Paint Worth the Price? Valspar, Duron, Behr, and Ralph Lauren Review
August 31, 2011 | by Jocie (email) |
A fresh coat of paint is one of the fastest ways to make a space look new again, and it’s one of the most popular DIY projects. But how do you determine which paint to buy? It seems that everyone has their own opinion on the best paint, and brand loyalties run deep. To provide some analysis, we’ve tested several of the top brands available to determine which paint provides the best coverage for the price. In each section, we’ll review coverage, price and availability.
Editors note: This post originally ran in April, 2008. Since that time we’ve received lots of comments, feedback and suggestions. In an effort to continue providing accurate information, we’ve updated this post, and retested new paint samples. We’ve also added a lot of pictures so you can see the results for yourself. Many of the comments may no longer be applicable after this update, but we’ve preserved them to incorporate reader insights.
The Test
To accurately compare the paints, we needed to devise a balanced test that would be applicable in a real-life scenario. In that effort we setup a sheet of drywall and painted a deep red checkerboard pattern. Each paint was applied to a large section with a fresh roller and paint brush to see how well they covered. Pictures were taken with consistent lighting immediately after application and after allowing the paint to dry. Let’s see how they stack up!
Valspar
We purchased Valspar Signature Interior Semi-gloss which is a paint and primer in one. This is an acrylic latex, interior paint designed for “ultimate hiding.” Valspar is a Lowe’s specific brand and is available nationwide at their retail locations and online. Click here for product details.
- Price: $14.98 (quart), $33.98 (gallon) – comparable to other paint + primer products.
- Coverage: 1 gallon = 400 sq. ft.- requires multiple coats to cover dark squares.
- Notes: We’ve had great experience with Valspar customer service.
- Lowe’s store locations
You can still see a faint outline of the red squares
This is an up-close picture of Valspar covering the red squares.
Duron / Sherwin Williams
Sherwin Williams purchased Duron in 2004. They kept the name, mostly for brand recognition according to one sales associate. Sherwin Williams stores can be found nationwide. For this test we used Sherwin Williams SuperPaint Interior Acrylic Latex. It’s another self-priming paint, and is available in over 1,500 colors. Here’s the product page.
- Price: $16.49 (quart), $47.99 (gallon) – higher than alternative products however sale prices are much closer to competitors.
- Coverage: 1 gallon = 350-400 sq. ft. – superior hiding, almost completely covering the red squares with just one coat.
- Notes: Very knowledgeable sales associates as expected from a dedicated paint supplier. At the time of this writing, a gallon of paint is on sale for $33.59.
- Sherwin Williams store locator
You almost can’t detect the red squares after one coat
The square is barely perceptible
The brushed paint yielded similar results
Behr
Behr is Home Depot brand paint and has their own paint with primer offering called Behr Premium Plus Ultra. This acrylic latex paint has the added benefit of having low volatile organic compounds (VOC). This paint is available in 386 exclusive, designer hues or choose from over 2000 standard Behr colors. Behr paint can be found in any Home Depot store and online.
- Price: $14.48 (quart), $33.98 (gallon) – similar prices to Lowe’s.
- Coverage: 1 gallon = 400 sq. ft. – it “felt” very thin during application and would obviously require 2 or more coats.
- Home Depot store finder
Red squares are plainly evident
Up close
Brushed paint results are similar
Ralph Lauren
Home Depot stopped carrying Ralph Lauren brand paint in early 2010, and now it is only available from specific distributors. We did not include them in our updated test for the simple reason that the closest store is located about an hour away. We can confirm that right now Ralph Lauren does not make a self-priming paint. For the sake of comparison, we pulled information for a generic interior acrylic latex paint.
- Price: $16.99 (quart) $45.99 (gallon) – on par with other professional paints but still very high.
- Coverage: 1 gallon = 400 sq. ft. – in previous experience we’ve found RL paint to provide superior coverage.
- Notes: Read our full review of Ralph Lauren paint
- Find Ralph Lauren distributors
- Ralph Lauren Paint data sheets
The Verdict
So what paint do you think is worth the cost? None of our test samples proved to be one-coat-wonders, but we didn’t expect any of them to completely conceal the dark red paint. If you couldn’t tell from the individual photographs, Duron / Sherwin Williams was the clear winner. No matter if you roll or brush the paint, we found similar results. While it may save some time, you’ll pay for the improved coverage in significantly higher prices. Here are some final pictures if you’re not convinced.
Click to enlarge
Paint Disposal
Many people don’t realize all the different ways to get rid of old paint. Old paint can be donated, recycled, or taken to a paint disposal center. For more complete information about disposal your old paint, check out the link above.
What do you think? Do you agree with the pros and cons? What’s your experience been? What brand would you recommend?
Editor’s note: Valspar paint is offered exclusively at Lowes and before you head out the door, grab a free Lowes Coupon. The same is true of Behr and Home Depot so pickup a Home Depot coupon too. We keep a couple great coupon pages and that one allows you to sign up for 10% off any in-store purchase.
I know I’ve mentioned a good experience before with the Valspar paints, but I do have a couple of things to add…We used the Valspar primer over deep, deep red walls. While it wasn’t what I would call “full” coverage– you could still see a little red– it was absolutely enough to knock down the red. We were able to paint a fairly light color (Using Valspar Signature with an Eddie Bauer color) and probably could have gotten away with one coat, had we been a bit more thorough the first go round (using better lighting, and checking more carefully after our ten year old’s work, which was still great!). No red in sight! We went with the Signature paint over their standard or the Olympic (?) on the recommendation of the salesman, a guy I was friends with in high school and who has been working in paint for 8 or 10 years now. I trusted him not to pull a fast one.
They also run a lot of specials with $5 rebates per can. I received my 4 rebates in one check very promptly. I’ve been really happy with the experience overall. Now, Sherwin Williams, on the other hand: thin and overpriced. But they were one of the few places where I could get a low VOC oil-based trim paint.
Guess they’ve all got pros and cons…
Sherwin Williams is not only the best paint on the market, hands down, but is not more expensive when you catch the 30-40% off sales they run fairly often. Win-win.
no it is junk paint. do not buy at lowes
i just painted my master bath and was told one coat would cover anything. it took me three coats for complete coverage. never again will i use Lowes Sherman Williams. it is crappy paint. and for the price? NOT worth it at all.
