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The Valspar Signature is wonderful - my husband prefers it to Ben Moore and he has used both extensively. We see no difference in the Ben Moore (the entire main floor is painted in Ben Moore) and the Valspar Signature (the 2nd story is painted in Valspar Signature).
We have a large walk out basement and the walls are coverered in grass cloth wallpaper (a neutral taupe/beige color). When we moved into our current house almost 4 years ago, we decided to prime and paint the grasscloth which is in good condition. We spent over $500 on Aura paint and after 4 coats, there was still much uneveness and lack of good coverage. So my husband had the color mixed in Valspar Signature, painted one coat and finally got the total coverage we were hoping for.
Valspar Signature is thick luxurious paint very similar to Ben Moore....Ben Moore has the best color selection though but of course Lowes can duplicate those colors.
There are some here I believe that just assume Valspar Signature is not as good as Benjamen Moore - without having actually compared. I urge you to actually do a comparison. You will be surprised how similar they are.
I'm not understanding why the OP's paint from Lowe's was over $40 a gallon since the list price is less and the paint was on sale. Also Lowes often has sales, Valspar has sales, rebates, etc. that cause Valspar to be much less than Ben Moore.
I've used mostly HD's Behr brand and love it. I've also used Lowe's Valspar. And I've used "Oops, returned paint" from both -- even MIXING brands of returned paint to get the color and or amount I needed. Painters I've hired sent me to Duron, because they wanted an oil based paint for some of the doors they were doing. They also swore by Pratt and Lambert.....which is at a way higher price point than I'd ever spend on paint.
Before I'd learned about paint I went cheap -- the bottom value "America's Best" brand from HD. NEVER again. As for brand names -- for me -- Glidden is the worst.
BUT if I had a rental property -- and the paint wasn't for MY house -- I'd by Glidden in a heart beat, or Dutch Boy from Walmart. But there's no need to do that when I can get returned Behr or Valspar for less.
High gloss finishes are more likely to show the roller marks.
i'm looking at behr or benjamin moore every time i paint. they consistently score the highest in consumer reports, and i've had luck with them. sherwin williams isn't bad, but it doesn't score as well, but the few times my family has used it, it was fine.
I was using Dutch Boy and needed more paint, but unforutinatly all the local sources had dissapeared. Sherman Willmans was able to match it perfectly and it spreads and dries the same. I got the low voc paint. I still wish I could get Dutch Boy but not anywhere here, so I'll stick with theirs since I know I can match it easily.
I used the cheap stuff once, and ended up pouring a container full and letting it sit a few days to thicken up. It smelled very strongly too.
Behr would be my choice if it was available somewhere closer than Tulsa.
I tried lots of different kinds. Then when we moved and completely re-did our current house, I worked with four different professional painter companies, one of whom is a close friend form High school and who took time out to teach me a lot about painting. We had so much painting and wallpapering to do they did not mind us hring multiple painters (we hired diffrent levels of painters for different rooms - the top quality most sophisticated for the common rooms and the cheaper quickie guys for some rooms in the basement and some of the kids bedrooms.
I had some Behr and valspar signature paint. The professional painters we hired refused to use it. They said we would be unhappy with the result and it was too much work to get a decent finish with those paints. None of the four companies were willing to charge us to put crummy paint ont he walls and then either have to come back or have us not recommend them becasue we used crummy paint and had problems down the road. They also pointed out that they were spending a great deal of my money preparing the walls for painting why put some el cheapo paint over it? They said to use the Behr and Valspar paint int he garage or somewhere I did not reall care about. I stll used some of it in some of the rooms that i painted myself. I also used better brands.
After trying various brands, I agreed with them.
The paint store top of the line paints are execellent. The home depot or lowes paint does not even compare. It is comparable to thier bottom end stuff whch is pretty much junk. Aside form being hard to get a good finsih and needing more coats, it just does nto holds up as well.
The recommended: Grahm (mong expensive); Dunn Edwards; Benjamin Moore; Sherwin Williams (but only their top of the line paint); that a few other brands I cannot remember.
We did get one paint from Home depot Pierre Cardin or some such blue jean designer brand which they said was usable.
