Mixing brands is totally fine. Some people can't tell the difference, some people most certainly sense a difference between one final finish/color quality and another. It's a way to add another level of interest, dimension. I love to use full spectrum color juxtaposed to *regular* colors. It's a level of contrast that's lost on some folks, but very present for others. It's an option -- and options and choices are a good thing when it comes to paint and color. Specifying product - you don't have to use Aura everywhere unless it's really needed or wanted. Flagging the kid, hi-traffic, darker color areas for Aura and the rest in Regal is a smart strategy. You've customized your paint/color plan to what you really need. Difference between the finishes of BenM and C2 have more to do with color than actual finish. C2 uses more colorants than BenM and because of that C2 color can bring a unique nuance and personality to the atmosphere. Aura matte is far more 'scrubbable' than C2 flat. As kit suggested, upping the sheen level is a good solution to get built-in clean-ability. Contractor may freak, may charge you more, may just roll with it. Won't know 'til ya ask. With what you have going on with the finishes and glazes and whatnot, just make sure you communicate with him up-front and regularly throughout the project.

Most of our house has been painted with Ace Royal paints. Ceilings are all flat and trim is semi gloss. The walls are done in eggshell and a bathroom in satin. I don't like that it doesn't touch up. The drywall in our hallway isn't super in some areas so I tried the Ace Sensations. It's a flat paint that's to be scrubbable and touches up. I'm less than impressed as it doesn't neither and can't wait to paint over it. Not a fan of the burnishing either. I finally broke down and painted another bathroom in BM Aura and it's wonderful stuff. It touches up and the finish is so rich looking. In the future, I'll use the Aura for the bathrooms since I only need a gallon. If money grew on trees, I'd use it for the whole house but I'd prefer to stick to paint in the $25-30ish price range for walls. I helped someone paint a room with one of the Valspar paints and I'll never purchase that brand. It was runny and I had one heck of a headache until we were finished. Smells normally don't bother me.

Hi Bloomin', I know that what I said seems inherently wrong but now I will tell the "rest of the story". I have never had Matte paint before except in the DR and it is navy blue and is Devoe paint. It is easily burnished so I was afraid to use more dark colors in matte but I wanted that rich smooth color. I read up on the different paints and scoured the GW for info. I have the Thyme Green you see and also a rich chocolate called Belgian Chocolate and then I have La Fonda Terra Cotta . All in BM . The difference is the ceramic in the paint. I don't think the BM flat has it so I would not suggest the same care. If I were you I would ask the BM dealer and also contact their web site and see what the difference is and the suggested care. I wiped the wall behind the cooktop down with an ammonia-based cleaner (Windex) when it was only days old as my DH had just stirfried and it was covered with grease. It ruined the paint job. My painter redid it and ....you guessed it I cleaned it AGAIN too soon. I then went to the paint store and ranted about the crap BM paint. Uh well...he showed me a wall he had scrubbed with a soft natural bristle brush and soap...it was perfect. He said cure it a month and then use the brush or a rough cloth and soap. My wall looks exactly like it did the day it was LAST painted. LOL. I love the color and wouldn't use any other paint now but it was my fault that I didn't find out the care first...although I think they should have ann info sheet for all types of paints so you know when you are buying what you are getting. Hope this helps you. Caroline

I use semi-gloss for all the trim in my house. As Cat says, it's easy to clean.