Hi Amalie,
Thanks for sharing your experience with Valspar. Its interesting how some brands of paint really work for some people and not others. We hired a painter recently who swears by Duron paint, and as you saw, I don’t think its all that great (especially for the price).
Also, you brought up a great point that I forgot to include in the initial post – Duron is now owned by Sherwin Williams. I have used their paint before and after the buy-out and didn’t like either. Anyone have a different experience?
durability!!! hello?? which lasts the longest is more important than how it goes on.
so, maybe you’ll have to get back with us on that in ten of 15 years
Absolutely– my mother helped her sister-in-law paint a door with Valspar and it left drips all over the door…not a great experience! I guess it’s project to project and person to person.
As for the SW paint, we used the “Classic99,” their low-end line, and it was really streaky and thin and cost quite a bit more than the Valspar. I had assumed that the Duron would be better, but it sounds like it has its own problems!
We’ve got plaster walls and I’ve painted all the rooms with one coat using Behr and a very fluffy roller. And since it worked beautifully I’ve never tried anything else (I have the tendency to try the cheapest first…).
Hi Maya,
Welcome to One Project Closer! 🙂
I felt the same about Behr – it worked great so never tried anything else, until my recent experiment. Let me know if you end up trying a new brand. I’ll be interested to see if you found similar results.
I used to think Behr was great….until I tried something else….then I soon realized that Behr really is just an average paint. I will always use Sherwin Williams now. Their paint is by far the best coating paint I’ve used. The price is right in line with all the other as well!
No matter what paint I use, I’m stingy with what goes on the brush and roller, so I end up having to put on many coats. But I feel better about not having “wasted” paint and being thorough. 😉
Sounds like you did not clean the existing paint well enough or prime it. If you do not prime you have to prep the old paint very well. These sound more like Painter errors than bad paint.
My experience with Behr paint hasn’t been as positive as your review. I find it tears off the walls when removing tape if a piece of furniture is placed against the wall– even months after the paint has dried.
I’ve never tried Ralph Lauren and may give that a shot next time, though I’m leaning more toward Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.
As a suggestion, it would be great to have pictures along with your review to see the differences in one coat coverage between the brands. Maybe next time?
I have also noticed that the Behr tears off the wall especially at where I have taped. I covers well, but the tearing can be traumatic. I have several very long tears, especially when first painting with Behr. Now that I am aware, I spend a great deal of time taking the tape off the walls. A painter as a box store advised me to paint like the tape wasn’t there and that advice has helped.
Used velspar eggshel paint yesterday do interior home. Little house used 13 gal. To much and to expensive
Firmly next house be painted kelly Moore. No daugth best paint in austin tx.
Gosh… I just finished painting the powder room and for the first time ever when I peeled off the masking tape strips of paint got teared off as well – this had never happened to me before!!! Okay… I’d never buy Behr paint again.
Same experience here. The solution is very simple though: Take the tape off before the paint has dried. The other solution is to run a utility knife along the edge before you take the tape off too, but i find its cleanest to remove it when still wet.
I always tape everything first, then cut in with a brush about 6-10′ of wall, then go over that with a small brush (knocks down the brush marks and puts a second layer of paint on it), then roll like usual. When that 6-10′ of wall is up, I repeat cut-in, roll cut-in, then roll until complete. As soon as I know I’m done with the coats I pull the tape off.
This method leaves NO brush marks, NO picture framing and NO peeling.
Hey Josh,
Thanks for your feedback. I will post pix next time – just didn’t get my act together fast enough. I believe the home office will be featured as a before/after in the near future, so check back.
That’s interesting that Behr came off the walls, even after months. I will keep an eye out for that.
Please let me know if you try out Ralph Lauren and what your results were. I plan on trying Benjamin Moore for my next project. Is there any specific type of BM paint you recommend?
THANKS!
We’ve had good luck with Behr… did our RED kitchen in almost one coat using no primer over Ultra Bright White… we did the second coat more because we had heard we were supposed to.
I used Behr in my kitchen and when I had spatters and scrubbed them, I found the paint came off, but not the grease. It was so terrible, I had to repaint my kitchen. I used Ralph Lauren paint, which went on really well and is very scrubbable. I would never use Behr again on anything.
to most of you who think they know about painting,
before you begin painting a kitchen…possible issues with smoke and grease so Scrub the walls down with T.S.P.or a good household cleaner, add a oil base primer…..which will not allow smoke or grease to pass thru into the paint top coat then apply your desired paint. more often then not paint will not wash off…..even with an 1 coat paint job.
my top rated paints for my area in the Northwest
1. Valspar (Lowe’s) 1 coat coverage- interior
2. Miller Paint (designed for the Northwest)
3. Sherwin Williams
4. Benjamin Moore
5 Rodda Paint
6. Behr
life expectancy of paint…period is about 1/2 of what they state on the can on the lasting beauty and protection, generally due to environmental conditions in or out of the home exterior painting should not be applied less than 4 mil. in thickness in order to insure longevity and meet manufacture warranty will exceed the cost for a professional to apply. if a house has to be painted in 7-8 yrs. something wrong ! as for interior painting usually 3-4 yrs. paint will loose its new luster.
Are your top rated paints in the order of preference?
We are in the process of repainting the exterior of our home and the painter we have chosen uses Rodda Paint. Since then, we have had several people tell us how much better Sherwin Williams paint is to Rodda.
Any help with the decision process would be great! I’m not sure if there is a way to compare apples to apples between the 2 brands of paint
.
Hi Leslie,
I have never tried scrubbing my Behr walls, but we have scrubbed Duron walls and found similar experiences. The color came off!!! I’m going to be repainting some of my Duron walls in a few weeks.
-Jocie
I painted 5 homes on the same street, All exteriors, all built in the 1950s & All subject to the Blazing Desert sun. In the past 25 years i have used cheap paint & what was supposed to be great paint…….Its obvious to me now , that what you buy today, may be a different product {in the same can tomorrow}. Think banks & ceos.
