I need to paint the kitchen and powder room, and eventually the great room/stairwell/upper hallway. I have always used SW paint in the past, and with proper prep, priming, and two coats have had great results. Most recently I used Obi Lilac in the spare bedroom to convert it to a reading room, and Threshold Beige in the full bath.

GC will use any paint I specify, though he believes SW has priced themselves out of the market for the quality of their product. He suggests Behr or Valspar. Contract says prime and 2 coats of paint, so I'm not worried about "one coat coverage" or "paint and primer in one", I just want it to look good when it's done.

I've personally never worked with anything but SW in my short painting DIY career, but I'm willing to give another brand a try. What's the best paint in this price range for interior surfaces? I need to pick out colors over the next couple of weeks and would rather work with the color deck for the line I intend to use vs try to color match.

Which is what you have to watch out for with the lesser quality cans of paint. They may be cheaper but it covers less and you have to buy more.

I'm assuming each line would tell you how much a can should cover, thereby enabling you to calculate value? I'm not so concerned about a few dollars a can difference, more concerned with getting a quality finish with 2 coats, which I think is a reasonable expectation. I also don't want paint that rubs off with normal contact, though I suspect that is mostly the low end stuff.

Any suggestions on now to differentiate value from inferior quality? Or maybe an easier question for the experts, recommend or rank 2-3 brands/product lines in this general price range (not top of the line, but safely above cheap)? I don't mind spending a little more for a good finish, but it would be frustrating to branch out and end up with poor coverage/extra coats.

Curious what others have to say. . .

Fun-C & CN have good rec's.
Since you're in NY state, you MAY have a C2 dealer in your region. Retails per Gal. are Mid-$40's/gal to low $50's for the Low-VOC Premium.

Faron

Check out Muralo Paints.

Quality and value that has never disappointed me.

Seems my best choices would be PPG, Muralo, or SW. My GC uses a "union painter" (quotes for exactness, not being snarky), so not sure what he's accustomed to but I can specify any paint I want. Not worried about using low VOC.

Any quirks or tips for these lines I could pass along? I want to visit the stores before I decide, but want to be sure I can pass along any useful info available to the painter to get the best end result.

I also see a vote for Manor Hall. Any interior Muralo line I should be using? I appreciate all the suggestions. I find the feedback from specialty forums to be very valuable, thanks for taking the time to post!

In that order. Honestly think you'd be fine with any of those three.

because that is the proper way to paint
primer and 2 top coats

Decided to try PPG Manor Hall, I was too chicken to go for hand tinted! Maybe for a smaller project I do myself.

GC has nothing but good experience with PPG, but has not used MH line. Priming should be Tuesday or Wednesday depending on how the mud dries. We are planing one coat before the cabinets and one after, to help mask touch up. So still two coats.

Kitchen will be Montego Bay

Powder room is the next color up on that card (small interior room), and ceilings will be the lightest color on the card. My first go at colored ceilings!

Will post back with results. Thanks for the advice!

Faron

I'll be painting my kitchen/dining room/ceiling before my new cabinets go in. I'm planning to do two coats, and touchup as needed after install. I don't want to risk painting around my cabinets any more than I have to.

AFTER priming, I hope.

You certainly couldn't cover a Chinese red wall with a white/gray or any color that was less intense even with two coats...
I know because I failed to do so...
but using a light gray on top of a builder's white--
I would think no problem with two coats...and no primer...

But given the crummy quality of paint (and paint job) many builders are using, priming's often the safer bet. By repriming you can be sure the new paint will go on evenly and you'll also possibly use less paint.

If you can't be trusted to sand, why would I trust that any other prep you did is adequate! I'd much rather prime myself and do two coats to (hopefully) ensure I get good end results than take my chances and have to end up fixing it again after I thought I was done.

Not sure what I'd do if I was repainting a room I've already painted. Knowing it was already patched and primed I might be tempted to just paint, but I'd probably still prime to make sure I got good adhesion. Plus I've started branching out to actual colors lately instead of the tinted white palate.

Btw, pic of most of the first coat! I'm not doing the painting this go around, it was in the contractor bid.

Faron

I hope!

Faron

Not optimal, I know, but this guy does a lot of painting locally and this is his third project at my house, so if he thinks that will will be fine, I'll go with it. They're here today doing the subfloor prep, so wet walls and dust don't mix too well :-)