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katiee511_gw

BM paint - have some questions, please

katiee511
14 years ago

After reading venice_2008's post about using Matte paint, I think this is the way I want to go after all the positive posts. I went to our local hardware store and got 4 sample colors to try. Hoping ONE of those will be 'the one' my questions are:

Our store only sells the Regal line. When I asked about Aura they said they are working on getting it but it could be 30 days or more. I can drive 30 min to another store that carries the Aura line. Is there enough of a difference to get the Aura over the Regal?

In a Goggle search, I read some posts that someone was charged an add'l $8.00 to have the Regal tinted, but the Aura was included in the price??? I have never heard of this. Has anyone experienced this?

Our local price for Regal is $42/gallon. How much could I expect to pay for Aura?

The Color sample states it is Regal AquaVelvet premium quality. Will the color be different in the Matte finish, or just the sheen?

I apologise for these seemingly 'stupid' questions...... but I am so tired of being at a standstill on our kitchen and looking at the white primed walls. Any other hints, words of wisdom or any advice I can get will be much appreciated. Thanks!

Comments (27)

  • rhome410
    14 years ago

    I've never used the Aura, as it's new since we finished our house last year. But we used the BM Regal on almost all of our walls and are very happy with it. We sure didn't pay any extra to have it tinted!

    Any paint can look a bit different on the wall than you expect, depending on the lighting, size of the room, number and direction of windows, time of day, etc. Matte will be truest, I think, as anything with a sheen reflects and will look lighter.

    I have no idea if this helps you, but I hope so. Best wishes.

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Yes, Rhome410, that actually does help. Thank you.

    One of the reasons I bought the sample jars was because the paint chip cards looked different everywhere I placed them and I know putting it on the walls seems to be best.

    So, the Matte finish should read just slightly darker than the sample jar due to sheen. That is a good point and one I wouldn't have thought of, even though it makes perfect sense. I'm just so tired of decisions, I don't think I have any sense left!! :)

  • cleo07
    14 years ago

    I would not get anything but Aura paint especially if you want a scrubbable matte paint in the kitchen. It is so worth a 30 min drive! I used Regal previously and there really is no comparison between the two. The Aura mixing station is different from the regular paint ones, so not all stores have upgraded yet.

    I don't know if I responded to your last post but here are the main differences between Aura and Regal...

    Aura is scrubbable in a matte finish. This is the most important difference as you would like a matte finish and are using it in a room where cleaning the walls is done more often than other rooms. If you were using a satin or semi gloss finish, I would say there is no difference. In fact, I use Regal when I have a semi gloss finish to save money.

    Recoat time is 1 hour. I routinely paint 1 full room in 8 hours with 2 coats of paint.

    Self priming: Don't need to spend the time or money priming the walls. This is one of the top reasons I use Aura.

    Touch uppable: You can literally recoat small sections of the wall even years later without having to repaint the whole wall. This is very important when you have a party guest vomit red wine on your kitchen walls. You can just recoat the small section that stained and not see the lines (Yes this happened to me in my 2 week old kitchen!). I don't have a backsplash in my main prep area so I run the roller over it every few months if it looks stained.

    Coverage: The coverage is phenomenal. You will still need 2 coats for the best outcome so don't believe the whole 1 coat thing. However, you may not have to cut in twice which is a major time saver. Rerolling a room only takes about an hour.

    Also: I highly recommend the MICROFIBER roller from Benjamin Moore. If you are doing it yourself, get a high quality brush (3 inch slanted) and a higher quality handle for the roller. Don't overroll as it dries quickly. Good luck!

  • venice_2008
    14 years ago

    Hi Katiee511

    I can't give you the comparison b/t Regal and Aura, but I can say that I have never seen such a beautiful finish as the Aura that is now on my kitchen walls. It's soft and velvety. It pulls me right into it. I will now do it throughout the house; the extra cost seems well worth it to me.

    The painters loved working with it. As cleo_2007 said, it will take two coats, but they dry quickly. My kitchen -- two coats, plus priming (this was included in the contract, so I didn't remove it) -- was completed in a day. There was no extra charge for mixing it.