I wanted these paint jobs to last at least 10 years & they have exceeded that. With stucco thats pretty easy to do with a decent paint, but the wood trim on these homes & the T& G take a beating. Darker colors more so. Lets just say, i have only been called back once, for a quarter size puck, on a porch post that was hit with water every day from the sprinkler. That call came after a year. The Brand ? it may be opposite your painters choice, as it will last longer…….
hey everybody
i have got a question for somebody to answer what would be the best paint to use on a house i am starting to build and i have some up grades and we are going to paint the house some different colors and i know one of the colors is a deep red and most of the others are like a deep brown and some gray this is the first time to really get into this and i need some help finding the right paint for my house im just coming back from iraq and my wife is at home doing the picking and choosing and i really dont want the builder to give her a scam by getting the most expensive kind to not look very well and flake at the end thanks for all the inputs
Hi Sam . .I’am an expert in this field, i have over 20yrs experience in the paint business and I get this question all the time. What you want to do is use a gray primer, because gray is the only color that absorbs light and not reflect so in return is easier to cover. Since you are using deep finish colors I highly recommend that you use this technique. Because deep colors lack titaniom-oxide (another word for white pigment) and their hide is not one of their better qualities. So the best thing to do is to put one coat of mid to dark gray primer, and two coats of finish and you should be fine.
As a first-time homebuyer, I used Behr from ceiling to baseboards in every room in the house, and I loved it. I had to cover a room with Notre Dame navy and gold everywhere–even the windowsill, ceiling, and door–and the Behr covered it all right up. I also painted my dining room a deep red wine color, and with the tinted primer, it took no time. How many coats depends on the color and how stingy you are in application. Definitely use good lighting. In addition, H.D. allowed us to return unused gallons of paint with a full refund! They also gave me a 10% discount when I purchased all the paint at once. We just bought a new home this month, and we are considering Olympic b/c it is low-fume, etc, but I’m nervous to stray away from Behr…it has served us very well from top to bottom!!
sam – you’ll find that everyone has a different opinion on paint, so the “right” one can be hard to find. We’ve done numerous paint tests here and have found Ralph Lauren to far outperform any of their competitors for paint. Jocie recently did a comparison of primers and found Behr’s primer to be the best at covering over red paint. That said, it seems like almost everyone has something they really like, or really *don’t* like.
Hello Fred:
actually Sherwin Williams had the 1 coat coverage over the color Red
Valspar came in 2nd.
as for PRIMERS good coverage and lasting ability professional contractors use Kiltz primer sealer, paint can be applied 1 hr. after dry to touch… oil base for kitchens due to grease and smoke and or applied over enamel oil base to insure latex top coat adhesion. that be said, it seems like almost everyone has something they really like, or really *don’t* like, I spend more time fixing paint application issues for those who watch a remodeling show on TV, and think they can paint like the professionals can……not !
I have always been a Sherwin Williams customer, but with a kitchen remodel threatening to break the bank I cheaped out on the ceiling paint and bought Behr Premium Plus interior flat ceiling paint at $24.98 for 2 gallons. Its thin. It drips badly. I am waiting to see if I am going to have to do two coats. I saved 75% on the cost over Sherwin Williams ceiling paint but I paid for it in labor and time. I feel like I broke even. I value both labor and time too much to buy this brand again.
Valspar is by far the worst ceiling paint I ever used. It does not cover and does not take second coats well. My living room looks like a white quilt!
I used valspar to paint our entire house after a recent remodel with all new drywall. It was terrible. We painted 4 different colors, all having different consistencies and coverages. All of the paint required 2 coats and 2 weeks after painting the walls looked dirty as if the paint job was 2 years old. Any bump or touch of the walls were noticeable. Getting ready to repaint with duron and try that.
totally agreed: valspar is the worst paint I have ever used. it is thin and drippy, the coverage is poor, adhesion is low, and the texture is miserable.
I’ve painted my newly renovated kitchen ceiling 3 times with Valspar Ultra Premium flat ceiling paint. I cannot believe what I’m seeing. I’ve been painting for 40 years and have never seen paint go on with different coverage, texture and color every time I make a pass with the roller! I thought it was me…so I’ve stirred, mixed and shaken. The walls were primed correctly – so that’s no it. Unbelievable waste of time trying to use this product!! Never again, Valspar. And that includes all my boat varnishes.
I absolutely agree with you. Used to love Valspar but they have changed their formula and I’ll never use it again. I started to paint ceiling with an older can of Utra White, had used this for years, ran out so purchased 2 cans of Valspar’s new paint + primer and was told it was exactly the same as what I had been using. Not SO!!! The older stuff was thick and covered in 1 coat. The new formula is thin and runny, and after applying 3 coats it is blotchy. After dried I can see absolutely every roller stroke and it doesn’t even match in color. It is suppose to be matte finish but looks like eggshell to me. Big waste of time and money.
Been painting for years . Love changing my room colors. Always used sherwin Williams but I live way up North Wisconsin and didn’t want to drive 50 miles to sherwin Williams to do a tiny bathroom on a whim and it’d be a very quick job.
Went to local hardware store and used valspar paint/primer. Horrible, horrible . So mad right now.
Going to have to do a third coat, and get another quart at $22! Never again
I have worked for both Home Depot and Lowes, and my opion is that Behr is the better paint. Also for those of you that are having issues with using two coats in the darker colors, I do recomend using a tinted primer. Normally reds and yellows tend to to be thin, if you use a grey or red tinted primer you should only have to do on coat of primer and one coat of paint. I always recomend primer no matter what your painting. It really helps the paint stick to the surface and gives you long lasting durabiltiy. For primer I would also recomend using the Behr Enamel Undercoater (purple can) it can be slightly tinted and is a great product. While working at the Home depot I did have comments that the Ralph Lauren was thin and some people didnt like it, however I have also had customers say its the best paint they have ever used.
If your not sure about colors Home Depot will soon have samples available in Behr (interior/exterior) Glidden and Ralph Lauren. Not sure on the price but you get 8 oz. to try on your wall. Good idea if you ask me!
Hi Misty,
Thanks for your thoughtful comments!
So, Home Depot will soon offer 8 oz samples (for free or low cost) so you can try out the paint first before buying the full can??? Wow, hat would be great!
I wish someone had told me about tinted primers before I originally painted my red dining room – that would have saved me a lot of hassle. So thanks for the info!
