I’ve been a BM fan forever and occasionally chose Behr, CIL, SW, due to their cost/a sale and was never as happy as with BM for its coverage and wearability. There are also a number of different quality levels and price points for specific needs.

Given you are doing a whole house, costs can add up quickly and hope you get more feedback.

Thank you Maureen. I appreciate your response. Yes, it is going to be costly.

My favorite paint was Muralo, but that company was bought out by California Paints, and is no longer worth the money, IMO. Depending on your situation (kids or not), you may want to consider BM's Scuff X paint. I first read about it here:

https://www.painttalk.com/threads/scuff-x-your-thoughts.88801/page-2#post-1602178

We have used the Satin for doors & trim, and about 6 gallons of the Matte (so far) on walls.

The matte has a little "shine" when you apply it, but that will "lessen" as it cures.

Once cured (2 weeks), it is an extremely "hard" finish.

Price wise it is about $62 per gallon - $10- $15 less than Regal, Aura or Advance.

I've used all of these, and would pick the Scuff X, even if it was the higher priced BM paint.

I’ve always loved Behr Marquee but I haven’t tried any of the others

I've used Behr for 30 years on my home. I've also used Dunn Edwards and BM. They all perform the same for me.

Good to know that some of you like Behr. I am aware that I can have Home Depot create a Benjamin Moore color with Behr and may consider this.

I don't know, Lizzie, if one is better than another. Often I think it is the talent of the painter who knows his stuff. My go-to is B.M, because my local paint/wallpaper store features B.M. The line I love is CSP. Very much like the European lines, which do not use black in the mix. I have used it on several jobs and in my own home. When you look at the fan, the colors are the actual paint. What you see is very nice, but up on the walls, it is breathtaking.

I chose CSP Seersucker Suit for our south light bedroom.

There are charts that tell you the comparable colors in each brand. If it’s not on the list, I would be weary.

Our painter did a color match with Behr thinking I wouldn’t notice. He had to redo with BM, which is what I asked for.

We have used all three. Behr actually worked the best for us in our Florida house.

But we use BM in the north.

Lizzie, you cannot color match or give Behr a BM color and expect it to look the same. BM uses their own tints and it won't be copied. I've tried. You can get close though.

Beth H. Thank you. Do you think it “might” be a good idea to use BM for colors like the navy I’m thinking of using and possibly Behr for neutrals? I would have to first choose the exact colors I want for each room, and then compare the price. We’ve never had to paint a whole house at one time before and it seems overwhelming. Previously we lived in our home for 45 years and we did one or two rooms at a time.

Eld6161 we are are in New Jersey. I am going to do a lot of studying with color charts and such before I jump into anything. Thank you.

Thank you judianna20. I don’t know what CSP is. I’ll look it up. I’m also going to check out the Seersucker Suit, it sounds interesting 🤔

Thank you Shawna Hays. Good to know 👍🏻

I actually had Behr color match Hale Navy for me. It's prob not exact, but it looks good. I used this to mix with black. I painted an accent wall black and wanted more of a blue/black.

what I do is get a bunch of behr samples in the BM colors (or SW colors) and try those. these samples are only $3.

Thank you Beth. That is a great idea and will help me decide if I really want that particular color on a wall. Saves time and money.

SW Super paint. SW has regular 30-40 percent off sales which help with costs.

DD and I both have 18th century houses with plaster walls and have exclusively used SW Super paint.

@Mary Elizabeth That's upsetting to hear about Muralo. That was hands down my favorite paint.

@Tanya Shelly, yes, it was amazing paint! California Paints bought that company, and a couple other smaller ones, with the PROMISE to keep the same formulas! Sadly, they "reformulated" (profit over promise, IMO), and now it is not even close!

We were not finished with our project, but after about 4 gallons of California, and numerous issues - leveling, blocking, poor coverage - we made the switch to Benjamin Moore Scuff X, and are very pleased with it!

We always use Behr, never complained.

Late to the party, but it's SW, BM, or Pratt & Lambert for me.

@HU-821800902 I checked and right now there is 30% off SW. @Tanya Shelly, Muralo paint sounds familiar to me but we’ve never used it. Sounds like it worked well for you and @Mary Elizabeth. It is disheartening when you find something that works for you and it’s changed or discontinued. @Celery. Visualization, Rendering images, it’s nice to know that Behr works. We’ve used Benjamin Moore and Behr in our previous home, and it was fine. We also used Valspar paint from Lowe’s and that is a paint we were not happy with. We’ve never used Pratt & Lambert.
What we are hoping to find is the best paint for our budget seeing as we are going to do the entire house at one time. Never did that before. Also, choosing colors we love that will work well of course is crucial. Thank you all for your input. It is so appreciated.

We are going to be talking to at last 3 different painters for our home. Today we met with one paint contractor. He said he would do the whole house with Benjamin Moore paint. He would use 5-6 painters and it would take 10-14 days to do all our rooms including tray ceiling and trim. We are going to interview two other paint contractors and make a decision. As for the colors, I do not have exact colors yet. It is getting close so I'm going to have to decide. Our cabinets are being installed,, yay!