    Oh, and that 30-minute drive doesn't sound so bad to me. I've driven 90+ minutes just to look at soapstone ... several times!

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    cleo 2007 - thank you so much for your detailed answer. That really helped with some of my unknowns. I actually DIDN'T ask about the roller because I was feeling like it was too many questions that I should already know the answers to..... LOL. So, I really appreciate that you thought to add that! BTW, how embarassing for your party guest... but even more so horrifying for you to see it happen in your brand new sparkly space!!

    hi venice_2008 - thanks for putting the original question out there. I never would have considered a Matte finish without reading that post. I have painted all the rooms in my house and automatically get semi-gloss..... I have no idea why! Habit and no imagination, I guess! Dare I admit, I always buy the cheapest paint I can if DH is not with me? Of course, you get what you pay for! They sure haven't worn well over time. I know the drive time isn't terrible, just needed to make sure it was worth it. :)

  • flatcoat2004
    14 years ago

    I had all my interior painting done with Aura last year. I had the walls done in Matte and trim in Satin. It is gorgeous and is holding up well. Some of the house had new drywall, and some of the house had the original 110-year old horsehair plaster walls (with lots of "character", LOL !). I swear the paint made the imperfections in the old walls less obvious !

    Another advantage of Aura - low VOC, and minimal smell.

  • cleo07
    14 years ago

    You're welcome Katie. Let me know if you have any other questions. I would love to help. Also, try to pick an actual Benjamin Moore color since I have heard color matching using Aura paint may be hard to do.

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    We loved the Aura matte finish paint that we used last November in our small downstairs bathroom so much, that I convinced DH to have much of our fairly recently (2 years ago) painted upstairs re-painted in Aura matte just last month (see my white paint thread). It looks so much better now!

    If you do choose it, and ever need to touch-up, be sure to use the same type roller cover for large touch-up areas. While the color will match seamlessly, the texture difference will be noticeable if you use a different nap/type roller cover. With smaller touch-ups, it shouldn't be a problem though.

    It does dry quite quickly, so you won't have to wait long between coats, and the smell does dissipate very quickly as well.

  • trailrunner
    14 years ago

    Only to correct one thing and that is that the Regal Matte is definitely scrubbable. I think I am the only poster who has it as the whole backsplash in my kitchen including behind the cooktop. I scrub it regularly. It is still perfect after 2 1/2 yrs. I wish I could have gotten the Aura only so I could see the difference but there is nothing wrong with the Regal matte at all. Just to clarify...I am sure you saw the pic on the other thread. Good Luck. Oh also I had no problem at all getting the Regal tinted a color from the Olympic paint line. c

  • reedrune
    14 years ago

    Hey - just to chime in - Aura is the best paint ever. At our ace, Regal is around $40 gallon, Aura is $60. Pricey, but totally worth it.

    One warning - if you are doing your own painting and are doing trim, have the paint folks add the extender (or you can buy and add yourself). Since Aura dries so fast, it's a little more difficult to work with. The extender helps - more with satin and semi-gloss than matte, though...

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you very, very much to all who responded. This info will be a huge help once I actually pick my color :) I will bookmark this post and re-read it for all your great tips and pointers before I paint.

    I just love the help on GW!! Now.... who wants to pick the color?? LOL

  • shapco
    14 years ago

    I can't address the Aura vs. Regal, but thought I would chime in about picking a color. I learned a lot from the first painter we ever hired, most importantly that the same color on one wall in a room may look totally different on a different wall in the same room. When we test out colors, we paint part of a wall adjacent to a window and then paint both sides of a corner that is away from the window.

    Good luck!

  • Circus Peanut
    14 years ago

    Definitely try one of the Affinity colors, if you find one you like. They're made for the Aura paint, and they're really rich and gorgeous. I have Affinity colors all over, in the Aura Matte, and adore them.

