Are you not sealing your new gypsum board? I would prime with PVA or any other primer. Aura is "self priming", but 2 coats are required. What Valspar line are you comparing it to?

I know Aura has a learning curve (I have heard it can be thinner and dries sometimes too fast.) It also has a lot to do with color selected; some of the issues occur only in certain colors. Aura is top of the line; there are very few paints line that compete with it.

If you are using lighter tones, Regal Select is more user friendly, an less expensive than Aura. You might want to try it before committing, but would try to do a second coat of Aura and see how it looks.

I hope this helps.

Thanks, Carlos. We have used up the Aura we bought and, before we bought any more, we wanted to get more information. I will have to ask my wife, who is doing the painting, what differences she noticed other than your comment (thinner and drying too fast). It was used on new gypsum board, as was the Valspar. We were trying to avoid many coats, including avoiding a primer coat. I'll find out what Valspar line we are using.

Aura might be harder to work with but there is no comparison in the quality of it. It is by far one of the best paints on the market.

I quit using Aura for my wall painting after I couldn't solve problems I was having with lapmarks. This was with eggshell. Also, it's no good for bathroom use as the moisture from the shower leaves streaks on the wall that can't be washed away. I still use the Aura Matte when customers insist on a washable flat though. I would really prime though if you are painting new drywall. You can get Zinnser 123 for less than $20 a gallon and have it tinted like your finish color then you only need to do one topcoat. If you want to stick with the hardware store, use the Regal Select eggshell. It's a fine product.

I LOVE Aura and have had zero problems with it. I used it on the entire interior and exterior of my home, some matte finish, some low luster, all DIY. I primed all the exterior surfaces, but not the pre-painted interior walls. I followed the instruction video on BM's website on how to apply it; super easy. The finish is flawless and I can't see a single lap mark anywhere; I did use two coats. I also did not use Aura on any of the trim or in the bathrooms, so can't comment about how it works there.