I think paint is similar to cosmetics.

People have their loyalties and swear their brand is the best, but for the most part, most brands are not that different.

Be sure to ask the paint contractors exactly WHICH Benjamin Moore paint they plan to use, & what the UP charge is to use a higher quality paint. (Better paint will go farther, and cover better.) Labor should be the same - primer plus 2 coats minimum.

(Benjamin Moore SuperSpec or UltraSpec are lower grade paints that do not wear well.)

@Mary Elizabeth thank you. That is good information. We'll be sure to let them know we do not want Super or Ultra Spec, and also primer + 2 coats. What Benjamin Moore paint would you recommend?

@Lizzie Borden, I know from your earlier comments you are concerned with the price of paint. Like everything else, it adds up fast. But think how much you're paying for labor! You want the most for your money!

Do you plan to pick colors that will work for a long time, or do you like to change your wall colors frequently? (I'm in the first group.)

I think Aura is BM's most expensive paint. Very nice, but might be overkill unless you're doing a rich, deep color somewhere. The Aura Bath & Spa might be worth the $$ for your bathrooms since it is formulated for areas with higher humidity. How much paint would each of your bathrooms take?

Regal Select is BM's flagship paint, and has nice qualities.

I would avoid the BEN line (similar to the Ultra or SuperSpec), more of an economy paint.

You could also ask your painters if they're familiar with the Scuff X paints from BM. I was impressed with the coverage and the finish.

We have 15 grandchildren, so "wear & tear" is real!

Will they also be painting the trim & doors in your new home?

I used SW for over 10 years, sadly their paint is not the same anymore. I hate Behr. The painter that my husband uses on his jobs said that after SW changed their paint, it takes 3 coats to cover well. BM takes 2. Initial material cost is higher with BM but he said that it's worth it. He sprayed our house a few months ago with BM, love it so far.

@Mary Elizabeth. I believe it would be in our best interest to talk to the painters regarding exactly what BM paint they plan to use. Sounds like a good idea to use the BM Aura Bath & Spa in both bathrooms, and discuss using the Scuff X in the high traffic areas (2 grandchildren), and possibly the Regal Select. I may want the BM Aura in the dining room where I want the navy blue above the chair rail. I am like you where I want the most for my money, and I don't want to change my colors often. This is why I want to use mainly neutral colors and enhance with furniture and accessories. Thank you Mary Elizabeth you've given me a lot of information to discuss with the painters. I so appreciate this. Doors have already been painted but we will have the painters paint all the trim.

@lucky998877, your experience is a good reference. I read recently that even as the price of raw materials goes up, BM will pass along the costs, but NOT "water" down their paint. Not so much with some of the other companies.

@Lucky998877 good to hear that about BM. The first painter we spoke with said he would spray paint the house.

I used to use BM exclusively. I have also used SW quite a few times and I was happy with both. Then I tried Behr because my house had an extra can in the garage from the previous owners and I wanted to match the paint that was already on some of the walls. I have seven kids plus their friends running through the house on a regular basis and the eggshell finish Behr Ultra has been amazingly durable and cleans up easily. I decided to use it on an entire house that I renovated and again I have been very happy with it.

I don’t know what CSP is

CSP is Color Stories Paint.

It's Benjamin Moore's take on full spectrum colors which means no black or gray is used in the formula AND more than the average 3 or 4 colorants. No black, more colorants produces a different color appearance.

I've been a fan of the color appearance of a full spectrum mix since the concept was introduced to the market.

There are four brands of full spectrum paint. For example, Farrow & Ball and Fine Paints of Europe are not full spectrum.

Benjamin Moore Color Stories

C2 Paints

Donald Kaufman

Ellen Kennon Full Spectrum Paints

@Lori A. Sawaya thank you. CSP sounds interesting. There is so much to learn about paint. I think I need a colorist to not just explain but choose the colors for me. I know the look I want, but there are so many choices, it is mind boggling. I now have a list of very good questions to ask as we interview the painters, but I still have to choose the colors and I want to be ready and sure of my choices.

You're welcome. To answer your initial question, if I had control/choice I would choose Aura matte for my new house walls. Maybe Regal on the ceilings.

Painters are going to try to talk you into what they want to use. Sometimes it's about margins, sometimes it's simply what they prefer to work with (can't blame 'em).

Exterior - I never tell a painter what paint he/she has to use because they're the ones who have to guarantee the paint job and exterior can be rough.

Interior, however, is a different story. Weather isn't a consideration so I'll push harder to get what I want in terms of product. Most of the time the reason I push for a specific product is because it's color critical.

It's not a true picture to compare paint price per gallon. You need to compare price per square foot. And the top tier grades like Aura cost about a nickel more per square; that puts the difference into perspective and gives you a more realistic view of affordability and value.

In addition, the Benjamin Moore Color Stories colors can only be mixed in an Aura paint base. So choosing Aura gives you the option of full spectrum color if you want it.