I'm not partial to any particular brand..I will generally go with whoever makes the color I want... but will say I've never been happy with one coat of anything. Two coats always looks better.

Two coats every time, sorry to say. At least that has always been what I have had to do to get a good looking paint job.

I agree with the others, and any painting contractor I've ever worked with has always specified two coats on walls. I like Porter Paints. Good value and they have a very high quality product. They also mix any color I ask them to; BM, Sherwin Williams, etc.

Yep, it takes two coats. And if you're going from dark to light, you really should prime before you paint too. Ugh.

I mostly use Sw, BM or Behr. Lately I have been using Sherwin Williams because they have great sales. I only use Benjamin Moore when I can't find a color I want in Behr or SW. Despite what you will hear from BM fans Behr is a good paint. I raised kids with Behr paint and the rest and it lasts and holds up the same as higher priced brands.

I don't have any problem with behr or the paint brands at lowes..use them both, frequently. I also agree that SW has good sales on both paint and supplies.

Count me in on the two-coat vote too. It isn't so much an issue of coverage as even application. I've painted A LOT of rooms, too many to count, and I'm a much better painter than I was 20 years ago, when I first painted a room. But I still can't paint a wall evenly enough to be satisfied with one coat.

Ben Moore is my favorite paint, but Sherwin Williams and the Valspar top-of-the line (used to be called American Traditions) are close seconds.

I prefer Pratt and Lambert, especially for high traffic areas, but they don't sell it in my area anymore so I usually use BM. Third favorite is SW. I don't really care for Valspar, Behr or other brands but have used them in rooms that don't get much use like a spare bedroom. Always two coats.

We've painted every room in our house except one with Valspar, and really like it. The one room we didn't, we used Behr. Behr used to be our favorite, but now I find their eggshell sheen to be too shiny for my tastes. Valspar's eggshell sheen is perfect.

I'm a fan of SW Cashmere paint. Although it covers pretty good with one coat, I always end up doing two coats.

"what brands are considered the best for one-coat coverage. "

It's not the brand, it's the painting technique. And the contrast between the new and the old color.

The only way I can see one coat working is if you repaint the existing color with the same color, or VERY darn close. Otherwise, two coats is always going to look better. And that goes for the paint/primer in one products that are on the market, too. Also, if you are averse to doing multiple coats, you will want to avoid using reds or mid- deep tone yellows since those tend to be more transparent and sometimes take more than two coats.

This post was edited by coll_123 on Mon, Oct 6, 14 at 21:34

Sorry, I did mean a single coat where there wouldn't be any significant color/shade change (off-white to off-white :) I'll see which of those mentioned is available locally, but suspect it's only SW and Lowe's/Valspar. Thanks for the replies, everyone.

I last painted my bedroom using Pittsburgh paint with primer and while the color change was slight, I was able to do it in one coat. I usually use ben moore, but I found I liked PPG just as much and it was a lot less expensive.

Porter Paints worked for me all the time!

I recently read that BM Aura, while expensive by the gallon, goes a lot further than "regular" paint, so you get much more coverage out of a gallon, meaning you have to buy less paint, so in the long run, Aura is actually less expensive to use than Regal. And since Aura has primer in it, you just might get away with one coat. However, I also read that it dries quickly, so you have to work fast, do a section at a time, i.e.: cut in a little, then paint the wall, cover the paint tray with saran wrap, and cut in another small section, paint, and so on.

I'm actually off right now to pick up some Aura in BM Lenox Tan for my LR. Hoping a quart will do it. 20% off at Ace today.

I used Aura in my kitchen, dining, and living rooms. The fast drying takes a little getting used to, but once I got the hang of it, I LOVE it! BM actually recommends that you do all the cutting in first, then roll - by the time you're finished cutting it, it is dry enough to roll over. By the time I finished a wall, it was dry enough for the second coat (depending on the size of the wall).

I have done a lot of painting over the years (DIY stuff), and I consider myself pretty good at it, but even with Aura I needed two coats. Granted, the second coat takes a lot less paint.

If I'm painting over a similar color, I wouldn't bother with primer. "Paint and primer in one" is a marketing gimmick designed to sell you more paint! Primer and paint are two different things - and primer is less expensive. If you are painting over new drywall, for example, or making a dramatic color change, use primer to reduce the number of coats of paint you'll need. Painting over a similar color - primer isn't necessary, but two coats of paint probably are.

annkh, I ended up getting BM Regal paint because the room I'm painting has to be painted entirely by hand no rolling, and they told me at the store that Aura is so thick that it is hard to do a room entirely with a brush using it and that it can pull the brush bristle out. They actually recommended I go with Regal, and not only is Regal less expensive than Aura, they're having a 20% off sale today on everything in the storeâ¦except Aura paint! So, regal it is.

Agree re: the primer. I only put primer on if I'm going from a dark color to a light color, like I did in my dining room. Or, I and to sand some of the paint entirely off the walls in the living room, then sanded the pine paneling, and then primed it. Whoever painted this room the first time didn't do it right at all, and the paint was falling off the walls in certain places. Fortunately it's not a huge room, and I only need a step ladder to cut in at the crown moulding. I'm even doing much of the first coat using the $6.99 can of sample paint, which goes a LOOOOOOOONG way. Why waste it AND have to buy double the amount of Regal, right?

Another vote for Aura! IMO it's worth the price. In our old house we used a beige color to cover shiny orange paint, bright green paint, new drywall and old drywall. It covered with one coat, although we used two.

