Newtoremodeling, you have to choose what fits your painting style best because painting is a lot of work. Don't need a product that adds on more stress and effort. The blotchy areas and roller marks are most typical for DIYers who struggle with Aura so you aren't alone as far as I'm concerned. Thing is there isn't much understanding out there for a DIY painter. Pro painters can't remember or can't relate very well to what it's like for someone not to be good with a brush because it comes so easily for most of them -- and really the worse off a DIYer is the better hiring a pro looks. lol! :D Paint stores are usually very unsympathetic and don't quite understand either. If they acknowledge anything deficient about the product, then they might have to do something about it. So they tend to gloss things over or go the opposite direction and over-caution so they can say I told ya so. Practice with Aura on a board first is what I've been telling my DIYers lately. Just jumping in and hitting a wall with Aura is a mistake. A little practice is needed. Also start on an inconspicuous wall that doesn't get hit with direct light. Usually, the more you paint with Aura the easier it gets. Definitely have to have some refined and/or efficient painting skills to be successful with Aura. Aura is not DIY user friendly.

Well, I have used BM regal for years. Always been happy with the look and longevity. Perhaps brand loyalty. I have seen reviews the confirm the BM is a quality product if not "the best". I have read some complaints on its price however. Price is why I went with the âÂÂBenâ line - it is cheaper than Regal. I want to say I paid about 36 bucks a gallon. It is low VOC and odor which is important to my family. It also uses the newer color pigments I think from the Aura line - a kind of "pop" in the colors compared to what I am used to with regal. All reason I chose it over the "old standard" regal. Now the Aura is very pricey. I would say I paid $48 per gallon. I went with the new Aura Bath and Spa in my bathroom for several reasons. Aura is typically rated as among the highest quality paints available. Our bathrooms get a lot of abuse - lots of kids- and not always using exhaust fan. The new âÂÂBath and Spaâ version is specifically designed for bathrooms and is in Matte. My wife did not want shinny so Matte is great. The bathroom is small so I only needed a gallon. Aura is also low VOC. BM is sold all around me - mainly the ACE hardware stores. I did end up going to a specialty paint dealer to get a discount with all the paint and supplies I bought.

I've been using Aura since it came out. I am not a professional painter but repaint my rooms frequently. I do love Aura in any room but bathrooms. I have used it in 2 different houses, and painted in 4 different bathrooms in 2007, 2008, 2012. Each of the bathrooms has proper ventilation and the exhaust fan is always used when showering. All of the walls were properly cleaned before painting. In every bathroom where it was used, the paint has streaks. Some of these can be "washed" off but re-appear soon again. Do a search on Aura paints and you will see this is a wide-spread problem in bathroom use. I will continue to use it in other rooms but no more bathrooms!

We used BM Aura matte finish paint in our guest bathroom before the bath and spa version came out, I think. We also used the bath and spa version, also matte finish, in our other two bathrooms, which we reno’d after. We used the matte finish on all the ceilings (mixed up in Super White), and satin finish on all the base molding (same colors as the walls). No issues with any of them. Well, a minor issue; if you use any products containing benzoil peroxide, and any of it splatters onto the walls, it will leave bleach-like or discolored spots. It probably does this with any paint though.