You won't be able to have either SW or Ben Moore match an Ellen Kennon color because she uses full spectrum.

I had SW Cashmere base paint used in our new house and it's nice paint. Contractors like SW because they have a much larger discount to pros then BM does. Where it would cost me almost $50 to buy a gallon of Cashmere, my painter got it for 40% off retail (and passed all the saving on to us). Ben Moore discount would have been only 10%, so try to make sure you don't get charged retail for it.

Well I certainly like to save money!
Is there just a world of difference between the Kennon paint and SW? One feature I like is if you purchase the Kennon samples - you get a phone paint consultation with Ellen Kennon - however you get charged for the consult if you don't buy her paint after that. (I'm talking about interior paint here).

If you want to save real money and get a top rated paint - consider Behr from Home Depot. It has been rated #1 by Consumers Report. I have had them match colors perfectly dozens of times. Painters frown on Behr because they like getting a 'premium' (in THEIR pocket) by using BM or SW.

Some people swear by her paints and others don't. If you do a search on the forum...EK paint ot Ellen Kennon paint...you will find a lot of opinions.

I was answering under the assumption that SW is all your contractor will use.

Thanks! Didn't know there was such a forum.

I meant the Garden Web forum search. At the bottom of the page where we list our questions, type in EK paint and check the all forum box. That way you can see what they said on the decorating site also.

I realized what you meant right after I left that message...so much for not sounding like a ding dong!

The way I understand it (I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong), Ellon Kennon does not have her own paint. The paint is from ICI. It is not full spectrum. The paint is made from standard UTC's, which are colorants used to tint any paint. All she does is call or fax the formula into the paint store to make the color. ICI paint quality is on par with SW and BM as long as you stay at the top of their line. So really all you are getting from Ellon Kennon is her color selection service, no?

Also, after using Behr today because that is what the customer had on hand, I can officially maintain that Home Depot must be bribing Consumer Reports to rank Behr #1 every year. I do not get more money in my pocket by using BM or SW. Actually, the opposite is true. Behr is cheaper than SW and BM so if I used Behr all the time I would come out ahead. Behr is cheaper because the ingredients in the paint are cheaper. Basically, chalk is cheaper than titanium dioxide. Sure you are paying more for the BM name, but painters get actual service at their BM store or at Sherwin Williams. Service is huge for a contractor trying to run a successful business. There are people working inside the store that actually have knowledge about paint and the painting industry. What kind of service are you getting from Home Depot?

paintguy, you are right about her paint being mixed at ICI stores. The way I understand it (I'm not an expert, where is funcolors when you need her? LOL) is that EK has ICI mix her formulas in full spectrum. No black but all the other colorants added to make the eventual paint color.

Also, after using Behr today because that is what the customer had on hand, I can officially maintain that Home Depot must be bribing Consumer Reports to rank Behr #1 every year.

YES!
Behr is cheaper because the ingredients in the paint are cheaper.
YES!
after using Behr today because that is what the customer had on hand,

So,how did that go? You really don't have to answer,I have a good idea.

It's okay to have favorite brands to work with - even for professional painters. They're allowed just like the rest of us, so I'm not so sure it's all about tweaking the margins in order to squeeze a few bucks out of their clients. Even with the very best discounts, you can't run a paint business on the extra few bucks you might be able skim off retail for a can of paint - it's just doesn't add up to that much when you price it out per square foot.

Sure gallon to gallon, there's an obvious price difference, but you have to be careful to compare more than just price per gallon because there is more to the "paint brands" story than just price per gallon.

If a painter, like Chris, dislikes Behr and has to use it for some reason, I'm sure they do the best they can. However, odds are that you're going to get a better paint job overall if you can manage to keep the painter happy and his paint brand of preference on his brush. If there is easy access to several brands, it might be worth it to insist simply on best grade possible and let the painter make the call on brand. For an exterior, I ALWAYS let the painter make the call on product.