We've also used the Aura Bath and Spa in two bathrooms and love it.

We had the majority of our current home painted with SW Cashmere and I'm so sorry we didn't spend the extra on Aura.

I've also had better luck with Valspar than with Behr.

Aura is the best IMO. I've painted with Behr, SW, Valspar and Regal.

Aura dries quickly, so it requires a bit of practice to learn how to work with it, but it is not hard. I like that it dries quickly for the following reasons: I always trim out the room first. By the time I'm done trimming, the paint is dry enough to trim a second coat. Hand brushing never covers well so a second coat is always needed. The second coat always goes fast because I don't have to cut-in as carefully as I had to with the first coat. Once the trim is dry, I roll the walls once. The next day, I spot roll the walls where it is thin or where I missed a spot. I never have to do a total wall cover with the second coat.

I agree with what others have said about Aura going a lot farther in its coverage and that the cost is deceptive because you'll use less paint.

I also love its washability. If you are doing a really dark color I would go with at least an eggshell. A matt is fine for durability and washability for lighter colors, but an eggshell can be used if desired.

Aura does not fade, so touch-ups down the road are not noticeable.

I love that it is a paint and primer in one. There are times though, when you would be wise to use a separate primer. I always spot prime over Spackle for instance.

guess i will be the dissenting voice on 'aura' paint..

i purchased it to paint my downstairs office in 'matte'

it's a smallish room 12x14 (one wall entire closet) and it took nearly 3 gallons...

the biggest complaint i have is it left 'gaps' on the textured walls, (lots of 're-touching') and had a very definite sheen to it...so much so that i thought the paint dealer made a mistake and mixed 'eggshell'...when i checked, not so...

if you want a truly matte paint do not purchase 'aura'...you can purchase a lower 'quality' paint and use 2 coats and get a far better result

desert, if you have textured walls, you either have to paint the entire wall by hand or get a very thick-pile roller. My LR walls are pine boards tongue-in-groove with depth and rolling areas, so it has to be painted by hand, which I'm in the process of doing, using Regal.

Aura is so thick, though, so I'm surprised it left blotches. I like eggshell for walls.

Only paint I ever used that I really did not like was Pratt & Lambert. It was like water and just flew everywhere when I was painting.

I liked SW Cashmere, and I like BM Regal. Read recently that the only real benefit of Aura is what is stated above, that you get more area covered per gallon, so it's actually more cost effective if you have a large wall area to paint. Other than that, this particular designer said she found no real difference in the outcome between Regal and Aura.

BM Aura is the best paint I've ever used (used matte). I always do two coats, but I've painted a dark red and a navy blue room with Aura, and visually it looks good with one coat. The red was painted over white primer and the navy was over green paint.
I've also used Regal with good results. This has a smell but I find it quite pleasant actually.

SW - I used their All Surface Enamel twice for vanities and wasn't impressed. I also used their Porch and Floor paint and it turned out to be a BAD BATCH (they had many other complaints) and wrecked my many hours of hard work on my stair project. They gave me a gallon of Armorseal which it's an industrial/marine floor coating. Oh wait, they threw in some painters tape and a little sandpaper too. The new paint was fine, but I stay away from SW now.

I've tried two different Valspar paints helping with a friend's project. They were both truly horrible. Runny, didn't cover AT ALL, and had a very strong smell.

I've used Ace Royal many times with success. However, the last room I painted, when I wiped a mark on the wall (after cure) it burnished. Not sure what the deal is there.

DoItBest brand was ok, but I won't buy it again.

Never used Behr.

We just used Behr paint in our powder room. The eggshell finish as mentioned above is very glossy. We are very disappointed as I told the paint lady we wanted no sheen.

Aura paint doesn't cover more surface than other paints. It's rated to cover 350-400 sf and should be applied accordingly. The second coat should be equal to the first coat. The top coat is the most important one. It provides the durability, performance and true color.

Regal will cover 400-500 sf which makes it a better $ value.

When using Aura I always double coat the cut-in before rolling. Of course it's a production killer, but for best results, drying time between coats is very important.

Tip: When painting the second coat, you should not hear the roller cover "grabbing" the first coat. It should be smooth and quiet.

I'm currently painting our entire house, new construction, exterior trim and total interior.
The interior trim is all BM Aura in Simply White. If I wouldn't have started with it, I would not stick with it. REALLY not user friendly and I am a serious painter. Tried a gallon on one wall and not worth the trouble IMHO.
I have been using Behr paints for years and feel most were adequate. So have used mostly Behr on the walls as it is quicker for me to get this done without all the futsing with BM.
But I had to redo my kitchen ceiling as we had drywall cracking issues and I put up The new Behr Marquee paint and Wow It was fabulous! One coat on the ultra pure white over the dingy simply white. Used about 3/4 gallon in an 19 X 20 room ceiling.
I will be using it on walls to finish. It is a dream to paint with.

I use Behr often. I also use Best Look hardware store paint. Some painters are paranoid about brands when they should be more concerned about their prep and application. Just my field observations speaking.

I came back to correct myself...When I said I used Valspar twice, I realized tonight I only used it once. The other (bad) paint was actually Olympic.

I've used Valspar hundreds of times with total satisfaction.

Two weeks ago I repainted a doctor's office with Olympic One. Application and appearance rated a 9.

What was so bad about your experience with Valspar and Olympic?