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brendainnj_gw

Non-pro review of BM Advance paint

brendainnj
11 years ago

I'm posting this because when I'm checking out new paint to try, this is one of the first places I go to see what others have to say. I'm not a pro, but am the sole painter in my house, having painted every room/ceiling/trim myself in the last 3 houses we've owned. Also painted my kitchen cabs last summer. This is my first time using Advance so I thought I'd share my experience.

I chose Advance to paint a pine bookshelf. I didn't want to use latex as I was concerned about the damage the books might cause to the finish. I first cleaned & lightly sanded, then applied an oil-based exterior primer left over from my last front-door project. Man, that stuff is nasty! But I didn't want to let it go to waste when the BM guy said it would work fine under the Advance. Note that you do NOT have to use an oil-based primer, but since I had 3/4 of a quart left, I went that route. A plus was that the primer was already tinted grey and my paint color was BM Onyx. I applied the paint with a brush and foam roller. The paint is much thinner than I'm used to, and I had to be very careful with drips/runs. But it laid down beautifully, even on the first coat. There was still a lot of the woodgrain showing through, almost like a solid stain. I waited a full day, (recommeded 16hr between coats) then lightly sanded/tacked before applying the next coat. I was really hoping 2 coats would be enough and it was. I am amazed at how nice it looks...except for the areas in the corners which didn't get brushed as well, it looks like a factory finish (I'm extolling the paint, not my ability!) I used the satin, but because my color is so dark it looks more like a softer semi-gloss. Clean up is soap/water followed by a quick mineral spirit rinse...no big deal. My roller/brush survived!

I was so pleased with the results that I repainted my bedroom door with the same paint. It was already painted in a semi-gloss so I just roughed up the surface a little (and cleaned of course) and applied the Advance, no primer this time. I love this paint! The finish just doesn't seem "heavy" like some other trim paints. Hope this is helpful for another DIY painter...no offense, pros, I learn so much here on this board!

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