Is Benjamin Moore interior paint good?
What is the best interior paint? I can go with Benjamin Moore or Behr from Home Depot, which is the best? B Moore and SWP are both superior to Behr. Don't buy their cheapest line of paint as it isn't much better. BM and SWP's middle to top of the line paints are of good quality and should work well for you. Behr can't hold a brush to BM or SWP. Easy choice - Ben Moore. I spec 90% Ben Moore for interiors Also the SWP I have used have been excellent I tend not to use their contractor or economy lines The premium lines are worth every penny I have tried the Behr, a few different products from them In general they are difficult to use, require more coats, and still look bad compared to a quality paint SWP has some great colors but they have major issues with their dark colors holding the color. For example, paint a room SWP red and a year later with a damp rag you can still wipe the color off. They're aware of the issue but haven't figured out a solution. its looking like we will be going with Behr, since BM is $15 more a gallon. But I have purchased 5 gallon can of Behr premium primer in a medium gray (since all our colors will be on the darker side). With the amount of paint we will need I just couldn't spend $45/gallon for BM. Behr has a life warranty, so it can't be all that bad and hopefully with the good primer being used it will make the coverage pretty good and even. BTW: What is SWP? Thanks all for the responses! SWP = sherwin williams paints The trouble with a lot of the lower priced paints is it often takes more coats of paint to do the job. The biggest savings with using higher priced paint is in the labor - that is why most pros always insist on using good paint. I also think that if a person takes the time and labor to lay on a good primer coat, usually in the same brand that you plan to paint with, it will make even a so-so paint turn out better. Originally Posted by tin_banger I also think that if a person takes the time and labor to lay on a good primer coat, usually in the same brand that you plan to paint with, it will make even a so-so paint turn out better. True in as much as I can make a crappy paint turn out so-so The thing is, it costs me way more of my time than the $15 saved If I have to put another coat or two on my project, it costs me another (extra) half day, whole day, or more, or costs me primer and more of the $15 paint and another day's work when not needed, it's not saving me $15 (primer is not needed for most re-paints) And it will still look so-so Trust me, if I could save me and my customers $15 a gallon, I would It just doesn't work out that way If you don't feel your time and effort is worth anything, fine That's a common thought of many DIYers I feel it's incorrect-would you like to spend Saturday morning painting your bathroom, or all Saturday and all Sunday? IMO an no brainer I have used that product in a professional capacity I can tell you from personal and professional experience, it won't be as easy, and it won't look as good You did notice that everyone here, pro or DIYer said don't use the Behr right? Good luck with whichever way you choose Originally Posted by HBG SWP has some great colors but they have major issues with their dark colors holding the color. Try the SWP Deep Accents It works very well, very impressive I haven't had any problems with SWP's deep colors. If you have, the problem is more likely to be in the prep. As for Behr - SS said it very well Most DIYers don't know the difference and worse, don't care about the differences. I tried Behr once - never again. Don't be fooled by a lifetime warranty. 1) its hard to collect on and 2) it only covers the paint, not labor and not incidental materials. Originally Posted by BobF Don't be fooled by a lifetime warranty. 1) its hard to collect on and 2) it only covers the paint, not labor and not incidental materials. GOOD POINT!!! Warranties have a lot of fine print. If the prep isn't perfect or the paint isn't applied at specified mil thickness they usually won't stand behind the warranty. Many other factors can void a warranty. It has been my experience that a paint store [company] is more apt to stand behind a warranty for a high volume contractor than a little guy. Regardless of warranty it always pays to use the best materials you can and do the job right. what is swp paint Ang....plz read the entire thread, I already asked that, SWP is Sherwin Williams. As for using Behr, I am afraid the wife has won that arguement....which begs the point of researching what paint to use..... Already got the 5 gallon pail of medium grey primer of Behr, so its just a matter of a heavy sigh and plod on to the end. I will post the results of my adventure.... Originally Posted by tin_banger What is the best interior paint? I can go with Benjamin Moore or Behr from Home Depot, which is the best? i can't help but wonder why you bothered to ask in the first place! you initially said you could go with either one and appeared to truly care about what was best. then later, you said since the BM was $15 more, it was going to be the Behr. it's like posting in the Automotive topic which is better - a Rolls Royce or a Yugo - cuz i can go either way? then after getting 5 great responses in favor of the Rolls, you announce you're going with the Yugo! i'm really curious: why'd you even post the question? That is exactly what I asked my wife...why get me to find out which way to go if you are not going to use the info....but hey I really do appreciate all the input and hopefully others who have read this thread will have learned from it. That is one of the great things about forums right? I have also read alot of other forums etc that came back from a google and there were many responses that leaned more to the ability of the painter and the proper prep being done and further praised the Behr line for quality and price, so really we did try to weight