We are in the process of re-painting several rooms. I took an ancient color sample (we wanted the same color) that didn't have a store ID on the back to Lowes & asked if it was theirs. The guy punched the # on the swatch into the computer & said that "yes", it was an old one of theirs. We had him mix the color in Valspar flat. We LOVE this paint! The color was spot on but much more saturated. Granted... the old paint was very faded... but we Loved the richness of our original shade in this formula. No priming needed! We bought basic white trim paint in a semi-gloss and this is my new favorite trim paint. Goes on thick and smooth although it is tough to keep a wet edge. Ten minutes later and the paint has smoothed out into a beautiful almost oil type finish. I will have to do 2 coats on all the trim just 'cause the difference between the old and the new is sooooooo different. DH actually used the wall paint and had nothing but great things to say about the coverage and handling. We were able to use just one coat. All paints/shades have different amounts of pigments added to them. Often times the more expensive ones have more pigment (but not always). Machines also can be off in the calibration. It can also be really hard to compare a small swatch on a paint card to your actual wall. The surface texture, the rate the wall absorbs, etc.... can all affect the color you choose. I don't mean to disclaim any problems folks have had w/ certain products... but I have been very happy w/ Valspar paint and will buy and use it again!

The Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware fell in love with BM paint and thus, they will swear there is no better, regardless. Remember there are a lot more of them out there than there are people who chose to stay with traditional furnishings. I have had no issues with Behr. I have only had a couple issues with SW and BM and that is they never seem to be able to get the color right the first time. I love Pratt Lambert the best. I get the color I wanted. I get the quality I wanted. It is easier for me to shop with the BM people due to proximity but over the years, (since I like to paint at least every 2 years), I have used a lot of paint. Some great paint for me has also been the Olympic/Olympia (whatever it is that Lowe's sells). Having said all that, we covered our gold public area of Cracker Bitz (Lowe's) with one coat of Behr's (Toasted Wheat). Sometimes I think it is related to where you buy the paint, just like the former poster who was not pleased with Ellen Kennon paints. I rarely if ever have a paint that does not go on well, because we clean the walls and mostly prime them (but in the case of the Behr, we did not prime since colors were so close), and I might be disappointed in the colors but I have pretty good results with paint. Back to the priming story. We had an area by our toilet that had to be primed and sanded five times. Painters could not imagine why because they could not see any reason. Later I learned from the tile guys that some problem had occurred with some of the demolition crew taking out my toilet and they had gotten motor oil on the wall which they "thought" they had cleaned. Yes, it was not showing so they "thought" they had cleaned it but the grease was not absorbing the paint and it cost me about $100 extra for that small area because of their "thoughts" on the situation.

Threed, I have seen you recommend Ellen Kennon's Taupe on other threads, and it looks gorgeous in your rooms. But I have sunk too much $$ into samples already, and am too indecisive, to go with mail-order paint at this point. Same reason that C2 and Donald Whoever and Farrow and Ball are not options for me. Christophern, I hear you, but Lowe's is the best I'm going to get. Basically, the situation is this: I live in a little town, in a poor region of the US, where the only BM store is a full hour's drive away. Not doing that. So my options are HD, Lowe's, Sherwin Williams, and Dunn Edwards. For a while I thought I'd go w/SW paint. But in the paler shades they can't get the sample quarts to match the real color -- too little pigment, and their computer can't break it down sufficiently, and evidently no one in there gives a darn about or is good at matching color for the samples. So I am stuck with: --Lowe's, which can't really match BM colors but which tries, and their Valspar paint is really nice --SW, which has pretty colors but I can't sample them b/c the samples are often quite far from the actual color that'd come out of the gallon --HD, where I thought I'd found a good color in the RL line, but then it turned out that the gallons they mixed me were really different from the sample quart I'd used to make the decision, and they couldn't figure out how or why it was different --Dunn Edwards, haven't gone in there yet but am not eager to have another frustrating paint experience in a new store Hence my frustration. Hence my partially painted wall, once again. Hence my desire to just pick a Behr (HD) or Valspar (Lowe's) color and be done with the whole damn thing at this point. I would note that almost all the paint guys I've been dealing with are neither the sharpest knives in the drawer nor at all talented at matching paint, and they treat me like I'm slightly mad. WHich I suppose I am, at this point. So I guess I can't really blame them.

