. I know the factory priming for the face won't be sufficient,but wondered if different priming products should be used for MDF vs wood.

I looked up Muralo, there is a hardware store about 30 miles away that carries it. Would a hardware store typically have the ability to mix the colors?

Thanks again to all of the advice.

1) No Oils because:
* Light colors WILL yellow over time.
* VOC's are at least DOUBLE an average Latex is.
* They are soon gonna be extinct.
* In MOST performance areas, high-quality Latexes are now superior.

2)If you meant priming sheetrock...absolutely have to prime sheetrock, even for Aura.

3) Michael has a formula I think...?!

4) You're good on primer if following recommendations above for both "wood" types. You're very correct on the need to re-prime the face for new paint!

Hardware store: If you meant...Can they match colors into Muralo...they SHOULD be able to! If they carry it, they have the formula's/colorants.

Faron

All the painters we've interviewed say BM stores are independently owned, therefore can't get quantities larger than 1 gallon and very little discount to painters, that BM is mainly used to redecorate rooms.

Those are interesting comments. "Mainly used to redecorate rooms" is a silly thing to say. Ben Moore paints are used for paint jobs of all sizes up to and including industrial and commercial.

If you've talked to someone at the Ben Moore store and they are carrying Aura, I would guess it's not a small, independent, Mom & Pop type Ben Moore paint store with limited capabilities. They are carrying Aura, that hints to some volume and capacity for having a clue about what's new and up-to-date.

I don't think Aura comes in 5 gallon buckets. Even if the store doesn't do 5's at all, so what. Buying paint in single gallons might be less convenient for the painter to work with, but since there's not much of a discount (apparently) anyway it really shouldn't matter outside of being less convenient. You're paying for the paint so what's it to them. Something isn't adding up here in the painter's story.

A painter should be able to tell you how much paint and primer is needed. That's their job and it can be different for every painter. Some guys do two full coats and some others do two fffuuuulll coats -- they all paint differently. It's my opinion that no one can make the call about how much paint better than the guy doing the painting cause he knows how he paints. Make sense? It's not your job to determine how much paint is needed.

I would agree about priming the new drywall for Aura. Although I know of one new house where they did not. Not surprised that's what the Ben Moore store told you. The whole thing with Aura is that it doesn't require primer and no more than two coats - so what else would the store say, KWIM. That's why you need a good painter. If you had a good painter, he'd tell you to prime before Aura and why. Luckily, you have the guys here for input and second opinion.

Again, if it were my new house and my money going to pay for the gallons of Aura, the walls would be primed first.

Working mainly with the uber brands of paint, I can't tell you how many painters don't understand. Just this week, I spec'd Aura for a dining room and the painter keeps referring to it as "that fancy stuff". Even after he uses it and even if he thinks it's a great product, he will never be able to get past the fact that it's $55 a gallon. Stuck. In a rut. Will never see the light.

Good luck with the project.

sbnc,

Yes. I use primer on all bare substrates (and repaints if more than 3 years old), especially when promoting high quality paints (which I always use).
Why? Primer seals the surface so you don't lose any sheen (by absorption) and then the paint adheres to the primer, not the drywall.

So, if you want your money's worth and the true value (not the hardware store) of Aura to shine through, prime those walls!

Warning. Pre-primed millwork is usually finger-jointed. Ask questions. The main reason it's primed is because it's ugly and won't sell. :)

Ask if poplar wood is an option.

Why no oil on trim? The real question is, Why oil on trim? Answer. It's not required and it does not provide a better finish than 100% Acrylic Latex finishes, especially the waterborne finishes like Aura, Muralo, Impervo, Pro Classic.

Trust me, I am a Republican.:) SW PrepRite Classic Primer will do a better job.

Michael