Luckily, among BenM, ICI and SW as long as you stay with the better grades, as paintguy mentioned, you're gonna be just fine.

Paintguy is spot-on correct about the EK colors. EK formula with ICI product and EK color services; I am partial to the Lifemaster in Eggshell. Aura has been going on very well and is in the top spot for me from BenM and from SW you just can't beat Super Paint for a value priced can of paint (especially on sale) but I also like Duration particularly for exterior.

Many different opinions to be had. It comes down to a good fit for painting skilz, convenience to obtain the product and budget.

ICI and EK happens to be a very good fit for me and what I do. If the color aspect of the paint/color equation is of more importance to you, then it's a little different discussion.

If you are flexible on color as in "close enough is good enough", then your brand options are wide open. If you have specific expectations for a paint color, then sometimes you are better off buying your color in its respective brand -- it becomes more about quality of color with the assumption that quality color only comes mixed in quality paint. Depends on how you choose to look at the big picture.

Hi Guys!
I'll just throw my little blurb about C2 Paints in here!
NICE stuff to use...IF you're near a dealer...
Even though we go thru hundreds & hundreds of ACE-Royal gallons, once I started using C2...well, it's hard to go back to ACE!

The ICI "name" will soon be fading away. Akzo-Nobel, who makes the Sikkens line of Stains, etc., acquired ICI over the winter.
* This spring, AN announced the "ICI" name will be dropped.
* Sooooo, all the ICI-brands (Glidden, Ralph-Lauren, Devoe, etc.) are now under Akzo-Nobels umbrella.
* Product won't change I'm sure, but now, EK's formulas will be faxed to an "Akzo-Nobel" store!

Color-matching....hmmmm....
I'll just say that be prepared to wait, and to check the dried color-match!!!
Some matches are very close the 1st time....
Others....aren't! Then comes the PITA tweaking!!
(and we have 3 good scanners!!)

Faron

What is your opinion of Restoration Hardware paints?
TIA!
Tina

For what it's worth, we used Behr Premium Plus Ultra to paint our aluminum siding, kitchen, downstairs stairway and hall and are very satisfied with the results.

We went to a much lighter shade inside and it still only took one coat to cover the walls with texture on them. I thought for sure it would need two coats but it didn't.

The siding we went slightly darker from white to a light peach/beige color but it covered some darker areas very well where the original finish was almost gone. There was also a spot that worried me on one corner where my wife's father once (sloppily) stained the gate to the backyard. There was stain all over one corner that couldn't be cleaned off for love nor money but the paint covered it right up. I used two coats outside but before I did the second coat my neighbor thought I already had.

Our first experience with Behr paints was positive. "Bear" in mind this was their "premium" line, so I can't speak for their lower grade paints. I would at least rate the Premium Plus Ultra worth the money. If you could have seen our siding before being painted you would know why.

I for one have no problem paying for better paint. The saying goes and always holds true, you get what you pay for. When it comes to something that you would want to last for some time it's best not to skimp, and I would have to say that applies to anything.

Restoration Hardware paints are the highest quality interior wall paints I have used at any price. As long as you like the color, I see no reason to use anything else. $42 /gal is not completely unreasonable for high quality paint.

We are painting our house and our painter told us to use whatever we like--we buy the paint. In the past we used Martin Senour b/c they make the Williamsburg colors we like. Now I think anyone could color match so we can use ANY brand. If you were painting your exterior (no shade, two sides taking direct sun)--what would you use? I was leaning toward SW Duration but then read a few things about mold--probably not a problem since we're in the sun, but still made me nervous. What would you use?
Many thanks.
Tricia

Tricia, I wouldn't be so certain that the Williamsburg exterior colors will cross over to other brands perfectly, exactly, spot-on. I know that palette medium well, not super well. The colors are wonderful and I can see why you are drawn to them. This might be one of those instances where color quality and accuracy are priority and sticking with the color's original brand might be the easiest for everyone involved.