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Good point shapco and close to the discussion I had with DH last night. I know for example, it will read darker above my cabinets than on a full wall facing the window, because my white primer already does. I also need to see if it looks as good next to our wood trim as it does near the white cabinets....... sheesh, I may need more sample pots! Or do the foam board thing and move it around the room.

    circuspeanut - I will look into that line. I think my color choices right now are either Classic or Historic, not sure. Just wrote down a million paint colors posters here loved and brought home waaaayyyy too many chips! BTW, I love your kitchen :)

  • flatcoat2004
    14 years ago

    I second the opinion about the Affinity colours, they are really beautiful. I used several yellows from the Affinity line (Honeymoon, Safari and Subtle), and my favourite is Honeymoon, which I used in my living room. It's the most beautiful rich golden colour ...

    (before I painted all the trim in Barrista)


    The greens are also completely lovely, I used Elemental in the entry, Refined in the dining room and Flora in the bathroom.

    Here's a view from entry (Elemental) through dining room (Refined) to kitchen (Safari) ... I later had the entry baseboards painted Elemental rather than white ...

    And I figured the bathroom could handle a more saturated green (Flora) ...

    I can't believe I can remember the names of all these colours :-). What can I say ... I love this paint !

    Good luck !

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    flatcoat - thanks so much for the pictures! Those really are beautiful colors! I am in the gray, brown, taupe colors right now because of the granite....... but I will be looking for colors for all my other rooms when I get the time & energy!!

  • olga_d
    14 years ago

    We used Aura on our kitchen/dining room remodel too and also loved them. They look gorgeous, went on very easily (2 coats and no primer for a dark red!) and this is the first time I have ever painted!

    We chose one of the colours from the Affinity selections. The other is a regular BM colour that they tinted into an Aura base. Both look fabulous, so don't feel like you need to limit yourself to the Affinity.

  • ainsley
    14 years ago

    We used Aura paints for kitchen, living room, dining, laundry--you get the picture. We love it and it's held up well. It's been about 14 months. I wouldn't hesitate to use it, and only it, again. The only caveat: our painter, who is very experienced and careful, said that she did not recommend Aura for ceilings. I can't remember exactly why but, nonetheless, we had her do the kitchen ceiling in Aura and there have been problems. We'll have her redo it at some point, same shade, different BM paint. Hope this helps. A

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    ainsley, you have me curious re: not using Aur for ceilings. What sort of problems? We used it in our small bath reno and also for our recently painted upstairs. It looks terrific as far as we can tell.

  • september_home
    14 years ago

    Katie-

    I'm so impressed by Aura.

    Everything they tout is true. No burnishing (even the darkest colors), goes on beautifully, and coverage is second to none. I used a very dark green (deep base) for my kitchen on raw drywall. Full coverage with one coat-no primer. Took a gallon. finished in no time. no lingering odor, low VOCs. Touch up is FLAWLESS. Saved enough by not buying additional, primer and paint that it was actually Less expensive than if I had used Regal.

    It's worth the drive. They can mix any BM color in Aura but the affinity line of colors is gorgeous and designed to be very mix n'match without a lot of effort. Think garanimals for paint!

    Follow the specific directions: not the "this is the way you paint" mentality you are used to any you'll have flawless results.

    Tips:
    You must cut-in first. Dry to re-coat in an hour. Make sure you do not roll back into an area that you have already painted. Touch it up on the reacoat.

    BM Aura is not formulated for ceiling use. My BM dealer has a super hide ceiling paint that he recommends for ceilings. It's matte, covers well and tints beautifully.

    Let us know what colors you decide on.

    -September

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Oh my goodness, such wonderful advice here. Thank you all so very much! Well, I got up the courage and put three colors on the walls..... and none of them shouted 'the one'... grrr. Good thing I didn't just pick a chip and buy the paint! DH and DS are no help, they commented all the colors looked the same to them. No, No, No.... can't you SEE that this one has more gray, this one has more brown, this one is too light..... :)

    olga d - I have to cover a Hunter Green wall in the dining room. Yikes! I am hoping for the good coverage they claim.

    ainsley (and cat mom) when I googled the Aura paint, I came across a message board where that very same discussion was going on. One poster 'hated' Aura and said it showed roller marks on her ceiling. A BM dealer posted that it was not meant to be used on ceilings. cat mom, I am sorry, I don't really remember the reason she said that.