The samples are now available in Behr, Evermore, and Ralph Lauren paints. It is an 8 oz can and the Behr and Evermore both cost $3.99 and the Ralph Lauren costs $5.99. If you having problems with coverage on the Behr it is more than likely because you did not use a tinted primer. If you use a tinted primer than it will make your life a whole lot easier and the Behr will cover in one coat, i know from experience.
I have read over all of your comments and still am confused about the best choices of paint. I’m a magazine reader and all I ever hear about is Valspar’s high quality for modern walls. I’ve never tampered with interior decorating; this is all very new. All my walls are a soft beige and most of my furniture is dark brown. i want something vibrant but not too distracting. My kitchen opens up into my living room and dining area; it’s almost like a studio space. Any ideas?
I need advice on exterior stucco house paint. HD or Lowes?
And which one will be non fading?
I USED VALSPAR ON MY CHAIRS (BLACK) I SANDED AND DUSTED THE OLD WHITE FINISH .I USED TWO COATS. THE PAINT PEELS REAL EASY (ITS SOFT LIKE NOT HARD).I USED VALSPAR LATEX ENAMEL INT. EXT.
well i work for lowes and i like the valspar paint. i have used it frequently and i have never had a problem with any of their products. i have not used the latex enamel. it is the lowest quality of paint that valspar carries besides the spray paint. for 9.98 a quart, what could you really expect??
I love Behr paint, But the one paintthat I really love is Devine so thick and nice it is like painting with smooth yougrt.
I painted our daughter’s room with Valspar from Lowe’s. It took weeks to air out the smell. I definitely will not use it again. A friend recently recommended Benjamin Moore, but they are so expensive. I hear Behr is a pretty choice and for the cost I will try it next time.
Go green!!! I just used AFM Safecoat & Yolo Colorhouse paints in my home, & they were solid (siongle-coat), completely odorless, & they’re healthy. AFM safecoat can match any color.
Off-gassing should be a major concern for everyone. Formaldehyde (the most common VOC – Volatile Organic Compound), is one of the most common chemicals found in paints, adhesives, & stains, that emits VOCs, which have been proven to cause cancer (yes, those paints are carcinogenic).
Really?
yes,, go green.. we all need to move in that direction.. when I moved into my house,,, the color of the walls was so hideous I ordered cheap water based paint,,, in brown,,, put it in a bucket 2-1 water to paint and soaked a cotton rag wrung it out and washed down the walls,,,, so easy I finished a room in 20 minutes..
on the ugly lime green living room wall, I used a rich green over it and it all came out so well, I kept it.. People are always commenting on the “paint technique”
I am finally ready to really paint the house and I too am playing the wait game.. got some samples from Ball and Farrow advised by my “rich girlfriend” but am not convinced that the price is worth it… I don’t want to spend the money,, have a lowes credit card that I could use now but not willing to screw up my walls with poor quality paints. I suppose there is no consensus
Whatever I do,,, it will be water based and and low VOC because as EW says,,,,, who needs to be exposed to more than we already are.. I am in the health field and see my share of folks who are paying the price for it… some others seem not to be sensitive but I would still like to see us all get smarter about quality of paint and of life
Where can I buy those eco paints?
Regarding the comments I read about various types of paint, they all reflect the dream that non-painters have; cheap paint that covers in one coat. That is the mythical goal of the general public, coupled with the mindset that any idiot can paint. In fact it is quite simple to apply paint to a surface. Application of material is only one of many steps required to put a good looking and durable finish on a surface. Many of the cons in your article are nothing but situations that the pros deal with day in and day out. When masking tape pulls off your new coat of paint, the fact is that there was never a bond established between your substrate and your finish coat. It could have been due to improper preparation of the substrate, failing to give the new paint the required curing time, incompatibilities between the substrate and finish coat, and numerous other things. Pros recommend using package colors to avoid using deep and ultra-deep tint bases which have little or no pigment and too much colorant, which can cause hiding problems and muddy colors. No knowledgeable painter would ever expect a paint job to be complete with the application of one coat of paint. Surface preparation can include sanding existing surfaces, removing old layers of paint, washing surfaces down with Trisodium Phosphate, applying one or more coats of primer/sealer and so on. Some paints out there probably are a little overpriced, but the old adage- you get what you pay for- is by and large true. More expensive paints have pigments which are ground finer resulting in higher color values, truer hues and consistency of color, tone and hue. Any painting project is 95% preparation and 5% final coat application; proper preparation will always result in a good finish coat appearance.
My husband and I have lived in Indianapolis, IN for 43 yrs. To be near family we just bought a home in KS. We will be painting the entire home after removing the flowered wallpaper that is on all walls presently.
We will be using a tinted primer and either Behr or Sherwin Williams paint. We have always spent a great deal of time on preping the walls prior to painting. We have always found that to be half the battle at least.
Some of you mentioned the paint chipping if your chairs or other furniture hits the wall. Try my trick; place a piece of self-adheisive felt on the furniture where it would hit the wall. It won’t damage your wall and your wall won’t leave marks either.
For those of you washing color off you wall; some paint finishes are made to be washed and some aren’t. Prior to painting you need to make sure the finish will take washing. That way you won’t have wasted all your time and money. There are even some paints that are made for places like the bath room; that means they will withstamd constant moisture. You should still run your exhaust fan while in the shower. They aren’t super paints.
We get our home in July and then the work really begins. HAPPY PAINTING EVERYONE!
Don’t use Valspar Ceiling Paint, it’s the absolute worst, it’s like water, if they can’t make a better ceiling paint than this, then they should make one at all. In the beginning our goal was jus to freshen up the look. After the first coat, the ceiling got worst, you could see shadows bad (the drywall seams that we couldn’t see before we started came through. So we added a 2nd coat, still the same, a 3rd coat, still the same. Lowes paint manager so we should of primed it first, which makes no sense because there was nothing really wrong with the ceiling to begin with, and it already had several coats of paint on it. I believe it’s Valspars intention to make a “for crap” ceiling paint to ploy you into buying the expensive primer. Other issues with latex valspar paint include finding ton’s of dirt in the paint. As it turns out, one Valspar is a back breaking paint and hardly worth the money, it’ll now be a total of five coats on the ceiling, not to mention the waste of money spent.
Valspar Ceiling paint is the worst. My living room looks like a white quilt. I’ll have to repaint it with Glidden.
