No clue about the Regal sitch - our paint pro's will likely chime in on that one. Questions about whether proper prep was done naturally come to mind.

But. . . Aura a huge upcharge compared to what? One more coat, two more coats requiring more Regal product + labor?

With two coats of Regal already down, might get away with one coat of Aura to finish it off. Again - provided the cause of this problem is NOT prep related.

With regards to your 2.0 concern - I think maybe looking different from the Simply White Regal flat finish will be a good thing - because it's not working as it is.

Aura matte does have more sheen. I'd be surprised if you found it markedly disagreeable in comparison to what the Regal flat is supposed to look like.

At this point, going for one maybe two coats of Aura might be the most economical decision you can make - if nothing else than to get the project over with.

Forgot to mention I'd totally be asking for a major price break on Aura product - if it's the painter's prep, they should help you out on labor costs, if it is indeed the paint, BenM should help you out replacing gallons. Ask for the moon and stars and see what you get.

This post was edited by funcolors on Tue, Oct 29, 13 at 23:37

what she said, ^^ sounds like a "painter" problem to me

It really depends on the composition of the color Simply White. If it's a creamy white or has some yellow, this could possibly be just a color that doesn't cover very well. Believe me, I have tried this upgrading to Aura a couple times to solve coverage issues and it does not work. If the color is poor covering, it's going to cover poorly with Aura as well if it's a Base 1 color. If it was dark red or something, my opinion would be totally different. Those reds cover great comparing to other brands when you use Aura, but for the poorly covering whites and creamy colors, nope. Generally, flats will always cover better than washable products and Aura Matte is washable, even though it has barely any sheen. Your walls look totally normal for a color that covers poorly. The cut in areas around the perimeter have double the coats because they are brushed in and then hit with the roller. This is why it looks covered pretty well there and the field is still not covered. I would just struggle with the current product you are using and apply more coats until it covers. Backtracking and switching products at this stage will only take more time (and money) at this point.

After thinking about it and actually experiencing it, I am going to retract my initial response and totally agree with paintguy on this one. Aura in those light pastel colors do not cover all that well and as he said if it were a deep red, it would be a whole different situation.

Well, that's depressing. Aura is usually the perfect solution, but then again I don't specify too many white walls. :)

If you could back in time, wondering what would have been the best way to proceed on this one - a tinted primer - choose another color - ???

2 coats of properly applied( ie, 1/2 in nap ) regal and or aura would have done it( most likely)

Yea I would use a tinted primer. I would also spray if I could. Spraying covers so well compared to brushing and rolling. The problem is it's hard to predict which colors cover horrible until you try them, and once you have applied 3 coats, you are too far in to go back. But yes, as a painter I would say pick another color if I could but no customer understands the coverage issue....they want what they want.

Thanks for the notes PG and Chris. Appreciate it.

We have the same problem. It looks horrible. We painted over white base textured wall. 😲 when start drying it's so patchy. Second coat...the same,somewhere 3rd coat...no prob with Aura,but Regal...we don't know what to do.We spent 800$ for two bedroom condo on a paint😢 For the hallway I bought a gallon of PPG Home depot...it covered immediately. I'm waiting BM people to come and 👀 what happened. I'll let you know about it later.

Don't even ask how it looks when the sun shines😢😪😢

I’m curious if anyone knows if BM has made relatively recent changes to their Regal formulation? We used BM Regal Cotton Balls in eggshell for our bedroom about 5 years ago - covered beautifully with the 2 coats we typically use. A few months ago I painted my office the same color and sheen (over a very pale ice blue) - it took me 4 coats to get the same coverage as our bedroom. I have been using BM Regal for about 15 years painting rooms in our home, as well as rental properties, and have never needed more than 2 coats before - no matter what color (and no matter what color I am covering).

I started having this problem with BM whites about 3 years ago. As a professional painter I use

Cloud White, Chantilly Lace, Simply White etc. often. Mid tone to darker shades I would always

prime first but I noticed that I wasn't getting coverage over beiges and pale tones. I know that BM basic White covers well and tried to use it as a base but it altered colours like Cloud White because it appears to have some grey in it. What I have been doing it painting the first coat in

basic White and the topcoat in the white of choice and it works well for me. Otherwise, if in doubt, I prime.

They told me that I was using the wrong roller😡We actually use 4 different rollers it's patchy everywhere. I'm telling you...they made me feel like an idiot. We are waiting now the actual BM expert to come. I have prove...17$ per gallon Home depot one coat...perfect next to BM Regal with the same"wrong" roller.

Do you know guys... I've been thinking a lot after reading your review's and my bad experience. If you sell expensive color,people expect coverage. What the h... Is buying gallon after gallon and painting 4 coats instead of one or 2 max. ? Calculate the time and money... Never,ever again...Im not even going to drive near by BM store.

Here are the updates. We got our money back for 10 gallons of Regal. You need to know Regal does Not have a primer. It's Not paint& primer. This is only marketing on the label saying paint and primer- said BM expert. If you decide to use Regal you need to prime first. If you don't you'll need at least 3 coats and still may have patchy walls. Especially on textured surface. You cannot use it over oil paint. Our wasn't. Nobody told us about primer and coverage. We were painting over white base and I already mentioned before the PPG paint and primer covered without any problems one coat only. We've used in the past Behr,Valspar ,SW and PPG...we've never ever had a problem. The choice is yours.

I just finished the 4th coat. Simply White eggshell over baby blue…….. horrrible. I will likely need a 5th coat. I would have been better off using Crayola watercolors. Seriously though, anyone reading this debating buying BM paint, the cheap stuff from Walmart is way better. FACTS!!

Ask for your money back. It's your time and money. Don't let them get away.

It's a problem with the paint and they know about it. I used Simply White in the Regal flat and after 3 coats, it still did not cover over a very light base. The can does say primer and paint in one but it's not. I received my money back but still have to pay the painter...

I hate their Aura products. The finish is awful. I agree with Infaux above that it "It tacks too fast and runs below the surface".

I used to love this product and have used it quite a bit in residential projects and light commercial. Never again. There's something wrong with this new formulation.

Ask for your money back.

I’ve been painting for 20 yrs… this is the only BM color ( other than reds and yellows ) that covers terribly !! I only use the Aura brand ( the best ) still 3 coats minimum !