Behr topcoat products

[Pat Germain]

I think your looking at paint from a proffessional's perspective, Neal, which I undersand.

I'm in CR's corner on this one. They are correct. The vast majority of consumers use latex paint and not oil based paint. And there is a difference between brands as to how well they cover dark colors and how well they can be cleaned. For a typical family with kids and pets, how well a paint can be cleaned matters a lot. Different brands of paint have different cleaning characteristics.

Latex paints all dry in about the same time.

[Rob Cooper]

I have used just about every major paint brand out there on rental properties over the past 14 years. Every manufacturer has a good and bad paint, primer, sealer, waterproofer, etc. I prefer Valspar and BM for quality, but have had very good performance from Behr. I would not dismiss a new Behr product without trying it. They may make or buy and re-label a great finish at a Borg price. Sometimes economies of scale really do benefit the consumer. Try it, if it stinks coat some shop jigs, etc.

[Neal Clayton]

I think your looking at paint from a proffessional's perspective, Neal, which I undersand.

I'm in CR's corner on this one. They are correct. The vast majority of consumers use latex paint and not oil based paint. And there is a difference between brands as to how well they cover dark colors and how well they can be cleaned. For a typical family with kids and pets, how well a paint can be cleaned matters a lot. Different brands of paint have different cleaning characteristics.

Latex paints all dry in about the same time.

i'm not a pro painter actuallly, just had to learn about it since i have a very old house to maintain, and it's pretty easy to find things that aren't compatible with their older counterparts, paint being the most obvious. i'm looking at having to hire or rent a pellet blaster in the near future to remove failing latex paint from an entire stucco house, because the people who lived here before didn't understand what could be painted over what. and if they read consumer reports, they still wouldn't know.

i don't hate consumer reports for no reason, in fact i wish their reviews were more detailed and specific than they are, especially with things like this since it's not feasible for a non-pro to test paint effectively. i don't have a means of deciding which paint to use other than asking pro painters, and pro painters have learned by trial and error as well. if consumer reports did more with their reviews to appeal to pros, they'd do everyone a favor.

but i think they over simplify their reviews in this instance, and leave out products and details that should be tested.

[Steve Hajewski]

I have a little experience with this one... I am a bit of an old house nut, and lately a nomad, as I have owned three homes in 5 years. I also spent many years building trade show booths around the country for a home decor wholesaler, which means a LOT of painting. Aside from that my father and uncle are professional painters, and a close friend and his father own a small commercial painting company (hospitals, condos, malls).

So I'll share my thoughts. I love Behr interior paints. My preference is flat enamel for walls, semi gloss for trim or furniture. Why do i like them? They work as well as anything else I have tried when new. But the best part? If you go back there five years later for touch up paint and all you have is a code, the color is going to match, no matter which home depot you go to. They are very consistent in their matching, and once applied the paint does not fade. They are also really good at scanning and matching a color (such as Benjamin Moore's historic colors). If I need primer, I like Kilz latex for interior work, although their latex doesn't really block anything well. You need oil primer to block stains, but the fumes suck.

Outside, I find that oil based primer is a must. Latex primer just does not stick for long, no matter how great your prep is. I am partial to Hallman Lindsey, which happens to be made about a block from where I work.

Attached is the most recent painting projects... new baby's room, and porches on the house. In the baby's room the skinny white cabinet was a homemade item.

[Phil Phelps]

[QUOTE=Steve Hajewski;1014863]I have a little experience with this one...

With a marvelous house like that, you're going to get a "lot" of experience. If the best paint cost a C note a gallon, I'd use it on that house, nothing less.

[George Octon]

I'm a professional painter of many years, houses and boats. I'm interested to hear Consumer reports recommendations, but I take them with a grain of salt. I think you have to. You take what they say along with what you know and go from there, I think many of their choices are very questionable. But I see nothing horirbly wrong with Behr, although if you are talking price; it is not cheap at about $25 a gallon! Very very few painters would pay that price. Also, as far as service goes; you will get much better service (in general anyway) at a real paint sore. They deal with painters all day every day.

[Jim Becker]

George, the discounted price for the Benjamin Moore Aura that our painters used for the addition was just under $50 a gallon. The Sherwin Williams Duration used on the exterior trim was right up there, too. The last gallon of Pratt and Lambert I bought years ago was about $35 and that was at a discount because I knew the store owner well. I have purchased Behr paint over the years (at about $25) and it did what I asked of it. But there is no comparison to the quality of the finish we have from the Aura.

[Jim O'Dell]

In the last 15 years, I've repainted a small house inside and out and used Behr, and was very pleased. Interior latex was white, exterior latex was dark brown for trim, and a saddle tan color for the body.
In our current house, we have painted 2 bathrooms, and 3 bedroom size rooms. Behr used in all. The red for the guest bedroom after 3 coats would not cover a Kilz latex used as primer. I went to Sherwin Williams and got a gallon of their red. It covered in one coat. It was about haf again or so as expensive per gallon, but would have been a lot less than the multiple gallons I bought of the Behr trying to get it to work. Also for the first time, some of the Behr in one of the bathrooms is fading away from cleaning right above the baseboard. Never had that happen before, it's always been very durable. We used the Valspar Venetian Plaster for the entry way, and I was pleased with it, but have never used any one else's Venetian Plaster paint before. Jim.

[Jason Whitaker]

We just painted 6 rooms in my house... +1 for Benjamin Moore products....especially their Aura line of paints which we used in two of the rooms. IMHO their was no comparison to the coverage quality compared to Behr which I used to use and those 6 rooms had been painted with previously. And so far the touch up ability, grated it has not been long but thanks to some new furniture and a very active dog, is far superior than the Behr ever was.

I also know someone who works for a chemical company (BASF) who as a chemist says there are stark differences between the quality of ingredients that these different companies use with BM being one of the higher rated - from a chemists point of view.