I use Benjamin Moore and love, love, love the results. I’ve tried all the brands listed in these posts in my previous home, and have had the best results with Benjamin Moore – both interior and exterior. I have a husband, 2 greyhounds, and am a neat-nick, so beauty and durability was a must. I applied 1 coat of kilz primer to all walls in my house (to seal the new drywall which has an orange peel texture). Then I painted the whole interior of the house with several different colors of paint (greens, golds, brown, orange – think Panera Bread) with 2 coats of color in each room. Yes, it was expensive to do the whole house and time consuming to do 2 coats of paint after the 1 coat of primer. However, it has been over 5 years – and lots of scrubbing dog splatter off the walls and cleaning grease off the door to the garage. I don’t have any scuff marks, the paint looks brand new even after all this time, none of the paint peeled off or rubbed off. The exterior paint was put on over an elastomeric primer, and the paint has lasted 7 years in the hot FL sun and hurricanes. I suggest spending the money and taking the extra time to do the job the long way, then sit back and relax for many years to come. Now, if anyone has a remedy for keeping the floors looking nice 😉 …
I work at lowes, and as a paint associate, Valspar Signature is no doubt one the best paints on the market, if you are doing a deep color, you must use a tinted primer, Paint reflect light as we all no and if you have a white primer your are going to see white spots through your paint, no matter the quality of your paint, no if you use a primer that is tinted to a darker gray, aka g5 tinted primer, it does not reflect very much color off. therefore giving bringing the color out better. No my opinion is all the mainstream brands are great, and basically the same, it is just the experience you may have had with the paint itself. Painting is all about preperation.
Porter Paint is excellent. They don’t advertise (or I haven’t seen any in our area), but if you go to their website, you can locate a dealer. In larger cities, they have stores like or paint dealers. Our dealer is in a little hardware store. They run $5.00 off specials a lot. Your brush has a lot to do with the paint application. Don’t buy cheap brushes !!! I don’t like to paint all that much and I value my time. If you buy a good brush and ask what you are supposed to clean it with – it will last you probably your life time – unless your a professional painter. If your a professional, you already know this (we have a friend that is and this is information was passed on to me – GREAT ADVICE). I have several rentals, so I am not a professional, but I paint my fair share. Porter is far superior to anything I have purchased from Lowes, HD, Sherwin Williams, or Walmart I have tried them all (NEVER use contractor grade – it is the cheapest and always requires extra coats).
I worked in the paint department at Home Depot and I am an avid “painter.” I have painted with Glidden, Behr and Ralph Lauren. I can tell you that contrary to popular belief about Behr being the best paint, it is not. It’s a good middle of the road paint, but not the easiest to apply. If you want an easy, smooth and quality paint Ralph Lauren is def the winner out of the three. Glidden is more of a contractors paint or for someone who is re-painting white over white. I’ve painted kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and furniture with Ralph Lauren and have been more than satisfied.
Some of these comments make no sense, the one above who says they cleaned their kitchen walls and the paint came of but the grease didnt…. Wake up lady, if the paint came of the grease surely did too, becuase thats what the grease was stuck to???? this blog is fake or just isnt governed.
Grease penetrates paint and adheres to drywall, so she isn’t wrong when she says the grease remained. Try simple green to remove grease (lightly though).
I’m getting ready to build our first custom home and my husband is the contractor and loves the valspar paints, he use’s them on his projects. All of our exterior and interior colors are very deep colors would I be best off with Ralph Lauren or Valspar????? I always have tinted my primer’s and have always painted two coats, I don’t mind some work but I also have two children and dogs. I want durablitly and scrubbablilty!!!! Any Coupons for discounts is great too!!! 🙂
I have to say, I’ve always only painted with Behr paint. It’s thin, and when painting really dark colors, or over even light colors, you DO need many coats. I needed to redo my bedroom (after 16 years), and painted my ceiling with Behr. Two coats, but still performed wonderfully. Then, after reading so many professional painter’s blogs about how much better all other paints were, I decided to go for a different paint brand on my bedroom walls. I went with Valspar. At first I was excited at the covereage. Wow! Although I’d need 2 coats, I could already see how different it was. 24 hours later, I began with the second coat (which was still needed even with the Primer included in this particular Valspar paint). Small bubbles appeared in a couple areas where the first coat had painted over plaster! Then they began to pull away from the plaster! Because paint dries from the outside — in, the first coat STILL hadn’t dried all the way, and trapped moisture which caused it not to bond. I had to wait several days to re-patch and paint those areas. I had a lot of plaster under the Behr coats, and no problems! I decided right there and then, I’d never use anything else but Behr paint. I don’t care how many coats it takes, it bonds way better. Those professionals just want the job done quickly. Me…. I want it done right! Go with Behr paint!
I’m new at painting. I want to paint my already white living room an Antique White. I “test painted” a caramel color on a small section of one wall before decided to stick with white. Will I have to prime over that?? I have a large living room (20 x 20 with cathedral ceiling and only one large window) so whatever I buy, I’m looking at a lot of paint. Obviously I want to be as cost-effective as possible but I don’t want to have to repaint in a year or two either! I’ve read all these blogs and frankly, I’m more confused than ever! Surely it can’t be THAT difficult to just paint a room white can it??
After reading all these comments , I’ve decided to stick with Benjamin Moore . It may cost more , but beleive me it’s certainly worth it !
Painted walls with Olimpic flat paint from Lowes.
It past three month since , still smell terrible.
i work for lowes and i never recommend the olympic paint. it is thin, gloppy, and makes a mess. they did recently release olympic one which is a lot better than the premium. try that next time!!!
All those paints are to expensive..go to home depot and buy a gallon of America’s Finest…..give the walls one good coat…and then a dry roll….
Benjamin Moore is the best paint on the market ! Spend the extra money . It covers in one coat & looks / lasts a long time .
it sounds like the brands are roughly even. The common thread is “i painted with everything and then finally found brand X! it’s the best!”. The reality is likely you got a LOT better at painting while using other brands, and by the time you tried brand X were good enough to do a great job with it! You probably could have went to ANY brand at that point and been happy. Right?
We need to TSP and original kilz the whole place, It’s light pink and dirty. We hope to do it in one coat after the kilz. We’ll buy Beh’rs, BM, or Rl – whatever has the color we want at a good price. not worried about either of those brands.
Thanks for the advice folks.
