If I may add something I feel is more important then Brand....
Correct and consistent prep work is more important then loosing sleep over paint brands. Incomplete prep will take an expensive can of Aura from Benjamin Moore, and make it look like garbage. Likewise, effort in the prep can take a builders grade Behr or Valspar and make an amazing finish.
- " But Joe, I'll cover the prep with great paint!"
My answer would be an analogy:
"Would you bake a bad cake with the best frosting"? or "Would you put expired Old gas in your new car? The cake will still taste bad, and the car would run bad!
Two things to purchase and not hold back on: Best roller cover and best roller. Period. Don't try to save money here. A high quality 1/2" nap roller cover for latex paint will have a better "lay" to the paint. The roller it self should be stiff. If it flexes then you will tend to get lines in your paint. Sometimes these lines wont be visible until after it dries!
Regarding finishes:
Flat - Easiest to touch up
Egg shell, satin, and Semigloss are for ware and tear. Does not have to be in the Kitchen or the Bathroom. Sheen finishes tend to have a hardness to them that allows you to clean with a sponge. Typically reserved for trim and doors. (Trim gets touched often, base molding gets kicked and nicked, doors get touched.)
Sheen finishes are difficult to blend when touching up. Specific technique is needed or a entire wall to repaint. Otherwise, you can see the touched up area stand out in some light and some angles (Not the case with flat - I touch up areas in my home yearly and can't see anything)
Don't fall for one coat coverage; please ignore that. Anything can one coat with the right conditions. (Think about how MPG in cars gets calculated; "the right conditions")
People ask "Whats the best for this room?" That is a loaded question for a few reasons:
Kitchen - are you a cook? Do you have back splash, or is your back splash just a painted wall?
2. Bathroom - Is it a half bath or a full? Do the users tend to take hot showers with a lot of steam? How is it vented?
3. Do you have people in the home who unknowingly touch the walls? Adults do this as much as children!
Personally, I two-coat everything except repainting a white ceiling. I never use anything contractor grade
I have used Behr, Valspar, and Benjamin Moore in my own home.
I hope someone can benefit from my tips!
Joe
Directsinks
Q
Nice pantry layout with drawers.
Q