Ben Moore Aura paint,...hands down.
Yes it is expensive.
You get what you pay for in this case.

Yep...in the paint world...you literally get what ya pay for.
More $$$ = Better paint.

C2 is also $40-$50/gal.
FPE & Farrow & Ball are almost $100/gal.

Faron

How is Restoration Hardware Paint? I like their colors.

Although I get a family discount at Sherwin Williams and can get their top of the line paints (Duration, Cashmere-which are really good paints) at a 40% discount, I still often opt for their plain old Superpaint. It is much easier to work with than the low-VOC paints as the dry time is slower. I've used Superpaint for years and been satisfied.

My favorite paint for ceilings is Superpaint Extra White flat. Some other ceiling paints which I've tried cover unevenly, but the Superpaint leaves a perfectly even finish, often with only one coat. I'm a fairly experienced painter, but still find it challenging to paint with the low-VOC paints as you have to work fast and always keep a wet edge for a great finish. You don't have to do that with Superpaint.

Superpaint used to the SW's top of the line paint. Sometimes you can catch the Superpaint on sale for 20% off. It is a great bargain at the discount.

I am somewhat spoiled because the local SW store is only about a mile from my house.

May I ask what you are getting from BM for and extra $15 a gallon over Behr?

I have used MAB, BEHR and one of the DutchBoy flavors. I admit I could tell the difference in the Dutchboy...it was runny, did not go on evenly and required many coats...I used it on Trim and it was a sin to put it on my $12 brush! I was never a big fan of MAB but at the time my father-in-law was doing our painting and he was a union painter for years and thats what they used and what he was comfotable with. I know it went on well and covered well but I never felt like it held up well especially after cleaning finger prints and such.

I painted my entire home with Behr (Ok, I know 60% of just turned your nose) To me it went on easy, covered well and has held up nicely after a few years.

My brother-in-law (who did his home with SW and helped me out) and said he found not much difference.

So what kind of magic does BM provide for the extra $15 a gallon...I have a couple of rooms to be done, smaller ones. I am tempted to see what I have been missing. Is it a consistency thing...BM never changes, Behr gets better or worse every few years as indrediants change or something...

FYI: If its merely a Toyota vs Lexus thing, I am happy with my Toyota!

Paint formulations change almost as often as the vagaries of fashion! It's just the nature of the beast...

New resins/resin-blends are frequently trotted-out by Dow, Rohm & Hass, etc.
* Some are much more expensive/better!
* Other "modifiers" in the paint are changed too, as the VOC-demands shake out over the next couple years.
* There are various "grind variations" in the TI02 itself, and the amount used in various brands.
* Low-level ingrediants are important AND expensive for good ones!
* C2 doesn't spatter. The small amounts of additives to prevent this are expensive. Many brands just use cheap versions, or none at all.

>>> As long as you're buying 100% Acrylic Latex, you'll get a good paint.

Faron

Restoration Hardware paint is lousy. Nice Colors, awful paint. The good news is that you can match most of their colors perfectly in BM paint. colorcharts.org can help you convert RH colors to BM colors.
BM Aura is the best paint I have ever used. I have used Behr, Valspar, Many different SW products, and BM's entire line.
Real world Aura advantages-
You will use less paint, especially in a big color change situation.
It is self-priming, which means that it covers up all of your spackle repairs perfectly-you don't get any shine thru from the compound.
If you choose Aura-
Once you understand how to paint with it, you will get a great result. The two most important things are-
1) Cut in the WHOLE ROOM and let it dry BEFORE rolling it out.
2) Don't overwork the paint-get it in place and smooth and MOVE ON.
I am a civilian and I pay $52 for Aura matte-25% per gallon more expensive than BM Regal. Worth every penny.