My Daughter (23) had her room painted with Valspar interior acrylic latex
Signature paint and after two weeks the room still smells like paint. She
is allergic to latex paint and cannot sleep in the room until the paint dries
or the smell goes away. I have painted many rooms furniture etc in my
life and never have I had this problem with paint it dries and the smell goes
away. But not this room, it is not even a big room, less that 12 x 12. Is it
just your paint that does this, it was over $28. per can at Lowes and unless
I find a solution soon I can guarantee I will not buy it again. It gives me a
headache to be in the room for ever 5 minutes.
What is the problem?
Kris Wagar
let me start by appreciating everyone that make a post.am an african and painting is my proffesion here in Nigeria.we all kinds of paints here but the one making waves here is BM.and lately SW.i have used BM and i want to agree with one my friend that said preparation is the most important.good preparation,good job
I re-painted my small full bath with Valspar Premium Kitchen/Bath paint. It has been over 2 weeks and the paint is not dry. Lowes sent the Valspar paint rep to my house, and he told me “the paint is not curred yet.” No crap. He offered to refund my cost. In trying to dry the paint, my exhaust fan burnt out, and neither Lowes or Valspar acknowledges this problem. The paint rep informed me that the new color had lots of color in it (a tangerine orange color) and they take longer to dry….2 weeks with the exhaust fanning running non-stop along with a box fan??? Get real. I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER OVER PRICED VALSPAR PRODUCT AGAIN. Don’t always believe what you read in Consumer Reports.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who’s had problems with Behr! Yes, it goes on well…but it doesn’t stick! I thought it did, initially…but one year later, it just peeled off the walls and the trim.
Funny as it sounds, I’m a fan of Wal-Mart’s paint! I painted one half of the walls and trim in that bedroom with Wal-Mart’s, and the other half with Behr…and Wal-Mart’s is scrubbed and stays stuck on, while the Behr just wanted to peel off.
(So no, jkimball, it’s not your skill level. I doubt mine improved that drastically in one afternoon.) I wonder, though, if different paints work better for different people’s application methods. Some people naturally put paint on thicker, others thinner, etc. Although I couldn’t figure out what I might have done to make the Behr peel off of new primed moldings. ::shrugs::
ALL dark colored paints need at least 2 coats to look correct. Reds are notorious for being difficult to finally get to the actual color that matches the color sample. It a dark colored paint does not cover in 1 or 2 coats it is not because it’s poor quality; that’s just the way dark colors are. I’ve heard that Behr Paint & Primer has more solids in it and that it has better coverage than many other paints. So many people keep on talking about rubbing paint and how it comes off, but no one mentions sheen. People, flat colors are more difficult to scrub and glossier sheens are much easier to clean and are tougher and can take more abuse. The next time someone complains about how their paint comes off when they rub it ask them what sheen they have.
Bob, that was my exact comment earlier. sheens or finishes make all the difference as to how the paint wears and what you can do to it.
BobT – very emphatic, but I must disagree. We applied Ralph Lauren dark brown paint to our dining room over a very light peach color – full coverage in one coat (it was amazing).
I will agree that Reds are notorious for being difficult, and I haven’t tried a RL red yet, so I can’t speak to that…
I chose Valspar to paint a desk and chair for my daughter’s bedroom, because it was the closest color I could find to what I was looking for. I am disappointed with the texture of the paint. It does not dry smoothly ( I am using eggshell, in “Hint of Cherry”), and it still feels sticky after I applied two coats yesterday. It looks like I will have to use three or four coats to cover the wood tint, and I’ll need to cover the desk surface with a primer before applying paint. I’d like to use a different brand, but am already in it so I feel I’d like to finish the job with the Valspar. I don’t think I’ll buy it again,though.
Did you prepare the desk and chair by washing down the surface first and then sanding the surface so the paint could grab onto the surface? More than likely both the desk and chair had a stain or finish of some kind on them. It could be the paint just can’t get a good hold of the finish. It needs something to grab onto. Sorry, I didn’t say to wash after sanding but I know you would know that.
Sometimes with furniture it is just better to spray because you can put the paint on in a finer coat that gets down in to the grain of the wood.
I really hopes something hear helps. I know how frustrating it is when things don’t go well.
Most of these comments relate to the skill of the painter. Spend some time behind a paint applicator and you will develop your favorite that works with your application methods and skill level. You generally get what you pay for in paint technology and they generally all work for basic applications. No one in this blog seems to be interested in durability.
RALPH LAUREN PAINT IS A PAIN IN THE A$$! It drys uneven… Especially with the “draker colors” Using Glidden GRAB primer I have had to use an entire gallon on two walls with the color Club Navy. When Light hits it I see all of the areas where the paint dried and the next section was started overlapping the previous section. I have been painting since 1976 and I would say Use anything but Ralph Lauren paint. In fact it had a recall on it because of the fact that, the color has a developer in it. SO that means when you run over another area already painted it will just get daker and darker. It does not matter what you do you can feather untill the wall turns into a bird. I have never EVER HAD issues with BHER paint honestly I used it many times but I had to go with Ralp Lauren because they were the only company with the color I wanted and it looks like crap. I have to hire a paint professional to spray the wall with a varnish to make it loook more even with light. SO hey paint with RALP LAUREN PAINT, only if you plan to keep the lights off in the room you paint. Forever!!! It sucks! Easy Living is better. I feel like the RALP LAUREN PAINT is just a name with crap in a can. I would also like to add that it smells like a acrylic nail salon. So if you have any asthma or breathing irritations or cant stand the smell off a thousand bottles of nailpolish spilled all over and streaks and sheen and no sheen and flat and no falt makrs all ofer your walls and well if your going for a very haunted look, paint with Ralp Lauren Paint. It gives the effect of a old haunted home where demons love the colors! Ralp Lauren Paint is NOT GOOD DO NOT BUY IT!
I was reading the findings on the Behr paint and I have to strongly dissagree with your results. I am a long time user of Behr paint. I very rarely have to 2nd coat my walls. The paint is so super thick and easy to apply. I use the flat or semi on my walls. Eggshell I have used however, it was a dark color, which was a bad idea. I used the same color in Flat….NO problams. So, maybe the problam is the sheen vs. color…and not the brand.
