Cheap matte paint doesn't clean well. That's true - in general. The better (usually higher price-points) mattes clean like a dream - it's amazing actually. Aura Matte in particular is pretty awesome. I'm afraid I have to disagree about matte finish showing imperfections. Matte is a great choice for hiding walls that aren't exactly perfect and might not have been prepped to perfection. Matte is the next best choice after flat or dead flat for hiding imperfections. Some people simply can not stand to live with flat or dead flat - they need some visual 'slip' to the final finish. Once you start moving into satin finishes I do think it's tougher to hide the bumps and whatnot.

I agree with nosoccermom, it really does depend. I had SW color match both Revere Pewter and Edgecomb Gray using the computer. Revere Pewter match was right on, but Edgecomb Gray was way off. This is where the person behind the counter comes in. The manager at the SW I went to took my BM Edgecomb Gray color chip and color-matched it by hand. She went through several different iterations of it and it came out an almost perfect match. I used it in all of the main living areas of my home. I would also recommend purchasing SW fan decks, they're inexpensive and you may find colors there that you like just as much and then you won't need to worry about matching. But I've used SW throughout my home, their paint is an amazing value (I used Harmony), watch for their sales and use coupons and you will be happy with the results, I'm sure!

Sherwin Williams has a data base where they can access all the formulas for competitors paint colors. If you go with Sherwin Williams (which I recommend doing) there will be no difference in the actual tint going into it. The only difference will be the base. The only possible way you would even notice the difference in the paints once tinted is if you put a sample under a microscope. BULL HOCKEY! I was all set to use SW version's of BM Wilmington Tan, BM Fernwood Green and BM Caliente. I had samples mixed up in both the BM line and in the SW line. The SW colors DID NOT match the BM colors at all. The base makes a HUGE difference in that the SW base is bluer. My painter put up a sample of BM Fernwood Green and right next to it, the mixed version from SW of Fernwood Green. The SW color lacked the depth that the BM color had and the subtleness. They are not the same. If you want a BM color, then get the color from BM. If you want a SW color, then get the color from SW. Also the reason your painter prefers SW is because SW gives a larger discount to painters so they get the paint for less money. I had to pay an additional charge for my painter to use the BM colors I wanted, but to me it was worth it to get the correct color.

First you need to know the colr and we can’t actually say with only monitors to choose from. Go to BM store get some sample you think are right then go on their website and use the design function