I'm pretty sure that our local paint store that carries BM, Pratt & Lambert, Yolo and Ralph Lauren brands is locally owned not company owned. We always get great service. More often than not, it's my go-to place for paint. I've also used Rodda, Kelly Moore, Miller and SW. Our home's exterior is painted with SW, chosen because I saw the color on a local home, loved it and the homeowner was gracious enough to tell me the color and brand. I received great service when I sampled a quart and selected a complimentary colors for the trim and door. However, we did have a problem with the paint job that began with a SW's mixing error. One 5-gallon bucket was slightly off in match from the other buckets. We checked the cans and the formula label says the cans were mixed the same way but somehow or other, they were not. That error was compounded by idiot painters who didn't know enough to mix paint from new cans with open cans. Because they didn't and because the paint match was off, touch-ups on our house looked like polka dots. The painters had to go back and paint the whole length of a board and we'll have to do the same any time we touch up. These same idiot painters painted our front door while it was closed! Yeah, we made them re-do it. Twice. And it still wasn't great. They then had the nerve to ask if they could bid on interior paint work. Over my dead body! But I digress. This was an isolated experience with SW and it sounds as though it's not the norm - that's good to hear - but it does make me hesitate about using their paint again.

This might be late, but if it's Super Spec, maybe see what they'll charge to go up to Regal. My house was professionally painted out completely in Super Spec Barely Beige to put it on the market. It looked ok when we moved in, but it quickly went downhill. Over the course of a few months, the walls were very marked up from day to day use. Forget scrubbing, the paint comes off the wall. When I began repainting, I started to notice that there was fine cracking on the surface. It was probably painted over dirty walls. If you're going to spend the money to have a professional paint, make sure it's good quality paint. The upgrade cost isn't that much, what you're paying for is labor. Don't pay someone to apply inferior paing otherwise, you'll end up paying more to have it all done over, or doing it yourself. Here's something I found online explaining the different levels of paint. It references an even lower level called Super Hide, which didn't apply to what you were asking. "Super Spec is the next step up. Benjamin Moore Super Spec is definitely better than Super Hide. It was developed for commercial uses where cost is a factor and durability or quality isn't as important. Low-end painters will also substitute Super Spec for Regal products, too, and is also something to be wary of. Super Spec comes in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss and can be tinted to any color. The Regal line is Benjamin Moore's premium paint line, and before Aura it was their best. The Regal products built Benjamin Moore into the reputable paint company it is today. And these products do keep changing. Benjamin Moore has reformulated these products numberous times over the years to keep improving them. Overall, the Regal products are fantastic and compare well to any other premium paint brand on the market. Benjamin Moore Regal comes in flat, matte, eggshell, pearl, semi-gloss and high-gloss and can be tinted to any color. Benjamin Moore Matte and Benjamin Moore Eggshell are the most popular interior finishes for walls because they are washable and Benjamin Moore Semi-Gloss is the most popular finish for trim, baseboards and doors. These finishes are also referred to as Regal Flat, Aquavelvet (eggshell), Aquapearl (pearl) and Aquaglo (semi-gloss). Finally, the finest paint Benjamin Moore makes is Aura. Aura is unlike any other paint on the market. Benjamin Moore Aura paint is super-durable, does not require primer, will cover any color in no more than two coats, is low-odor and environmentally friendly and just looks richer for any color. Popular Science dubbed it one of the best new products of 2007. Aura comes in interior matte, eggshell and satin finishes. In the spring of 2008 Benjamin Moore will add an interior semi-gloss and exterior Aura products. With this information you will be better informed about the various paint quality options. Unless you are a builder trying to cut costs, you should use the best paint available. Relative to the overall cost of painting -- selecting your colors, tearing your home apart and living with the inconvenience, and expending the effort or expense of actually painting -- the paint itself is the least expensive part, and the difference between the best can of paint and the cheapest often only amounts to the cost of lunch or dinner one day. So given that on average you will live with the paint in your home for seven years, cutting corners on the paint quality doesn't make much sense."

On my SW Whites and Lights brochure, there's 50 true whites, cooler whites, and warmer whites. Alabaster is a true white. I have Alabaster on my ceiling because I saw it recommended a few times as a soft white. Pure White and Extra White are listed as true whites. IIRC, Pure White was brighter than Alabaster. Eider White is cool, with green undertones imo, Nacre is warm and looks a little green/gold, and Creamy looks like a pale cream--not grayed down, but not bright either. I don't have Incredible White--I cut a few off trying to pick a ceiling color.

I offered Durapoxy in my entry package b/c it has a recoat time of 4 hours vs 24 with oil or oil hybrids (oil resins in a water base) like Epic, Advance or Pro classic hybrid) and isnt tacky after drying. In production time saved equals money saved. We can paint and reassemble a Durapoxy kitchen in 1 or 2 days vs 3 or 4 with oil/hybrid. Many Many small apt kitchens we were able to paint and reassemble same day which allowed us to offer the service for <$1K and maintain decent margins and a pricing advantage over our competitors. Recoat times are a major consideration.