You could always get sample quarts in the brands you want to try and see how they work. I don't believe you can get quarts of ext. Duration at all SW stores. I wasn't aware of any issues with mold & Duration, curious about that.

...painted our entire home (12 rooms) with Behr paints and had NO problem at all. I am NOT a painter. It went on effortlessly, covereage was fine and its holding up great after a year. I have no doubt SW and the like are fine paints but I can not help but think you are paying for a name. Professionals will want to use SW, BM etc etc. They can then charge you $35 a gallon while they then get it at good discount. Their markup is their gain. Do what you want but if you have a lot of rooms to paint I suggest taking the smallest and trying Behr. If you do not like it you have only watsed a few hours time. If you do, you saved maybe hundreds.

Good luck.

Like I said before, I'd be really surprised if any painter anywhere was pocketing a significant amount of money due to their discount from a professional paint store. To a great extent the accusation, suggestion is ridiculous.

The MAJORITY of the cost of hiring a painter is the LABOR - not the paint.

When someone is charging for their labor, you are paying for their skill and their TIME.

TIME is important and has a lot to do with why so many professional painters prefer to rely on the relationships they've built with trusted professional paint store staff.

Dealing with the staff at a big box paint counter can be a time-wasting, money-costing, frustratring experience. It's too expensive to take the chance that some idiot from lawn-n-garden who's had a days training "mixing paint" will be at the counter.

So in addition to many pro painters disliking Behr paint per se, it is also a matter of competent, consistent and reliable service.

The reason why DIYers are better off at a real paint store are similar. The guy from lawn-n-garden probably isn't the best person to answer questions and give advice.

If all you're doing is comparing the cost of one gallon to another, then there are a ton of options like the Behr experience. Valspar from Lowe's, Kilz from Wal-Mart, etc.

Funcolors, or anyone else who wants to chime in, our painter starts on Wednesday. Kitchen cabinets/trim (lots of it), t&g ceiling. THE PAINT HASN"T BEEN PURCHASED YET. We were going to go with FPE oil based in a cream C2 color (wedding cake) that the paint store said they could match.

Painter told me he had never used FPE, but was really eager to try it. Should I, as you suggested above, let him pick out the paint? Is FPE worth it? Should the fact that he seems pleased to try FPE make a difference?

Thanks!

I agree with Funcolors.

Pro painters are not making a lot of money on marking up the paint. What you are paying them for is time. The material cost is minimal.

We are having our exterior painted professionally and the company I am using recommended SW Duration - however they would also use pretty much whatever I asked them to.

I used them in the past (8+ years ago) and on the interior, we had the use Martin Senour (we went with the Colonial Williamsburg colors) which is something they rarely use. BTW - I have now found the same Williamsburg colors in Pratt & Lambert paint as well.

I have also painted a few things myself - including our kitchen as part of a remodel this spring - and one wall in our family room behind a large SW fishtank I just set up(going to let the pro's finish the rest this fall when I have them do some of the interior) and I can tell you there is a BIG difference between top quality paint and Big Box store paint like Behr. I am just a consumer but I can tell the difference in putting the paint on and how the finish looks and lasts. I used BM Aura in our Kitchen and Pratt & Lambert Accoldae in the Family Room - and these two are far superior to the paints I have used from Big Box stores like Behr and Valspar. In fact I used the cheaper brand on the kitchen ceiling (just repainted it white) and the difference in how the paint goes on, etc was noticable. Is it bad paint - no. But it is not as good as top quality paint from from professional paint stores

The guy at the paint counter at Walmart told me that one of the paint brands, "Color Place" is made by SW specifically for Walmart. Would you expect the quality to be less than that of it's parent company? Just curious.
Just as a side note, I bought a gallon of Kilz paint (color matched to a BM color) and it did not cover in 1 coat as the label claims. However, since I had it colormatched as opposed to using one of their own colors, I would not be entitled to a refund as per their disclaimer on the gallon.
Just thought I'd throw that out there.