Benjamin Moore Paint: Is it worth the price?

I love Benjamin Moore and have found it worth the money. BUT, I had great experience with RL too and it is cheaper. So, you can save money. I just go with the people who make my color. What I haven’t had success with is color matching via different companies. Benjamin Moore makes all of the colors you see in the PB catalog which is where I get my inspiration. So it is just easy to go to the store and buy the colors of the room I liked That is what I am paying for, my lack of creativity I guess.

Mary, Good point about the colors and paying for “creativity.” I did love BM color selection, but I think I could find something comparable or do a color match with RL. Then again I do not have small children sucking my emotional resources. I have had very good experiences with color matching (at least at Big Orange).

There was a big hype when this Aura paint came out. I have been painting for about 15 years and have pretty much tried every type of paint there could be. A customer of mine had a bedroom to paint and it had vaulted ceilings that run about 15′ high. The paint we used was benjamin moore aura matte finish- color -dove white. I put two coats of the aura matte finish on, 1 coat the first day and the second coat the next day. The customer called me complaining saying there were roller shadow marks, it was not a uniformed finish, and there was a satin like sheen to it. So I went over there to take a look and is was not a uniformed looking finish and it sure didnt look like satin. I had to put a third coat on of benjamin moore ceiling flat and it was fine. So if I had to go through all that and they spent 50-60 dollars a gallon, Aura is not worth the price, stick with Regal

Aura is TERRIBLE to paint with!! It is so fast drying/tcky that when you go over an area you have painted 60 seconds before, the brush or roller will lift the paint off and the undercoat will show through. It’s crappy paint to work with; you have to do 2 very thin coats and be careful not to go over an area you’ve just painted. So factor in $50+ a gallon, twice the amount of labour, and it’s no bargain at all. I will NEVER use it again. Stick to cheap paint—it’s cheaper but better in the long run!

I have been painting professionally for 20 years and find the comments abour BM Aura paint to be somewhat misleading. I just finished painting a kitchen and living room with the Aura matte in HC9 and HC10, which are gold colors. It took two coats antd the colors are beautiful. My customer said she was going to call me at 11PM when she got home and saw the room to tell me how much she liked it, but was afraid I would get mad because it was so late. As for John the painter, why would you even think of using Aura for a ceiling? All matte finishes have a slight gloss to them, not to mention that doing a ceiling in Aura paint is a complete waste of money. I always use the Regal Decorators white flat, which in my opinion, covers better than any paint I have used. As far as the paint drying in 60 seconds, that is a bunch of nonsense, although you do have to be careful not to put it on too thick.

Hi everyone,

I have used BM paint in every room of my new apartment, because the color choices are so amazing and the paint is too. The Aura paint is worth the money. The first coat kicks your butt, but the second coat is much easier, and the depth and richness of the colors are amazing, and touchups are a breeze and flawless. I have used the aura in their high gloss (even though my NYC apartment walls are crap) to make the room look bigger and it does, I have also used their medium gloss in my dining room and its equally as beautiful. Covers like a dream, doesn’t crack, great paint. I did have that problem with the picking up 60 seconds before, but Benjamin Moore was so good to me, they took the numbers off the paint can and refunded my money 100%. They stand by their paint.

If you go to the right hardware store, the paint people there have most likely used the Aura paint. The one particular guy loved the Aura paint so much he said he didn’t have a single speck of white paint in his whole house. He then spent about 10 minutes going over with us how to paint with it, giving us tips and advice, making sure we had the right rollers and tools for the job. Really wonderful service.

Their regal eggshell is also wonderful in the bathroom, it gives the shine we want without being too finicky to apply.

I have used RL, Regal, Aura and Murello paint quite often. Murello is the hardest to find but is in my opinion the best of the bunch when price is considered. Having used Aura after Ralph Lauren, Behr and Valspar first I was very impressed. Dont try to paint the whole wall at once, break it into small sections that you can handle in short amount of time (like you should in the first place) and you will be amazed at how awesome this paint is. I used half the paint and was done in half the time. There was no smell and the coverage was great, especially with deap colors. Anyone thinking of reds should just get this paint. However I later tried Murello paint and it was every bit as good as Aura for about $10 less a gallon so that is now my choice of paint.

I enjoyed the review and agree with it. I just finished up basement painting project for a customer and the final stage I use Benjamin Moore Regal Aqua Velvet paint. I was not impressed. The final coat was applied over two coats of arylic latex primer. The Aqua had poor coverage. It took two coats and over rolling the paint application to get adquate coverage over the primer. I will not buy the product again nor attempt to sell it to a customer.

I have been using BM paint for 6 years. I recently switched to the Aura paint and can’t imagine using anything else – this stuff is FABULOUS.

The biggest plusses to me are that cut-in and brush marks don’t show at all, nor do roller marks, which means you can go back and touch up missed spots and have them disappear on the walls. All of the colors I have used have covered in a single coat, with minor re-painting just over my own “Painter’s Holidays”.

