You may see a difference down the road when you try to wash the painted surfaces. Aura is more durable for sure. Also, difficult to cover colors will take fewer coats with Aura. I agree that Aura isn't really self priming though, but this is a recent development.

I kinda take the "self-priming" claim to mean that you don't have to prime over previously painted surfaces. I would still think that a primer would be needed over fresh drywall or fresh drywall mud. I used Aura on brand new drywall in my kitchen, but primed it first with a sealer specified for new drywall. My entire room, including the ceiling, needed two coats, but I always use two coats, no matter what. I love the look of Aura and the matte finish washes up beautifully.

Paint and primer are two different things. Primer is a lot cheaper than paint, so that's the thing to use on new drywall or mud. The paints that call themselves "paint and primer in one" are trying to sell you more paint.

I love Aura too - I used it for my kitchen, dining room and living room last summer. I love the fact that you don't need to maintain a wet edge (you can't, because it dries so fast). The rolling technique is different because of the fast dry time. You really can't treat it like any other paint.

Last weekend I painted a short hallway - from forest green to cream. I needed two coats, but like jellytoast, I always do two coats. The second coat was minimal, however - less than half the paint of the first coat. I also love that I can recoat in an hour - by the time I finish the first coat, I can paint the second coat right away.

Now that I've tried Aura, I'll never go back! It's expensive, but not significantly more than any other high quality paint. The time involved is the same (or less, if you use fewer coats). I haven't had mine long enough to attest to the durability, but I expect it to compare to earlier BM paints I've used, which were excellent.

I used 3 gallons for 3 rooms, plus hall. If I don't have to paint again for 10 years, that's $21/year. I'll take it!

Might also want to consider that the Aura Bath and Spa may be different than just Aura. Haven't used Bath and Spa but agree that over primer on a new surface or over an existing panted surface, two coats of Aura are awesome and extremely easy.

I too have no expectation of using just one coat.

OTOH, I recently used SW Emerald which frequently goes on sale vs. BM which seems to never go on sale and had good luck there as well.

I skim coated the ceiling and walls in the bathroom with joint compound and lightly sanded to give a nice smooth finish. I primed everything with drywall primer and then painted with 2 coats of aura bath and spa. Everything looks beautiful. I love the matte finish. I hate gloss on the walls. Higher sheens should be reserved for baseboards and trims. The matte finish also helps hide minor imperfections. I'll never use any other paint again.

Good insight. Thanks for sharing. I skipped Aura because my paint store told me it wasn't necessary since I don't have moisture problems in my master bathroom. I went with Regal Select in Matte. It's held up awesome! I have touched up spots (and the new paint settles right in and you can't see the touch ups). And my walls were showing sweat marks from the shower, so I wiped them down the other day - the paint never faulted.

I have used Valspar and turned out fine. Although I tried Valspar's ceiling paint and it sucked. It sucked so bad that I don't know if I'll try their regular paint again since it doesn't blow me away. I need to paint my bedroom and now I'm wondering if I should spend the extra money on BM... It's a tough one.

should spend the extra money on BM why YES, you already know it's a much better paint(regal),why would you even consider the cheaper Valspar. It's cheaper foe a reason

Christopher Nelson Wallcovering and Painting - I plan to buy BM Regal for my master bedroom. Valspar is around $35 per gallon, and at that price I'll just pay $15 more and get my favorite BM paint. Don't laugh, but I was considering Glidden's new paint at walmart - it's called Complete line or something, and it's $25 a gallon for flat and claims to be highly scrubbable. At $25 a gallon it would only cost me $100 to paint my bedroom. BM is going to cost $200. So yes, I was considering a cheaper brand, but as luck would have it (since I hate making decisions) - Glidden can't color match my BM color, so there's no more choosing - I'm going with BM for the bedroom. But when I paint my garage then I may go cheaper.

When I painted my basement I used BM and Valspar and both went on fine. I do prefer Regal over any other paint, especially if price isn't a factor.

Dang, how big is your bedroom that you need 4 gallons?

Dang, how big is your bedroom that you need 4 gallons?

Really, usually 1 is enough

As for the Glidden flat @ $25 being "highly" scrub able, don't believe a word of that nonsense

Hey-does the bath and spa supposedly not show the humidity marks?

Supposedly, it does not.

Love Aura paint. No flashing issues where I cut in by ceiling with brush, and then roll the walls, cleanable (even the matte finish), no brush strokes, and touch up is a breeze and blends perfectly. Well worth the extra money.

I'm not a pro, but buy and fix up homes, live in them for a yr or 2, then sell them. I've painted the last 2 homes with aura (approx 3200 sf each), and the paint jobs look really good. Since I move a lot, I need to be able to touch up nail holes and nicks in walls from movers. Aura works wonderfully.