Not sure what you mean by streaky. If you mean that you can still see through it, that's OK. Just lay it on, feather it a bit and keep moving - when you do your second coat, all should be well. Last thing you want to do is fuss with it - excluding the baseboard, you should aim to cut an average wall in about 15 minutes.

I just painted with Aura this weekend...it seemed very easy to work with. I just cut in the room. I applied the paint the same way as I would paint the flat surface of trim. It seemed actually very watery. Then I would roll out three/four vertical columns and then starting from the bottom roll to the top of each column. I even painted the entire first wall and then rolled from bottom to top and had no problems. During the second coat cutting in seemed like the paint was a little stickier even after I washed my brush out.

But if you miss something just go over it on a subsequent coat. The Aura blend in well.

One other thing that seems interesting about the waterbourne paints it that they seem to need to be mixed more often because I see separation of colors at the top of the can between pours.

Steve

Dian57, how did you like the Newburyport Blue? I'm painting a posterboard with it today to see if I like it for an accent wall in our master bedroom which has cathedral ceilings a a lot of light. I'm trying to choose between the Newburyport Blue and Hudson Blue. The paint store told me that Hudson Blue has a lot more black so I figured it might be too dark. We plan to do our other walls a lighter blue. Are you painting your entire bedroom in navy? If not, what color will the other walls be?

The color is rich and beautiful. We did all four walls in it and went with white gloss trim and flat white for the cathedral ceiling. This is not the best shot, but the only one I have that doesn't show the other side of the room piled floor to ceiling with moving boxes.

Looks good from here, what's the problem?

I returned the Aura and did the room in BM Regal matte. I just couldn't get the hang of the Aura technique. I do love this color.

That is definitely not a wimpy blue! It is dark but it does not seem to reduce the lighthearted feeling of this big space.

I remember the location from previous photos of your home, and that must be the wedge-room visible through the doorway.

what paint did you use on the trim? was it regal or aura?

Steve

The trim is white Regal. I guess I'm Aura-impaired or too old to learn new techniques.

Not all paints are suited for all painting styles or could call it skill sets. One paint can't be all things to all DIYers.

Benjamin Moore is not the be-all and end-all resource for paint and color on the planet. They just get the most spin here on this forum because it's widely accessible and we talk about their colors - a lot. I guess Behr gets a fair amount of spin too, but usually for different reasons. lol! :~P Nothing like an evening spent Behr-bashin' (or lovin' depending what 'team' you're on).

It's a great big paint and color world out there. Ample selections, options, price points, conveniences, grades, palettes, brick and mortars, or onlines from which to choose.

If status quo, popular paint products or brands aren't a good fit, then they quite simply are not a good fit.

You were super smart to go with what worked for you and made ya happy! The blue is stunning. A good navy gets me every time.

I'm not sure what the big deal is with Aura. Your room looks great...with a blue that dark, I'm surprised it only took two coats of ANY brand of paint!

I just did a huge bedroom in Aura, in yellow...but a Benjamin Moore Preview yellow, not an Affinity tint. The chip was Yosemite Yellow. The paint was OK, went on well, needed two coats (I was painting over pink-on-pink stripes!), and stunk of as many VOC's as any brand I've tried. In other words this particular mix went on the walls exactly like a $25 can of Behr. I will not pay $55/gal for this anymore...not when I get one-coat coverage with Muralo BreatheSafe, and the Muralo smells so much less and spreads farther.

I personally am very underwhelmed by Aura paint. Don't feel bad if it didn't knock your socks off either!

Muralo - perfect example. Muralo Ultra Ceramic could go toe-to-toe with any brand out there when it comes to quality of product and chicness at the final finish point.

But Muralo dealers aren't on practically every street corner. They don't have dog-n-pony shows to snow job educate interior designers who are essentially clueless when it comes to paint -for sure- and in most cases color too.

Brands like Muralo don't have the ginormous Buffet/PR machine behind them pushing the brand to consumer's frontal lobs. Or the Home Depot to put out commercials showing people schleppin' over sized stuffed animals to use in some maniacal custom color mixing exercises.

Off-the-beaten-path, uber luxurious, quality paint brands are out there. You find them at your local independent paint stores. Stores that often have service (guys like our forum buddy, Faron) to go with their product. Product + Service. In Faron's case, you get his expertise + the brand C2 Paint, for example. I mean, holy crap, his customers have no idea how fortunate they are to have that resource.

When it comes to VOC's it's important to remember that off-gassing of volatile organic compounds is different from actual odor. VOC's are not the cause of paint smell.

Could be a matter of semantics, or maybe not, but arguably paint *fumes* in the form of VOC's is not the same as *odor*.

If VOCs and odor are both a concern, then you need to look for lo/no VOC and lo/no odor on the can -- they will both be on the label if indeed efforts have been made to reduce odor as well as VOCs.

