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Paint Design Dilemma home office

INTERIOR PAINTS: BM vs SW (Differences amongst the high end options?)

DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Dear Houzz friends,

We are Benj. Moore REGAL paint people. Our fav's Pashmina, Dove White, & Fossil.

Our current contractor wants to use S-Williams paints instead. That would change our desire from BM-White Dove to SW-Alabaster, combined with SW-Accessible Beige for the doors. I am only concerned because SW rarely makes the "Best Paints" lists. Are the top tier SW's as good? If so- why are they not making the "best" lists? Here is an example.

https://www.thespruce.com/best-paints-for-interior-walls-4151287(BM & BEHH & VALSPAR)

Why is SW not making the best paint lists?

Thanks, D3

Featured Answer

PRO

Mark Audley

4 years ago

If you love the colors stick with the original company, Regal is a good paint but please consider the Aura Matte finish...it is more expensive but what I recommend. The matte finish helps to hide blemishes,cleans easily and you can spot re-touch without having to have the pro back. Good Luck! Mark

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Comments (9)

Lyndee Lee
4 years ago
Do you trust your contractor? If yes, allow him the freedom to do the best job he can for you, using his favorite products. If no, find a different contractor you can trust.

Familiarity with products and suppliers allows a contractor to deliver consistent results. Occasionally, there will be a manufacturing or storage issue with paint, and if the user knows how the product should perform, the problem will be obvious. However, if he is working with a new product, he may just continue working and hoping that the problems will go away as the product cures. When it doesn't resolve itself, the contractor has lost time and money and now has a problem surface to correct before proceeding.

All the major paint manufacturers sell a range of products, aimed at different markets, different price points, and different quality levels. The top line from any major manufacturer will be more than adequate for your purposes. A successful paint job is not just the product used, instead it is a combination of product, prep work, tools and workmanship. If you stay towards the top of the range in all those aspects, the final result will be good. Go low end on any component and the final result will not be satisfactory.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked Lyndee Lee
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity
Original Author
4 years ago
LYNDEE LEE- thank you so much!!! This is a super helpful perspective!!

FYI- I LOVE my contractor!!
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In my experience, I prefer the SW exterior, but like BM for interior, especially their Satin Impervo for cabinet paint. Paint truly is one of those things that vary from person to person, and once you find what you like, you will stick with it. SW frequently has sales, and if you are on their customer list, you will get a postcard in the mail as a reminder. However, many BM dealers do have a clearance sale once or twice a year, that they minimally advertise. I just got in on a Craiglist advertised clearance sale and picked up Satin Impervo, Aura, and Regal paints at $20 a gallon. Some stores have a miss mixed sales area, if you ask, they will tell you, if you don't it remains unknown. Several of the local stores do this, and I only found out when I saw a bunch of paint cans behind a door, and got nosy.... This is great if you have an old house with lots of work to do and can stock up. If you have a specific color you need, it may not be a good deal.
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fraker
4 years ago
There’s no reason to change paint colors just because you’ve changed paint brands. Your favorite BM colors can be mixed using SW paints. It’s extremely common.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked fraker
ShadyWillowFarm
4 years ago
What room are you painting? I use Behr products and they’ve stood up to kids, teens, dogs, etc with no problems.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked ShadyWillowFarm
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity
Original Author
4 years ago
We love Behr too! We are painting all 4 rooms and about 5 more in this project.

Thanks!
remodeling1840
4 years ago
Because the nearest BM dealer is 45 minutes away, I had the local SW store mix their paint to match my BM color. Not even close. The wall in our bath is SW version of BM, but when the bedroom was painted and we wrapped the doorway trim, the two colors aren’t anything alike. The SW paint didn’t cover as well either. Guess who is happy to make the trek to BM?!?! If you like a color in a certain brand, buy that brand.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked remodeling1840
geoffrey_b
4 years ago
There is no "Best" anything. Go with the color you like. Some folks say that another manufacturer can match the color. I say no. Their tint bases are different, and the colorant is different. It may be close, but from my experience not the same. Usually the matched color turns out to be too warm / cool / grayed / yellowed.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked geoffrey_b
PRO
User
4 years ago
SW emerald is a great product.
DDD Seattle/St Croix Bgkok/FtW/CedarCity thanked User

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