Okay, I’m going to put in my 2 cents here, mostly to educate the DIY’ers out there About paint. I worked in the paint department of both Home Depot & Lowes for a combined 6 yrs up until 2016. I’ve taken ALL the available paint classes. I’m going to tell you guys a secret... the reason it takes a MINIMIUM of 2 coats, is due to several influencing factors. #1) your wall texture. The more porous, or heavily textured your wall is, the more likely you will get less “coverage” out of your paint, because it is either being sucked up by the texture, (usually unprimed) or it is a bumpy texture which has more surface area to cover per brush/roller stroke. #2) your roller. The texture of your roller must match the texture of the wall. Smooth walls require a shorter napp. Heavier textures require a longer napp. When these things don’t “match” so to speak, you’ll get what are called “hollidays” in the painting world. It’s those little spots where the “under Color” shows through, as if the new paint took a “Holliday” in that spot. This happens all the time when using rollers, regardless, but it’s worse when your napp is too short for the texture. #3) the amount of titanium white your paint brand started out with Before tinting. Titanium white is GENERALLY what are Considered “solids” in the paint, although I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting. #4) the COLOR of the new paint. each color has a “depth” which requires a particular amount of tint. Whites, off whites, pastels, and generally lighter colors are tinted using a WHITE tinting base. These cans are the purest whites that company offers, and can be used right off the shelf. They are usually 3/4 or more full of Titanium white. Medium dark colors are tinted into a “medium” tint base. These cans CANNOT be sold directly off the shelf and must be tinted. They have less overall volume inside the can to begin with, (in order to leave room for tint.) & they are around 1/2 titanium white. Dark or deep colors are mixed into a ”DEEP” tint base. These cans have the least overall volume to begin with, and there’s about 1/4 or less of titanium white in each can. Here’s the secret.. titanium white is what provides the coverage! Tint, by itself, doesn’t cover, it’s somewhat like a gel, and is VERY sticky on its own. It is essentially pure pigment, mixed with an additive to make it viscous. when you take a color, let’s say RED, which by itself has a very translucent property, and you dump a whole boatload of it into a can which (in order to achieve that deep rich he’d you’re looking for) has virtually no titanium white in it, you’re going to get a see through paint, no matter the brand. now, have you ever been offered a tinted (usually grey) primer to put on under that red paint? Did you choose against it, thinking it would be unnecessary? Think again! That neutral grey, gives that red paint a dark neutral base to start from! It richens the color on the first coat! You can sometimes have the primer tinted pink, but grey primer or a grey paint base coat works best. (Don’t believe me? Do a sample board painted 1/2 white, 1/2 medium grey, then paint red across the whole thing.... see? 😉) also, don’t expect your deeper colors to dry as quickly. they don’t. Tint, by itself, never stud.. or “cures” because there are zero gardeners in it. All that tint needed for that deep color, created a very sticky situation inside that can. The other secret I’m going to tell you deals with the other additives in your can besides the titanium white. They are the clear liquids. The chemical mixture and amount of each of these, determines the dry time, viscosity, elasticity, yellowing propensity, durability, hardness and water soluabLilith of the paint. They are basically the GLUE holding it all together, and keeping it on your wall. Each company has a different proprietary blend, making its paint unique. Ive found, that for the most part, how well it turns out with YOUR can of paint, is based on the project, the knowledge of the painter, and the teaching/advising capabilities of the sales clerk. Other than that, MOST paints are created FAIRLY equally. Do your research people. There! Now that’s a thing you know. 😉👍