Interesting, funcolors - good post. True, I got really lucky to find a local paint shop 5 blocks away with Muralo AND awesomely knowledgeable guys to sell it to me. I'd like to try C2 paint sometime, but this shop just has BenM, Muralo and one other brand (I forget which). I had never even heard of Muralo...I'm your typical female CR-reading DIYer who is learning to love the mom-and-pops and steer clear of the big boxes when possible.

Re: fumes/odor vs. VOCs...so the only way to feel confident your paint is low-VOC is just to buy a paint that says so on the can? What makes some paint stinky and others not, even if they have the same VOC level? Is there no way to tell with your nose? I've heard people praise Aura for being odorless, and indeed I walked into a coral-colored bathroom painted hours prior with Aura and smelled nothing...but my Aura reeked. :-\

If you've got a Muralo dealer that close...that's all you're gonna need to know!

Separately, "Perceived odors" and VOC-levels have ZERO correlation. As many people are finding out recently, Low/no-voc paints sometimes aren't pleasant to be around!

This sounds odd....but ask your local paint-shop if "You can sniff their paint"!
* What smells-like-H#ll to you may not be noticeable to me....
* Yes, Low-VOC paints are required to be labeled as such.

Fun-C...
Wow...not sure if I can live up to your good reference!
(I'll try tho!)

Faron

Agree that Aura is not "no odor". I like the way it smells tho. I think it has a clean, fresh, crisp smell and is more of a fragrance rather than an odor. In my experience it dissipates very quickly.

Faron, I have no doubt that you rock at your ACE Store up there in Fargo. Just wish you were here!

Yes, annika, what Faron said. And sometimes it does say no odor right on the label. ICI's LifeMaster is a good example. Well, now I guess it's Glidden's Professional not ICI - but it's the same stuff, just a new and different Glidden label.

The ICI label was prettier/nicer, btw. Glidden Professional is a little dark. I think they were trying to use darker colors a la Louis Cheskin sensation tranference deal-io. As in 'the package IS the product' color strategy. Darker colors usually evoke a sense of upper tier more so than lighter tints.

Was recently in on a discussion about Mr. Cheskin and now I am totally over analyzing everything! Caught myself starin' at the Q-tip box this morning. Good grief. I need a vacation from color -- just a few days off, ya think? lol! :)

"Agree that Aura is not "no odor". I like the way it smells tho. I think it has a clean, fresh, crisp smell and is more of a fragrance rather than an odor. In my experience it dissipates very quickly."

Funny! I thought that about the light beige Muralo I used in my living room and entryway. I thought it smelled fresh and clean, and yes, almost "minty". I told the paint guy it smelled a little like a cocktail and he laughed and agreed.

The Aura in the guest bedroom had the very stereotypical, ever-so-slightly-nostril-burning "latex paint smell." Could it depend on the colorant itself? Maybe the intense yellow added to the Aura smelled different than the colorant in your Aura paint?

Ah well. funcolors says Faron rules, and Faron says Muralo rules. So...I'm done shopping around. :)~

Wow...I had a difficult time painting trim with Regal. It was painful.

I agree what ever gives you the best results is the best paint for an individual.

I have had a lot of success using Aura and Muralo for trim. It levels much better. My favorite is still oil based for trim. I am going to try cabinet coat for some shelves. But at this point think the Muralo dries the hardest and smoothest.

Steve

Hmm, I just Googled Muralo dealers and there is one literally around the corner (back road, I've never been on even though my family has lived here nearly 100 years) from the BM and SW stores!

Just wondering, is Muralo forgiving for the novice painter? I bought a gallon of SW Duration Matte when it was on sale beginning of the month, wondering if I should return that (not tinted) and get Muralo instead for my master bath? I don't like satins, what gloss level Muralo do you recommend (if I'm going to switch)? Or is Muralo better for trim than walls?

Muralo Ultra Ceramic could easily be compared to the likes of Fine Paints and Farrow and Ball. Aura and Duration aren't even in the same league.

Here is a link that might be useful: Muralo Ultra Ceramic

That sounds great - but is it as hard as Aura and Duration to apply? And are the prices like Aura or like FPE?

No it's not hard to paint with/apply at all. Seems to have more open time than Aura, not as thick as Duration. Your mileage may vary.

Pricing it's a steal at $40 - $45 (on average retail) per gallon. It's like Cabinet Coat in the pricing respect - awesome product, easily qualifies in the boutique ranks but few people know about it. Labels kinda wonky and cheap looking, very unassuming staring out at you perched on the shelf.

Funcolors: do you recommend using Muralo Ultra Ceramic on kitchen cabinets over Cabinet Coat? Not literally painted over. I mean which would be better if both were available?