both sides of the coin here. No problem, that's what we are here for. Atleast now if you have coverage issues with the paint or it doesn't wash as well as she had hoped, you will have the answer. Originally Posted by slickshift You did notice that everyone here, pro or DIYer said don't use the Behr right? Funny, since it's the highest rated paint by Consumer Reports. Originally Posted by Geobass Funny, since it's the highest rated paint by Consumer Reports. For further reading on that subject: http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports and http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports Slickshift [among others] has pointed out many times that CR doesn't necessarily use good criteria when evaluating paints. Behr,which used to be a great company,was recently for all intents and purposes taken over by Home Depot.Either they bought the company or bought controlling interest in it I can't remember which.For me,a 30 year hardware veteran,this is the red flags of all red flags when it comes to product quality.The grapevine has ever since been flooded with indications that the pressure has been put on Behr to reduce costs.There is an obvious connection between cost cutting and quality and I've heard numerous stories that echo this sentiment.I don't care what Consumer Reports says.Most people don't live in a laboratory.Behr has become another brand compromised by the big box mentality. Originally Posted by slickshift For further reading on that subject: http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports and http://forum.doityourself.com/showth...nsumer+Reports Good stuff. Thanks for the info. Originally Posted by marksr Slickshift [among others] has pointed out many times that CR doesn't necessarily use good criteria when evaluating paints. Forgive me for not spending my every waking moment on here. I just signed up. Originally Posted by Geobass Forgive me for not spending my every waking moment on here. I just signed up. No need to apologize, I was just trying to point out [without a lot of typing] that real world experiences don't always concur with CR. Sign up as a preferred customer on Sherwin Williams website and you'll receive a 30% off coupon. And remember.........the pain of a poor paint job lasts far longer than the euphoria of purchasing paint at a box store...... Labor is always the biggest part of painting, why not use a quality product that will give you a great result? Originally Posted by Geobass Funny, since it's the highest rated paint by Consumer Reports. CR doesn't know much about paint. I haven't used Behr, but I've used other cheap paints before. IMO, cheap paint is a waste of time and money. But, some people only care about price. I suppose sometimes it's a matter of priorities. I have a friend that always buys the cheapest paint he can find and the results he gets look cheap. When he buys beer and cigars, he only buys the best. Well, I am happy to report that the Behr Premium paint did a good job, both the wife and I are pleased. It covered well and I since we did the living room in the 'Mayan Red', I opted to give it a second coat there, but with a dark color such as that it wasn't a surprise. (we did realize that we should have went with a deeper shade of primer for that room maybe a 50% tint, then it may not have needed that second coat). For all the other rooms though it covered very well. In light of our experience, I would recommend Behr to any DIYer, but just with the proper caution of doing all the proper prep work and using better quality brushes and rollers. Well, if you like it, that's all that matters. A few days ago, I was in the S-W store. A customer was there to buy good paint after having trouble with Behr paint. She was using a Behr dark blue paint, and gave up after three coats failed to cover the walls. Of course, coverage is only one of many things to consider when buying paint. Originally Posted by tin_banger Ang....plz read the entire thread, I already asked that, SWP is Sherwin Williams. As for using Behr, I am afraid the wife has won that arguement....which begs the point of researching what paint to use..... Already got the 5 gallon pail of medium grey primer of Behr, so its just a matter of a heavy sigh and plod on to the end. I will post the results of my adventure.... I think you may end up being sorry. Behr is the most god awful paint I have ever had the displeasure of working with. Not going to save you time or money having to apply additional coats with that garbage. As for the Behr primer might as well pour you a little milk in some water and prime with it. It's about the same thing. Not too many products am I so anamantly against but that one really is the pits. Wow! What a thread. I'm ready to repaint the walls that I painted with Behr Premium. Not! Seriously, I have used the Benny Moore paint during a recent kitchen makeover. Good paint, easy to apply and we like the colors. I also have an addition (3 rooms) that was painted using somebody's drywall primer (don't remember what brand) and Behr Premium as a top coat (one coat). As an amateur I have to say not only could I not tell the difference when applying the paint, but I still can't tell the difference. The Behr paint is 5 or 6years old and still looks great (colors varying from deep to light) and the BM kitchen paint is less than a year old and it still looks great. I wouldn't hesitate to use Behr's again. Hello everyone, Has anyone used and/or can anyone provide comments about the paint - Valspar American Tradition (this is the paint Lowe's sells). How does it compare to Benjamin Moore, Behr and/or Sherwin Williams? I will be doing the painting of our new home, which is currently being built. The builder will be putting that spray texture (with grit) on the walls and ceilings and I want to paint all the rooms before the trim and flooring go in. Thanks in advance ...... and by the way - I stumbled upon