I painted some basement rooms, hallways and cielings myself. I learned a lot by working with them and them giving me tips, both abut applying paint and about choosing paint. I learned enough that I can look at a wall and usually tell whether it was painted with Home Depot/Lowes paint or quality paint. I can usually identify DIY paint jobs as well.
the dry film is that counts. The dry film is the paint film that is protecting your home. You can ask at any of the paint dealers what the dry film thickness is for your application-spray, roll, or brush. Brush will have the thickest dry film averagely. While you are asking, get the clay/silica content too. The more the clay content, the cheaper the paint and the sooner it will need painting.
For exterior paints in my area, Ben Moore and Behr last the longest. We are dry and hot. In a cool and humid area, it may not perform well at all. The environment means everything to paint, not all brands respond well to all environments. I'd suggest asking what brands and kinds of paints the local painters use for high dollar work.
Y'know, I never thought about climate in selecting a brand, but it's a good point because on the nytimes.com, one paint guru named John Lahey says folks who live in dusty New York City benefit from using the brand named Fine Paints of Europe (his brand, what a shocker)
Quote:
“If you go to any home in Manhattan that’s been painted with something other than [our brand] and rub your hand on the walls,” he said, “you will feel something akin to sandpaper. Most paints are made with filler and extenders, usually calcium carbonate, which is common chalk, whereas the premium pigment that goes into a paint where price is no object is called titanium dioxide, and it costs a good deal more. So when chalk is ground up, you have a lot of rough edges. And there are convection currents in that apartment in the month of February. You have dust settling on that course [sic] surface.
But it also says another paint guru named Eve Ashcraft has her own line and has even provided expert consultation to celebs/artists like Martha Stewart, Steve Martin, Thomas Kinkaid, B.D. Wong, and Vince Clarke, but ironically loves to use Benjamin Moore in her own home buahahah (yet her line sells for $110-130 for a two-and-a-half-liter can via F.P. of Europe). Makes you wonder. Although the article does say her line is new.
Also, re: Glidden. I also had a not-great experience over a decade ago with a Glidden paint - so I avoid it now.
Last edited by grimace8; 05-23-2012 at 07:58 AM..
Reason: misspelled Vince Clarke
As retired military service members, my husband and I have moved many times over the years. I must say that we have used a variety of paint. As paint, paint colors, and prices have progressed, our budget has not. After our retirement in 1998, my husband and I settled in Virginia. We were there for 17 years, renovated the home, and painted it from top to bottom. I decided to give Color Place Interior Latex Satin Wall and Trim paint a try for this home. Since I did the painting (I left the heavy work to hubby; wouldn't dare put a paint brush in his hand (lol), I wanted a paint that was durable and easy to clean without the paint coming off the wall when cleaning. After doing the research on Color Place paint, I found that (1) It is made by Pittsburgh Paint Glass (PPG); (2) has a 15-year warranty; (3) is a registered trademark of Sherwin Williams; and (4) marketed by Wal Mart under license. I did not regret my decision to change to this paint. It is true to the 15 year warranty. We have since sold the home in Virginia and bought a home in North Carolina. I am currently in the process of painting the interior of the home, and yes, I'm using Color Place. This paint WILL last 15+ years when the directions are followed for cleaning. It's a great paint for the budget-minded. All of the information I researched years ago, with added information is now printed on the back of the can.
Don't be fooled by the term 'a GALLON' of paint. There is no longer 128 oz. in the can. Paint makers are the only product that is not required to use 'unit pricing'. There is no way to compare price per oz. and they know it. If you look on the label, the can will contain anywhere between 117 to 126 oz. And the so called '5 gallon bucket' does not contain 5 gallons anymore
Don't be fooled by the term 'a GALLON' of paint. There is no longer 128 oz. in the can. Paint makers are the only product that is not required to use 'unit pricing'. There is no way to compare price per oz. and they know it. If you look on the label, the can will contain anywhere between 117 to 126 oz. And the so called '5 gallon bucket' does not contain 5 gallons anymore
We at Sherwin might en up dispensing up perhaps 0 to 10 ounces of colorant into those cans to tint them. So when your expecting unit prices, realize that the color plays a significant part. The extra white can contains more paint (124+ oz) while the deep and ultradeep bases can be as low as 115 oz. You can pretty much compare without prices.
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Sorry for the confusion.
buahahah (yet her line sells for $110-130 for a two-and-a-half-liter can via F.P. of Europe). Makes you wonder. Although the article does say her line is new.
Research Pays