Oooooh, that's a toss up. There is a price difference of about $10 per. Muralo is all that and a bag of chips. Muralo is easier to handle than Cabinet coat - it has a thicker viscosity, again, my opinion and YMMV.

Ultimately it is all about what you have access to, which store offers the best support and service, how much you want to spend, and most importantly, what can you successfully paint with.

Both are good choices and if someone offered both cans to choose from as in 'here's your cabinet paint for free take what you want' I'd pick Muralo U.C.

You linked to Matte - sounds scrubbable and I don't like shine. Would UC Matte be suitable for a bathroom?

Thanks - I'm going to go Monday, return the SW and the Ace Cabinet &Door paint and look at Muralo instead (still have to pick color).

I've been using Aura for a couple of years now, but I just did a bathroom in regular BM Regal. I have never been sensitive to paint odors in the past. I have central A/C. I had it jacked up (well, down...). I had a fan going and the bathroom exhaust going. But yet, I had an incredible dizzy spell a few hours later that lasted several hours. There's no way to know for sure if it is paint related, (or brain tumor... see ya!) but next time I paint in the summertime, I hope I remember to stick to low-VOC Aura just in case.

wendy, you made me lol for real!! We hope to have you around for a very long time! :-D

Absolutely would do Muralo UC in a bathroom or a kitchen. It is mildew resistant, stain resistant, etc., etc. Just a very hard final finish for lack of a better way to describe it. You can see when you roll on the wall the there is little to no orange peel affect like with some other paints. Of course, quality of tools always, always matter but it's just different somehow. Has something to do with the tinier parts of ingredients, a micro perspective of the actual film.

If anyone decides to go with Muralo U.C. you'll have to pop back in, start a new thread and let us know what YOU think of it. Like I said, no one paint can be ALL things to ALL painters, so I'm interested in your experiences too.

Thanks funcolors - I don't know *when* we're actually going to get around to finishing this bathroom, but I'm really thinking Muralo is the way to go (even for an experiment - small room can be painted over if I don't like it). I was just asking specifically about the Matte gloss level for a bathroom. If/when we do you it I'll be sure to post!

Wow! I had no idea Muralo ultra is so awesome. They sell it at my independent paint store along with the PPG. How does it compare to Manor Hall? Manor Hall seemed to dry "harder" and smoother than any other paint I've used (especially the full gloss - it's like auto paint!) Is it similar? Good for trim, I take it?

I thought I'd found one more thing to try out ... but alas, no Muralo dealers to be found in CA.

I just painted with Aura. It had been around 4 years since I painted with C2 and the top products from BM and SW, so the look/feel of those paints was not fresh in my mind. The Aura didn't seem any different to work with. Back then I prefered BM & SW over C2. The Aura paint didn't seem to cover as many sq.ft.

What about Dunn Edwards? That seems to be the main paint that the painters use here in CA. No one seemed to use that in New England.

I'm also sorry to hear that there are no Muralo dealers in CA. Not only CA but none this side of Kansas. Can it be ordered online?

A little late, but I'll throw in my $.02 worth. Whomever said that the VOC level is not responsible for the paint smell is partially correct. The ingredients that are regulated as VOC's may or may not have a smell. Acrylic, the main resin in paint and not a VOC, does have a smell. Many manufacturers add formaldehyde precursors that create a smell during the cure.

Unregulated VOC's, such as ammonia, acetone and butyl acetate are quite odiferous. Thats why some zero-voc paints smell MORE than standard paint. Paint manufacturers also sometimes add chemical masking agents that help to cut down on the aroma, but these chemicals may be more dangerous than the aroma's they are negating.

muralo paint rules , have seen demonstrations with aura vs muralo , and muralo wins handlily

I love it! We did our bathroom in the same color with white trim. Everyone comments on it.

You mentioned that you cut-in using a Purdy Chinex brush. Since Aura is a waterbased paint, you shouldn't use a natural bristle brush. The natural bristles will absorb the water from the paint, making it difficult to apply. Always use a synthetic brush when applying waterbased paints.

I painted my kitchen walls with dark green (BM guacamole) yesterday and I thought that it went on like silk.

@Mandaboo ... Purdy Chinex is not natural bristle.

Here is a link that might be useful: Purdy Chinex

Hi there!

I came across this amazing paint forum and had to give it a shot and ask for some "paint" advice!!

We just moved into our first home and completely gutted the bathroom with the shower to the studs. I want to put v-groove or beadboard panels from floor to ceiling on my walls (tiles on the walls in the shower part obviously). We got a 110CFM fan, but I do like hot showers.

Is there a mildew-resistant primer/paint that is recommended for bathroom applications?? Would primer be enough, or would both primer AND paint have to be mildew-resistant??

Thanks!

Rhea