Oh -one more thing!
Aura is especially good for one gallon jobs. The first 3 rooms I painted with it (DIning Room, Kitchen, Child's Playroom) all used one gallon for two good coats. These rooms didn't have that much wall surface due to trim/wainscotting/cabinets/doors/windows, but I still would have needed a second gallon with any other paint.
The dining room was a dark olive (SW San Antonio Sage-builder's pick) and we were going to a dark red. Reds are usually a nightmare-it can take 4 or 5 coats to get a red to really look deep and "solid". Two coats of Aura in "Pomegranate" and I got PERFECT coverage over the dark green. I was laughing as I rolled out the first coat-I couldn't believe the coverage. Usually the first coat just hints at the final result-not with Aura. The second coat was like the icing on the cake. It took me less than 4 hours to tape, lay dropcloths, do two coats including dry time (about 1 hour between coats), and clean up. There was no odor, either-I finished about 5:30 and we ate dinner at 6 in the adjacent kitchen with my asthmatic 3 year old.
If your jobs are smaller, try 1 gallon. You won't go back.

May I ask what you are getting from BM for and extra $15 a gallon over Behr?

What about EVEYTHING?

I just finished painting my dining room with Aura Matte "Dinner Party". GORGEOUS!
I have a huge dining room with chair rail and finished below that, so I bought only two gallons thinking that it might be enough but not sure because it might take three coats with the Red color. I mixed the two gallons together to start.
I did end up cutting in three times but I am very picky. I rolled two coats on and no need for third pass. After finishing I have an entire gallon left. And I thought I might run out! This was my fourth time using Aura paint and I will never go back. My husband has painted a room red with Behr paint and it took 5 coats to cover. Aura paint ends up costing less in the end because it covers so well. By the time I got around the room once, I could roll on the second coat, saving me hours of waiting time. I just put the fan on the walls as I went along. I have never seen a more beautiful red on the wall. It almost reads like a neutral . A friend of mine who is a designer stopped by and was really impressed.
My husband read an article that Behr paint was #1 in US. Maybe it sells more than any other paint, but I have used it and I don't like it at all- it's not nearly as good as Ben Moore and especially the Aura.

monaw:

We're about to paint our dining room with Aura Soliel (butter cream color with more yellow to it). The room is approx. 375SF. The guy at the store told me I'll only need one galloon because one coat of this paint should do the trick so that's what I bought. I'm painting over a VERY light grey (almost white). Part of the walls were replaced with new dry wall and primed with white.

Should I get another galloon for a second coat? Since we've never used this paint, I'm a bit frightened with the quick drying time, as I like to go over what I missed and I know I can't do that with Aura. Any tips I need to know when using this paint? It costs $60 a galloon here so I can't afford any screw ups.

Thanks.
D

I would wait and if you need a second gallon, plan to run out to get it when the time comes. I'm very good at ordering the right amount of paint. End up with enough to put in a canning jar for touch ups and that's it. I've over-estimated with Aura a couple times - it just *goes* farther.

I've never, ever seen Aura finish in one coat, I've never, ever seen a person who was such a good painter that they could paint with any paint and end up with a proper, full finish coat. One coat coverage is just that - coverage. Coverage is not a proper, final, finish. Aura looks good after one coat, but it won't look like a $60 can of paint after one coat -- you need TWO. Two coats of Aura will give you the coverage and the durability, wearability and all the aesthetic quality you could wish for. Don't just do one coat - I think I made that clear?! lol! :D

With that said, you can absolutly go back over Aura for missed spots - it just has to be reasonably to completely dry. Especially if it's Aura matte.

Practice with Aura first. Do not go directly to the wall with it. You need to play with it a bit to get the feel of it because it is different. Do all your cut ins first and by the time you finish cutting in, you can start to roll on the wall you started with cut in.

Keep a shallow pan and refill often because Aura will set up in the pan and get gunky. If you walk away, cover the brush, roller, pan. Can't leave it exposed to air.

Go slow and do not over work. Put it on the wall and move on being careful to get the right amount on the wall - don't want too little, don't want too much because it will sag and drip and going back to correct sags and drips is not easy. It's best to take your time and make sure they don't happen to begin with. Touch ups are a breeze. Try not to miss spots, but if you do know that you can go back and hit them later.

Ben Moore Aura paint is our favorite

We did one coat in our kitchen and it had great coverage and goes on very well. We will do a second coat but we were amazed at the first coat coverage.