I do want to give a shout out about the new Behr paint that has the primer in it! I LOVE IT! used it in my daughters room which was HOT pink. I wanted to go with a earthy teal color. 1 coat of Behr with primer paint…is all it took. Also, 1 gallon did her whole room. It is a 13 x 14 room w/ 1 wall with a window. Lots of drywall…for 1 gallon of paint that is covering HOT pink. No other brand could have done that!
I LOVE Behr. I use it all the time. I paint…because I love the product so much. No messes. Well worth the cost.
I have used Ralph Lauren and I don’t find their product to be of the same quality.
I totally agree with you on the Behr paint. I am painting my kitchen cabinets. Like a fool I took the advice of an inexperienced clerk at Home Depot (I know better but the thought of no priming was to enticing). Basically I was told that I did not have to prime my semi gloss kitchen cabinets before using the Behr premium. Existing cabinets were a light gray…… I have put on 2 coats (and I am not excited at the look) and on the 3rd coat in some areas. Behr per gallon = $33, Primer = $11, I am moving to 1 coat primer, 1 coat Behr Premium. I ended up redoing the doors, by resanding, using TSP again, and priming.
Benjamin Moore/ Sherwin Williams are great paints. Their is a reason contractors use them. They are thick paint, have good durability as well as coverage. It doesn’t spackle like watered down paints and my drop cloths stay clean.
Use Behr/ department store paint if you want less coverage & want to spend more labour applying additional coats because you think you are spending less money because it is cheaper by the gallon then a legitimate paint.
Ralph Lauren paints are garbage. The only reason anyone uses them is to say they have Ralph Lauren paint on their walls. An ex co-workers son painted his bedroom with gold Ralph Lauren paint over white primer. Four coats later it still looked bad.
I’ve used Duron, Behr, Restoration Hardware, and Ralph Lauren paint. Hands down, Ralph Lauren paint is the absolute best! I used Tangier Island to cover dark blue paint! It covered perfectly and I only used 1 coat. The colors are beautiful and rich looking. They are extremely easy to apply and don’t drip like other paints (Behr…). Behr is the worst paint I’ve ever used. The paint never matches the chip color and you need to use several coats in order to cover well. Duron is okay. I like that the chips do match the paint once it’s on you wall. I used the highest quality paint they sell — but it was very pricey. I like the quality of Ralph Lauren much better and the cost ($29) is great!!
I’d used Behr for years and love it, but was won over by Sherwin Williams Duration line of interior latex paints. Both go on well, but the SW’s finish and durability were better. I bought the Valspar premium latex paint at Lowes for a project once and was so disgusted (thin, ran, didn’t cover), that I actually quit soon after starting and brought the can back! By the way, if your walls are deeply textured like mine are, it pays to get a deep-nap roller to ensure coverage in one coat. If painting dark color over light, do invest in the proper primer–it makes all the difference. You pay more for a premium paint, but it is really worth the savings in time and energy. Oh, another tip: Glad Press & Seal plastic wrap is great to wrap your roller or paintbrush in if you want to take a break for lunch! Good luck, all!
I learned my paint lessons early on. Ten years ago i tried using paint found at Kmart in Martha Stewart colors. The result? Chalky texture. Colors that just didn’t look as pretty on the wall and felt hollow with bad tints.
I started using Benjamin Moore…I tried the Regal and the more baseline one. EXCELLENT results. Beautiful color, coating and no more chalky look. THEN they came out with Aura. When I panted an office Copper Mine (accented by shakepeare tan) the result was gorgeous.
Oh, and before that I had purchased Ralph Lauren. I did love the color ideas, but it was so hard to paint with! The finish always looked terrible, and in some cases I had to add coat over coat to complete.
I’m a Benjamin Moore Aura loyalist (now preferring eggshell over satin). I’ve also hard rave reviews about Sherwin williams. i might try some day.
I have an 18×12 painted wood deck. I’m trying to find the best product for the floor, and handrail, the ballistrade has already been been painted. I’ve scrapped the floor with a putty knife and about 1/4 of the paint stripped off down to the original wood, but the rest of the paint seems to have stuck. I plan on sanding everything. There are a few small cracks, that I hope the paint will fill in. Seems like I should start with a good primer and nopt try a one-step. What is the best product and brand to use?
The handrail is pressure treated wood. I’ve installed it unfinished and wailting for it to dry out (they say up to 6 weeks) don’t want to wait that long before painting. Don’t want stain, so what kind of paint do you recommend???
I just wanted to clear some things up on this review on Duron products. First of all the the price listed for this comparison is $40.35 a gallon?! One product cost that much and that is the Plastic Kote Semi Gloss. What about Ultra Deluxe or Pro Kote? These products are in the $30’s all day long. To the subject of coverage, there is not one product out there that is made to a dark color that covers over a different color in one coat. Over the same color yes. But none do this in a color change. “One Coat White” is just the name of their color. It is not meant that it covers in one coat. It contains alot of white pigment which helps it cover good over lighter colors or for first time applications. The comment about OCW covering with a brush but not with a roller cover……………………….? This is simply a user error. You are simply overloading your brush and not loading your roller enough or not using the correct size nap for your application. If you paint is tearing off paint on the wall with remover this is not due to the paint. You have either got way to much paint on the tape or you are not usinga good or the right tape for the job. Tape is used to protect other surface incase you happen to get paint on the other surface and to provide straight cut lines, not just paint all over and it just magically removed. It sounds to me like you left your tape on to long and have to much paint on it. In the coments some had put that they scrubed the wall and the color came off with Duron Paint. Well make sure fist of all that it is a scrubable paint. Not all paints are scrubable. It must have be an enamel(enamel as in a paint product with a sheen, NOT OIL BASE, that is not what enamel means) to be able to wash or scrub. Duron is an excellent paint and is used and preffered by contractors all over the east coast. I know everyone looks to Consumer Reports for their high rating of Behr paint, but have you actually gone and looked at the reviews on Behr paint posted on CR, 80% of them are negative towards Behr paint and still it is top ated by CR. Isn’t Consumer Reports collected from the comsumer. I think we all could ge a lttle mor educated in the world of paint before we start proclaiming that products are “not worth the money”. I would have done this comparison in products a little more extensive with alot more then one or two products.
I said the same thing. There are a lot of paints you can’t was for differing reasons. Need to know where you are planning to put the paint so you buy the right kind.
