Okay, so I just re-read my post and in spite of rambling per usual, I rushed the close due to distraction... Reds and yellows are notorious for not covering as well, and some shades are worse than others. I know with Ace paint, some shades of red can take 3 or more coats. Supposedly Ben Moore covers better, so with a tinted primer, 2 coat coverage may be in reach. I hope you'll let us know how it all goes!

If the bathroom is subjected to regular showers (i.e. high humidity) then I would go with their Kitchen & Bath product (basically same quality as Regal but for baths) or Aura Bath and Spa. If the humidity isn't an issue (just splashes), then Regal is a fine choice but I would stick with eggshell or higher sheen. As for hitting the color, the dealer will know which combination of primer and finish are required to get there. In Aura, 2 coats will do it (this will either be two finish coats or one foundation coat and one finish coat), in Regal and other BM products, tinted primer and 2 finish coats should do it. BM does not ascribe to the gray primer system and normally use a deep base primer that is tinted towards the finish color.

Thanks for all the info guys.
Jessica - I was looking at the Regal but I saw there was the Regal and Regal Select. They both sounded good from the descriptions. They do have a Regal primer though so I was thinking Regal primer would pair best with the Regal paint instead of the Fresh Start? When I called yesterday for pricing the guy (from the hardware store not BM) said I could use either. ?
I'll scratch the Zinsser for now. I have 1/2 gallon left but it's not tinted. I'll use it for something else.

Paintguy - Gosh, I think they're Kitchen and Bath paint was like $65ish a gallon. Our fan is a basic builder grade Broan. It's ok but not the best. If it will make a difference I'll pay cost.

Since red is such a deep color, I'm really concerned about roller marks but it sounds like if I'm using a good paint and, of course, don't over roll this won't be a problem.

Does the pearl finish actually look pearly or is it like a satin? I've never seen this IRL.

Maybe I'll shoot BM an email also.

Honestly, I'm still learning the Ben lines myself. I can remember seeing the Fresh Start Superior primer on our shelf and it sounds pretty sweet; I can't recall seeing a different Regal primer, so I'm thinking Fresh Start may be the next step up more in line with the Regal Select & Aura (since we don't have regular Regal). Fresh Start Superior Primer is an int/ext primer, whereas Regal appears to be only interior; either can be tinted to a deep color and topcoated with any latex paint, which means the hardware store guy was right. If you're still nervous about it and want a more definitive answer about "best practice" for which to use, call the BM hotline. Once you get through to a real person, they seem pretty helpful.

Sheens vary from one brand to the next. Benjamin Moore's version of "satin" is called "pearl" in the interior paints and "low lustre" in the exterior.

To avoid roller marks, don't over-roll, don't press too hard (while trying to eke out every last drop of paint) and use a good roller & cover; you don't want to ruin your quality paint job with cheap roller lint.

I know it can get overwhelming with too many choices, but I think you're on the right track. Regardless of which BM paint line and primer you go with, you can't go too far wrong.

Here is a link that might be useful: Benjamin Moore Primers

How's it goin' gang?!

Shee-
* ANY Red/Wine-type color benefits from a tinted primer. One of the reasons I like GRAY is that it's so versatile! Heck...you can even use Gray primer under Whites!
* DEEPLY tinted primers (towards a Wine top-coat color anyway) take a long time to dry, because of the high colorant-load. The newer BM Gennex Waterborne colorants do dry much faster though...relative to the traditional Glycol-based colorants that most stores/lines have.
* Versatility still comes into play though. It's not a big deal, but it's nice to have ONE primer for many colors!
* Also, from an OPTICS standpoint, a med-Gray neutralizes light the best, without skewing.

Roller-lines-
* This honestly comes from bad technique & bad rollers! Paint quality is a secondary factor at best.
* A fully-loaded 9"x3/8" roller shouldn't be pushed any farther than a 2'x3' area.
* I usually "counsel" non-frequent painters to do 4 of these rectangles in a column. Then, use light ceiling-to-floor sweeps over this column to "lay-off" your coat.
* This evens-out all the thin-spots, roller-turns, etc. You can't see them 'cuz they're wet!
* Do this for both finish-coats, and your job will be flawless!

Shee's sheen?!?!?
For such a messy Woman....I'd recommend Satin...;-)

Cure time??!!?
Well, depending on what paint-line you're in, it COULD be up to a month...depending on the formula and colorant-load.

