Sorry I can't help you with the BM paint options but just throwing this out there.

I love Revere Pewter. It's so lovely. I actually used HD's paint and they colormatched to save some $ since I was putting it into a non fancy/public space and it was going over primed fresh drywall and not existing paint.

I'm open to color matching, but I'm scared of it since it's going to be in two large, high traffic rooms.
I'm thinking of going with the Regal Matte. I'm just confused.

What do you mean by "levels"?

The 3 types of BM. Ben, Regal & Aura.

I painted my kitchen and living room with Aura, and I love it, but it is crazy expensive.

We are aredent fans of "Ben." We tried Aura but found it difficult to work with. We've used Ben over and over and will keep going back. I love that it doesn't have any VOC odor.

BM also makes a Natura line with zero VOCs but we haven't used that one except in some very small places.

I believe whatever the cheapest one is has a larger fraction of VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

I just painted my kitchen with Regal Pearl Finish in cameo white. It is lovely. I have to say that I really didn't find the BM paint to be superior to Behr (with primer) or Valspar (with primer). To be honest the BM was on sale and I really wanted to try the Pearl Finish. Well worth it, but I have no allegiance to BM paint.

I've used both Ben and Aura and have no complaints with either. The aura sets up - dries - quickly so you can't go back and re-roll everything, just roll and move on. It is super hiding but honestly, if you're painting a light color over a light color you need two coats either way. Your first coat with aura won't be perfect so you'll need another one. My contractor uses eco spec and it's low odor as well, at least to my nose, but this may just be contractor grade (level) paint.

Personally I would use aura for small jobs and intense colors. I also use it on my trim on the theory that it's maybe more resilient? Also, b/c I'm painting white trim an only slightly different shade of white, I only do one coat. Don't tell anyone!

BM has a video on how to apply Aura. Watch it before you begin and save yourself grief. Forget the old way of rolling a big W and then filling it in ... there is a different technique for Aura and the video shows exactly how to roll it on. Cut in the entire room first, then roll. If you miss a spot, don't go back ... just keep rolling. I LOVE the way Aura turned out. The finish is gorgeous and it really is washable. Another benefit ... it covers completely in two coats.

I used the Regal Select on my front door and it was very easy to work with ... doesn't dry as fast as the Aura.

We used Regal for the whole house. I did find that Regal from Ace (they're open on Sunday) and Regal from our local paint store use a different base and they aren't just exactly the same. Fortunately for me, I discovered this while painting the inside of my closet so it will never show, but I noticed while putting it on. Moral of the story: whatever you buy, buy all of it from the same source.

Thanks. This will be a living room & a family room. They both get a lot of use. I'm so excited to have Revere Pewter. Does anyone have pics of their RP?

I'm the PP who colormatched to HD paint. I can get you a picture tonight!

I have always used BM Regal and have been very happy with that. I would not color match the paint. It will be very, very close, but with different base and additive compositions, it might not be exact. Before we moved into this house, I told the painter the BM color I wanted, and he went ahead and had it color matched to a very good quality Sherwin Williams paint (without my knowledge.) I had that color in my other house, and I am sure I am the only person that would notice--I noticed first and then asked him about the paint.
For some reason, it appears that designers prefer BM, while painters prefer SW.
I am thinking about painting my interior Revere Pewter, so I am anxious to see photos as well. I really need to like a color because I have one of those floor plans that is relatively open and one room leads to the next, without a stopping place (and cathedral ceilings--thats a lot of the same color!)
I think BM Regal Matte will be a good choice. If there are no blemishes on the wall, you can even do an eggshell.

I'm going to start a new thread asking for RP pics. Thanks everyone!!!

I have used all three BM paint types. Aura is my fave but too pricey for my living room with cathedral ceilings. Regal was fine.

We also had trouble applying Aura in my son's bedroom. I can see roll marks when the light hits the walls a certain way. The professionals we used to paint our kitchen with Aura did a much better job. If we use it again I'll check out the video- I'm certain it was our technique (the old W way) that must have resulted in problems. It's great paint though if you can get it done right.

I've used Regal and just purchased Aura for my kitchen based on the recommendation of the paint store (I really trust this paint store and don't most others so I listened). I've only tested with the Aura but I'm kind of concerned about the quick drying time and quirky application.
The Regal was awesome to use. I did one coat of a mid tone blue over a dark gray semi-gloss(!) and it took one coat to cover and looked awesome. I highly recommend it.

Browneyes, don't be afraid of the Aura, just watch the video and follow the instructions which are quite simple. I've only used the flat finish (even in the kitchen!) so I can't say if the glossier finishes are more difficult to work with. I also did not buy the "special" Aura rollers, but used Purdy white dove's instead.

Jellytoast, can you provide a link to the video. There are a couple on the site with different techiques. Some of the info is outdated for use with Aura. You can not cut in while rolling because it dries too fast. One of the painters uses a W technique as does the pamphlet they handout for painting techniques. I have not heard to not use that method. You just need to lay it on as quickly as you can with minimal rolling. Someone said it is allergic to back rolling. So I'm not sure why up and down would be any better.

The paint dries too fast so is difficult and stressful to work with. It can create a rough textured finish if you work it too much, and it starts to dry out as soon as you get it on the wall, literally. You can't leave a ridge at the wet edge for even a minute without it leaving a raised line. Their extender does give you a little more time.

The advantage to Aura is color lock. It's supposed to not fade over time. And it touches up well.

Regal Classic has more open time but is discontinued. The newer one, Select, is low VOC so dries faster. I was told it is slower drying than Aura and scrubs as well but have not tried it. The Classic is still on their website's product lineup for some reason. Maybe it's not completely phased out yet regionally.

Here is from one of their videos. She seems to be a sloppy painter. I wouldn't follow her technique as it's hard to go back over areas to clean things up. Not a very professional video from BM!

This post was edited by snookums2 on Wed, Jan 15, 14 at 17:18

Door drips.

I have used Revere Pewter on wood trim, paneling and doors in all of our hallways/staircases for about 20 years in both oil base and latex - depending whether it was old wood or in new areas. I have used the Regal and Satin Impervo. Never tire of the color ...obviously...and the paint is a dream to work with... Good luck!

Here is the Aura instructions link:

http://www.benjaminmoore.com/en-us/for-your-home/interior-painting-techniques-featuring-aura

Basically, you just start at one corner and move away, rolling from floor to ceiling in long strokes.