    september home - thanks for the directions. I read some of those on this other board in defense of Aura from the *haters* it was ALL due to not following the directions and painting in the old, familiar way of re-rolling a newly painted area. It is a caution I put to the test today :) I started my samples swatches with an el-cheapo brush.... huge mistake, when I tried to clean up the look, I made it worse. I will not make THAT mistake again :)
    OT question September - do you live in Indiana or near by? I remember a poster with "sept" in the name being very helpful when I had to choose my cabinet paint and my GC was using Porter Paints. If it was you, Thank you! I can't find my old post to see if it was you or if I remembered to thank you for your kind help.

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    I don't know, we have it on our ceilings (in that small bath, and the larger rooms, including vaulted ceilings) and it looks fine--no roller marks at all. When we tried to touch up a few spots on one ceiling (where our painter had missed), and also a scuffed area on one of our walls, using roller covers that were different naps than the one used originally, the touched up sections on both wall and ceiling were noticeable. We popped on the same type roller cover that was used originally, and then the paint blended in seamlessly. Even on the ceiling--no roller marks.

  • september_home
    14 years ago

    Katie- Yes that was me, I'm in Louisville. My pleasure- Hope it helped.

    What paint did you end up using on your Kitchen cabs/woodwork? Was velvet white creamy enough w/o being too yellow? I'd love to see pics as you've progressed. The last few trims I've used white umber to add a little more contrast. Hope it turned out as well as you had expected.

    Follow the directions - You'll LOVE the Aura.

    -September

    BTW as cat_mom mentioned - *great tip. They make an Aura nap roller cover sold @ BM (manufactured by Purdy, I believe). Same price as other cover. No roller marks, period.

  • Circus Peanut
    14 years ago

    If you're looking for a taupey gray, I just painted my mudroom in Aura Affinity 'Weimaraner', and am totally in love with the color. It moves from gray to green to lilac to brown depending on the light, and is rich and delicious:

    [and thanks for the kind words re. my kitchen! :-) ]

  • katiee511
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    cat mom - glad you haven't had problems with your ceiling. Luckily, mine don't need to be done.

    September home - I thought it might be you, but there are other similar names here, so it's easy to be wrong :) I went with your two color recommendations to Porter and they said they were both older colors and he showed me what was close. Neither one was right but I brought home some chips and put them up for a few weeks. We choose Accolade. Here is an in progress picture-

    We are very happy with the cabinet color. Thanks!

    ohhhh circuspeanut! That is a very pretty color! I suspect I don't have any Affinity colors in the chips I brought home because my local Ace does not sell Aura. I guess if that is a line for that paint, it really does make sense. Which means there are a lot more colors out there I haven't even considered yet.

    Right now on my walls are Pismo Dunes - looks like a brown, camel color. Hot Spring Stones - looks gray in my bedroom, light tan in the kitchen. Silver Fox - beautiful gray color, not sure it is a range I want to carry into the DR.

    My problem - my cabinets are pretty neutral, I can see them cool or warm. My granite reads cool to me and is a lighter gray than I thought it would be. My Brazillian Cherry floors definitely read warm. My adjoining DR has a very light oak dining set that is staying. And all the trim in our house is a Fruitwood based stain. I think I would be happier going with warm colors and accents, but I am not having an easy time envisioning it. I need to put out a color help post as soon as I get some more samples up.

  • pattyk_64
    14 years ago

    Katiee511, just checking to see how your kitchen is coming along. We're at a bit of a standstill right now, as the outdoors are beckoning, we are redoing our patio and need it done before family comes to visit in August. I still need tile and undercabinet lighting, but everything else is more or less done. I'm guessing I won't be posting finished pics until the fall. :( Oh well...

  • september_home
    14 years ago

    Katiee511-
    Your kitchen looks delightful. The color is perfect. What shade was it again?

    Went to porter last week, Wasn't thrilled with the "substitutes" either. Perhaps I will search for the perfect BM white. I've been thrilled with all the other tints and paints they make.

    Congratulations on your progress. It's really coming together nicely.

    -September

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