Faron

Jessica - Thanks for the clarification on the pearl finish!

Faron - Thanks for the tips!
"Also, from an OPTICS standpoint, a med-Gray neutralizes light the best, without skewing."
This is flying over my head. It would be under the finish coats so would it make a difference?

Does this mean we shouldn't use that room to shower until it fully cures? - Which we could do. - by showering in the other one, not being grody for a month, ha.

I knew roller marks could be from stretching paint too far and found that out the hard way when I wanted to get my hallway finished and tried to make it work. The roller streaks were terrible. Vowed to never do that again

I do have to watch because when I do those light sweeps, I usually want to go back over the edge of previous sec. I finished.

Shee & Co.,

Sorry it took me a while to get back to this....

Skewing:
I shouldn't have mentioned this goofy little point, but now it's out there! It's only relevant in a few "Real-life" scenarios. It mainly pertains (to ME anyway...) paint applied too thinly, therefore revealing a hint of the primer color.
* Example: If someone uses a "pink" primer under Burgundy, the whole paintjob can appear too light, 'cuz the primer is too white.
* To ME...Gray is more appropriate, 'cuz it alters deep colors the "least", if paint is applied too thin.
* Gray primer has its limits though! If you're painting a vivid "Lemon Yellow" or "Basketball Orange", THEN you'd need a primer that's almost the final paint color! A medium-gray primer COULD give a grayish-cast to bright, vivid tones.

Curing/Bathroom use:
* Sorry Shee.....you'll have to smell for a month.........;-)
* JUST KIDDING!
* After 2nd paint coat has dried for a day, use bathroom as normal. It needs that 24hrs. to get the initial surface-dry so steam doesn't re-soften the paint slightly.
* "Full Cure-Out" mainly refers to the complete dry-thru/hardening of the applied film...SO IT'S WASHABLE.

"Sweeping":
* If you're working L-to-R, the RIGHT edge of a "swept" section will be the wettest.
* Therefore, you're OK to slightly work into this section. When sweeping your 2nd column, start from its left edge, overlapping into 1st column slightly.
* Ease-off the pressure on your rollers left side just a hair when overlapping a previous sections' final sweep.

Faron

Your post hit home for me because I was on the receiving end of a red bathroom. When I bought my house a few years ago, the entire house had been painted the same flat (off-white) color by the builder, except for two rooms that the prior owner had (unfortunately) attempted to paint themselves ,,, the primary guest half bath and the master bedroom. So I knew from the get-go that I'd be re-painting the entire house.

The prior owner had painted the guest half bath a semi-gloss red (a beautiful deep red color like a red delicious apple). The color itself was gorgegous!!! However, the paint job was soooo terrible, that I had to re-do it.

Even though I wouldn't have even considered red for that room, had the prior owner properly prepped/primed/painted that room, I would have left it as is ,,, it was stunning from a color standpoint (and equally shocking from a crappy paint job standpoint).

It sounds like you're doing your homework, so I'm sure your room will look great ,,, whatever color you decide.

Good luck.

Faron - Thanks for the clarifications!

Jlt - Sounds like a lot of dark rooms I've seen. Like you, I won't be able to stand it if it looks bad so we'll see. Fingers crossed. :)

Thanks everyone and I'll post an update when it's done!

Shee,

I have used BM Regal a few times - here is my experience.

In a bedroom, I used eggshell. Eggshell or flat would be OK there.

In my kitchen, I used the Pearl finish - which is the same as Satin in other paint lines. And, it is not too shiny, just slicker feeling to the touch and washes great - I have painted backsplash so that is important to me.

In a bath - I got really stupid and went with semi-gloss. Very shiny; hate it, but will live with it until next time - then I will use Pearl. What was I thinking?? This is DH's bathroom and he doesn't have to worry about hairspray! Just toothpaste splatters!

From looking at your pictures, you keep a very clean house, so you could probably get by with Eggshell in your bath, but you wouldn't go wrong with using the Pearl.
I will be doing my personal bath this spring or summer and will definitely go with BM Pearl. I just like knowing that I can wash down splattered tooth paste and hair spray!

Tuesday

Tueday - I just saw this. Thanks for the clarifications on the different sheens! I don't dislike shine but I just recently painted the vanity a high gloss so I'd rather not have the walls too in your face and they're already going to be if I go with red, iykwim! Sounds like my best bet is the Pearl since I'm pretty sloppy. Thanks!