this site this morning and glad I did - lots of good posts and information available. Kudos to the moderators and folks running this forum! Gil Welcome to the forums Gil I would suggest going to Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. They have superior paint to what you would find at any big box. Most paint stores will give a homeowner a discount when you are painting a new house - just ask. They will also be able to guide you as to the proper coatings and the best paint for your budget. L's American Tradition is on the same level as HD's Behr I've used both and can't recommend either The BM and SWP are much superior in ease of application, adhesion, coverage, touch-up, quality of finish...etc... Consumer reports... I wouldn't put much stock in what they say. Lagging technology and very high price points are are moving Moore to less. I have seen much criticism here of Consumer Reports review of paint. Slickshift said CR doesn't necessarily use good criteria when evaluating paints. Well, the last review I looked at tested wear, uv fading, durability, stain resistance, ability to hide imperfections, along with how smoothly it goes on, and how easy it is to clean. These seem like valid criteria to me. What is it about the CR tests that are invalid or wrong? What kind of tests should be performed in order to correctly evaluate paints? As far as I know, Consumers Union tries to be very objective in their tests and would welcome ways to improve them. Will I don't know why CR's evaluation of paints isn't much good. As a profesional painter I do know what paints give good results and makes me money. IMO good coverage, touch up, ease of working with and a lasting job [which protects my reputation] are paramount. I don't understand why my opinion of various paint brands/lines doesn't conincide with theirs. They (CR) tend to focus more on cost of product as a determining factor. While it IS possible to get a satisfactory finish from a home store product, the labor and time involved are usually higher from start to finish. For the typical homeowner, if it takes a 3rd (or 4th) coat, so what. It's only their time. But for a contractor, its the LABOR that's the expensive part of the job. Cost of product is almost (I said ALMOST) incidental. It can be argued that cost alone does not determine how well a product works. However, it can also be shown that low grade, inexpensive products DO NOT contain as many, or high quality ingredients that the more expensive products do. Also, CR doesn't consider (or sometimes does make a passing reference to) the service that Paint Stores provide. Many times you will work with either the Manager, or Assistant Manager, both that have gotten many months of extensive training in both interior, and exterior coatings. This would be opposed to the plumbing guy that fills in because the paint guy didn't show up at the Big Box store. The paint store workers are going to have more knowledge, and be willing to go out of their way to help if you need it. BTW I don't know why the CR test work out the way they do. For example, Wal-Mart, Sears, and Menards brand paint typically scores pretty well. If its Dutch Boy, its a SW product made at a Dutch Boy Factory, private label. Or at HD, its a Glidden product (sometimes private label), and on and on. The point is, some of the highest ranked products are rated higher than the parent companies Retail Line, usually with similar or better properites. (qualites of the paint). So I think the findings are based more on cost, versus actual workablity, and application. If a product is $10/gal less expensive but it goes on OK, CR feels its a best buy, because the consumer saves $10.00/gal. Just to add my two cents to this discussion...I painted houses as a teen for a friend who had a professional painting team. We used alot of Ben Moore in those days (30+ years ago). Recently the wife and I decided to paint a few rooms in the house. She wanted Ben Moore, and I, thinking back to those days and not knowing the current price of BM, agreed. I was shocked when the clerk at the local paint store charged me $50+ for a single gallon! But I had it so I was sure going to use it. We went home and applied the Ben Moore to the kitchen walls. Immediately both of us noticed how easily the BM applied. Cutting in was a single stroke, not stroke after stroke as it was in the past three or four interior paint jobs we've done. It was really an easy job and I began to remember when painting was a little fun. (Sorry to all you pro's, but I think anyone who really enjoys painting is a little nuts!) More rooms, to paint we decided we would try a Valspar premium from Lowe's to see if there really was a BIG difference. After all, the Valspar is half as much. We brought the Valspar home and within two square feet we knew that there was a BIG difference. Cutting in took more effort, covering the undercoat took three times as many strokes with the Valspar as it did with the Ben Moore. Strangely the Valspar feels thicker, so you would think that it would cover better, but it definitely did not. Now just so you know, both paints were applied to the same surface under similar humidity conditions, etc. We also used the same brushes and rollers. So from a guy who does not believe in spending more because something comes from a specialty shop, or has a brand name, and from one who generally respects Consumer Reports' opinions, let me assure you that all these other folks are right. Ben Moore is superior to Valspar premium, and I'm going to bet is superior to HD's Behr brand too. Ben Moore will save you time and make the painting much less frustrating. I will say that I have used Behr and Valspar over the years and haven't noticed that once the paint dried there were noticeable imperfections or wear issues, but if you're talking about putting it on, Benjamin Moore is clearly superior.
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