I have painted my Office (”Instinct” – blue-grey), my Dining Room (”Black Raspberry” – deep purple, almost black), the Entry (”Peach Brandy” – a gorgeous orange), my 7 yo son’s room (”Nantucket Fog” – a blue/grey) and most recently my 11 yo daughter’s room (”Seduction” – a dark purple, and “Crocus Petal Purple” – a gorgeous medium purple). The paint might be twice the price of other brands, but since I can get a deep, gorgeous color with ONE coat, I have saved a ton of time and energy.

You MUST, however, pay attention to the fact that this paint must be applied differently than other paints – follow the directions!!!!

The only complaint I have is that it doesn’t like 409 – the spray streaks show.

Just bought for over $600.00 in Benjamin Moore paint and that was on sale…buy 1 gallon get 1 gallon 1/2 price, hired a painter to paint our the upstairs of our house and to our surprise, the paint is awful! After 1 week, we have two rooms that are almost completed, when he paints the ceiling he cannot paint the walls until the ceiling is completely dry..the paint comes from the ceiling mixes with the walls…went back to the store and they laughed at us..told us that a representant would call us back….4 days later we are still waiting for his call. We will have to go and buy $400.00 of paint so that our painter can continue the job…..don’t buy Benjamin Moore!

I work for a Benjamin Moore store and I would love to clear some things up. First off lets talk about fillers…..90% of other paints have them, B.M does not. What that means is about 100 sq ft MORE of durable coverage. Second the Aura paint is by far the best I have ever used. It’s self-priming, low voc and the colorants get locked in the paint. So when you wash your walls it doesn’t wipe off on your rag. Has anyone here ever tried to paint reds or yellow? Some paints will require 3-4 coats with a deep base primer. Aura can do it in 2 even over new drywall. Plus if you like a matte finish (not much sheen) you can put it in the bathroom! Awesome stuff. So in the long run it’s worth the money to me. Finally, not all Benjamin Moore stores are the same. We wouldn’t charge more for a deeper based color allthough colorants cost a lot. So it’s pretty much up to the dealer.

well for aura drying to quick that means your working to slow you have to realize that the paint dries fast and if you have missed a spot or made any mistakes just come back and get it on the second coat. because if you do try to go back it will just ruin your chance of trying to get away with one coast. it dries to the touch in about 15 minutes and recoat in an hour which is just flat out amazing. the coverage is second to nobody. as for the price its worth it you can get the whole entire room done at one time if it takes 2 coats you can just keep on going to have to stop and wait 4 to 8 hours like most other paints.

To John the painter…why would you put a matte finish on the ceiling? And a vaulted one at that! Of course it is going to show roller marks.Aura is not for ceilings. Again Aura can’t be over worked , plus matte has a sheen. I will say that Jay knows what he is talking about. BTW Jay there is a new waterborne ceiling paint it’s ultra dead flat. Try it sometime, it’s awesome. You can even put it on new dry wall.

I have used Ben Moore Aura in two rooms in my home and it worked perfectly.
I have been in the paint industry for almost 40 years and of all the US paint man-
ufacturers, this is the best new technology that I have seen or used. I not only used it, but I sold it as a dealer. I worked with both homeowners and painting
contractors and as long as you followed the directions, it was easy. The most
important thing to remember is that the application methods and tools (roller
covers, brushes) need to be rpemium quality. The little extra that you pay will
make a deifference in the application. Generally speaking, it will cover in one
coat, but cetain colors will need two. Keep in mind that virtually all paint jobs
are mostly about the prep (80-90%).

READ CONSUMERS REPORTS!

Hi all,

Well, I’ve tried quite a few paints – and saving money on paint doesn’t pay off in the long run – at least that’s what I’ve found.

I’ve switched to B&M’s Aura – and it’s AMAZING!!

I use the flat, and YES.. it will have a sheen for 4-5 days.. which does cut down and will go matte. I know, because I painted a hallway and was surprised how much sheen it had the next day. I called the paint store, they told me to relax and wait.. well, they didn’t lie!

And touch ups are simply fantastic.. You can’t see anything!! blends right in, I would say Aura is the closest thing to oil based paints as far as flow (but technique is important, cut in FIRST.. do not try to keep a wet edge, it will NOT work.. use good rollers & brushes, and – technique!!)

I just used the WaterBorne Ultra Flat Ceiling paint on another long hallway.. and they AIN’T KIDDING.. this stuff is SUPER flat.. I will have to get used to it! It almost has no reflection!

But I like it

Spend the money, B&M is worth every penny.. BTW: The paint that was on the walls before was all B&M oil base, over 20 years old!! and it still looked fantastic! So durable. I hope the acrylic stuff lasts just as long!!

I really like BM so I use whenever I can BUT the problem here in NC is finding the stuff. Sure there are plenty of “dealers” but when you go to pick up some paint, none of them have anything. I mean NOTHING! They all say they will have to put in an order and it’ll be two weeks until it comes in. What a headache.

I am one of those hands-on architects and I have been using BM for over 10years, and have tried all their lines. I have always tried to measure the paint based on its value – price against quality/ease of work. I have to say that for 30-40ish dollars a gallon, retail, where I work, the Regal is not that great, and for 50-60ish the Aura is actually quite bad. On top of that, the base color difference is only appreciable with flat/eggshell finish, on a newly plastered wall, painted with a shorter nap roller.
What did surprise me is that none of the professional painters on here mention SuperSpec, which is another line BM offers – considered more of a “contractors’ choice”. It is actually a much better value – it has the same depth of coverage/thickness as the Aura, but dries much more slowly. It is significantly superior to the Home Depot/Lowes brands, yet priced similarly – in the low 20’s/gallon.
Although used mostly for commercial applications, it is actually suitable for residential work, and performs quite comparably to Regal.
The big selling point of Regal and Aura as washable paints is a little misleading, because in the lower/ no gloss finishes, the slightest rubbing leaves a sheen mark.

For those of you in the Metro Boston area I would strongly recommend C2 interior wall latex – puts BM, SW, any everyone else to shame. about $40/gallon

And finally, most paint stores (Home Depot/Lowes included) can mix other manufacturers colors into their paints, so if you love your Behr, but want the BM color, just bring the number and name and they will match it. It may not be perfect, but it again comes back to value…

Not sure if anyone mentioned this bc I didn’t read through every comment but I just wanted to say that I love the Aura paint because the real difference is that you only need to put one coat of it on! So it saves you time and in the end that is the same price you would be spending on 2 gallons of any other kind of paint if not more! It is a little harder to work with because it is obviously thicker but its really all about your painting skills and technique when it comes to using this.

Oh I forgot to add, I used their luminescent/metallic paint in Champagne Dreams and it is FANTASTIC!! My foyer looks amazing and I get compliments all the time. The guy at BM was so helpful, told me not to use the base coat that BM recommends, but to pick something very close to the Champagne Dreams color or else I would be frustrated with lap marks. I asked him to find a base for me, he did, and I’m SO GLAD I followed his advice because he was right. I definitely plan to use it again in a different color, maybe on a ceiling in a dark room to give it some cool shine….

Above review is regarding Benjamin Morre Aura MAtte

I’ve always used Benny Moore, and I believe it’s the best. Aura is a superior product and is worth the money. It sounds like your paint company ripped you off.

Reading this discussion has been useful, and like most things, people’s preferences vary widely. First off, I HATE TO PAINT, and I’ve tried just about every brand (although I hadn’t heard of Murello). BUT, while I will never say ‘never’, I don’t plan to ever stray from BM again. I try to save money, I’ve tried ‘em all, but there is just no comparison. Color(s), application and coverage are critical to a grumpy painter like me, BM does make a difference. There is a REASON professional painters use it enmasse, and it isn’t because they’re getting some kickback. They know it will save them time, effort and satisfy their customers, enabling them to be more productive and profitable.

I painted child’s room more then 3 months ago with BM Natura -”fresh air !!!” – till now smells very bed, nothing helps. I do not recommend it at all.

It has been almost a year since I first weighed in on this topic and I have since painted a lot more spaces with Aura and I still LOVE it. Most recently, a client (I am a realtor) needed to paint a little house (interior) in/around a lot of other workers to get in ASAP. We painted in bits and pieces over a week, with lots of partial walls, and here is where the Aura wins, hands down: you can’t see any of the transitions, stop points, touch-ups, brush marks or roller marks. The walls are truly gorgeous (we used “Grey Wisp”, which is almost dead-on to Restoration Hardware’s “Silver Sage”). The house in only 864 (!) square feet and about 3/4 is the Grey Wisp. We did it all in less than 5 gallons, including re-painting where the drywall guys had to repair where the plumber came back and ripped a hole in a recently-finished room. That is 3 bedrooms, the living room and the interior of 4 closets, in less than 5 gallons. We put two coats in the high-traffic areas, to make sure the walls could withstand a good scrub, and most of the rest: one coat gorgeous (over white paint).

Last weekend I painted a friend’s entry in BM Aura “Black Raspberry” and it is gorgeous, just gorgeous.

Again, when I hear folks complain about this paint, my first thought it: read the directions and pay attention. You can NOT put thus on like other paints: use the right tools, don’t try to maintain a wet edge and just let it fill itself in – the flow and self-leveling is fantastic. One person who won’t be named rolled his eyes at me when I showed him how to roll a wall (yes, yes, I KNOW you guys have been painting for YEARS!) but guess what: he was blown away by the performance difference in how I did it vs. how he did it.

One thing for sure when you’re getting ready to paint with Aura: don’t goof off. get your tools all ready, and don’t answer the phone, chase the kids or walk the dog. Clean the space, cover the floor, use good tools and be done before you know it = by the time you’re done cutting in all the way around, you can roll. By the time you’ve rolled all the way around, you’re probably able to put on a second coat: it dries THAT fast.