…I am planning to paint my 30 year old kitchen cabinets next week…I have cleaned them with tsp and will sand and prime Monday. I thought i would use behr or valspar…but reading the net i want to go with something that won’t show brush marks and last (never much mattered with walls..tend to repaint). I am really leaning toward Sherwin Williams pro series arcylic latex or a comparable Porter. Each has a dealer close to my house in a semi small southern town. Please comment on Porter, SW, Behr, and Valspar for this job. I think I will apply with a brush and roller, although I may be able to spray the doors outside.
I know Porter wears like iron but go talk to the dealer they will answer your questions. I painted my computer room with their paint walls and trim. It still looks great. My molding was white so it’s been washed several times.
I am planning to stain my deck which was built almost year and half ago with pressure treated wood . This is the first time I am going to stain this deck and I would like to get your suggestions on which company stain I should use.
Thanks
Just bought the valspar pro line for $32 a gallon, horrible coverage, dripped all over the walls and was a total mess. Have always used Sherwin Williams in the past and have had much success, will never go to Lowes again for paint. They all suck.
Well, after reading all the posts, I’m still undecided as to which paint to use! But I can add something else for you to think about. I was looking for a durable paint and realized one of the reasons my paints fail is what I use to scrub the walls with. One of my favorite cleaners is Simple Clean—but if not reduced enough, it acts like a paint remover. By the way, in full strength, it makes an excellent brush cleaner! I’ve read somewhere that the “washable” gloss paints will indeed loose their luster after repeated washings, so I put two and two together.
I’m in the auto body biz, so I know the importance of primer. It’s the same thing with house paints. I think it makes a difference in the performance of any brand of paint. I’ve learned by my experience in the home, tinting primer to a slightly lighter color was a big help going from white to a medium blue. There are certain colors, such as reds and greens that may be a little transparent, and multiple coats will be necessary. If you can see the wood grain or store name on the stick when you stir, get ready to be disappointed. I was told by a pro that many times he will tint the primer gray to help with these problem colors. We did that on cars with different shades of gray primers many years ago, so it may be a good idea. Something else to think about.
Just as important is preparation. It’s the lousy part of the job that everyone seems to want to avoid. I wish I had an easier way, too. This work is tedious, and it’s back, neck, shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist and fingers breaking work, but the preparation also makes a big difference on paint performance and the appearance of the job.
I usually end up Behr, Valspar and recently Olympic (hated it–bugged by weird tiny bubbles in it while I painted) for most of the house. I’ve spent hours looking into “best paints”, so I guess I’m not that happy with them. I’ve used Zinsser Perma-White (it’s tintable) in my kitchen and bathroom for many years. It’s a no primer, no sanding needed (I usually can’t help myself and do a little scuffing on glossy surfaces anyways) paint that’s never let me down. It has never peeled, washable and very mildew resistant. I think the jury is still out on the newer primer-paint in one, so I think I will pass on those for now. The “real” painters I know like “Benny” Moore and Porter, but I would hate to spend quite a bit more for the same DIY results.
If the temperature if cooler, I think you may have more runs. Always remember to look back over your work periodically no matter what the weather is. If caught EARLY enough, you can take care of those runs! Don’t even bother painting in extreme heat. I just sprayed my kitchen cabinet doors and it got to 95 degrees in our shop. I had searched “how to help latex paint flow better” and learned about Floetrol. I depended too much on my web education and didn’t bother reading the warning that it may dull the paint. There’s no may about it. So, lesson here is to read ALL the directions.
Live and Learn.
Oops–previous post cleaning product—Simple Green.
RE: Frank’s comment from April 29 2009:
Listen to Frank he knows what he’s talking about. I’m in the paint business, and I can tell you most of the major brands all have quality product of some sort. You do get what you pay with most brands, for and even with the higher end product mileage may vary because everyone’s project, surface, preparation, application methods, time betwen applications, and so on will be different. Basically what I’m saying is word of mouth and reviews are a great tool, but the best tools are preparation, patience, and not skimping where it counts (don’t buy cheap/crappy product unless you want cheap/crappy results).
My kitchen cabinets are becoming scuffed again and I’d like to repaint them for the second time. Originally they were washed oak. I painted them a soft beige. The first time I sanded, primed and painted them (latex) and finished it with 2 coats of clear satin water-based polycrylic. Now, I’d like to go with white. Any suggestions regarding the type of paint. Either a latex or oil-based paint? What about using an exterior grade paint? Should they be finished with poly again or will it yellow from the poly?
No matter what brand you get, don’t buy low VOC paint if you can help it. Unless you have asthma or are really sensitive to fumes, IT IS NOT worth the cost. Painting stinks. Get over it. I work with contractors and painters every day and hear the same thing: low VOC is crap. The “volatile organic chemicals” that were removed help the paint bond to the pigment and vice versa, so with low-voc you end up painting with something like soybean yogurt infused with colorful crushed beetle shelves (lol). The coverage is extremely uneven, it takes at least 3 coats to get uniformity, and the color fades VERY quickly.
A lot of companies are jumping on the “green” bandwagon b/c it’s popular and that sells. Lots of people will pay more for something they think is better for them and the environment, and corporations capitalize on that. So what you end up with is a hip, trendy, feel good feeling followed by buyer’s remorse and an empty wallet. And in this case, a room you’ll have to repaint in one year. But hey, at least the house doesn’t stink. And who knows, maybe you saved an otter somewhere.
No VOC paints have been around for over 20 years. I now own an independant paint dealership that I have worked at for over 30 years. We sell Glidden, Devoe, Flood and Ralph Lauren. During the late 1980’s we carried Spred 2000 which was touted as the first VOC free paint. We mostly sold it to hospitals and nursing homes but it never was that popular and so was discontinued in the early 2000,s. I was shocked and appalled when I visited a customer’s home for a colour consultation and the “healthy” paint they had ordered for their cancer survivor daughter’s room was “certified ” and still contained 100 gpl VOC’s. The invoice was lying nearby and the price was $45 per gal. That was in 1998 and at the time our Spred 2000 retailed at $20 per gal. The Spred line now is available this year in no VOC in flat, eggshell and semi-gloss and still is a quality paint at a price point below $30 per gallon. I just don’t say that because I sell it. I try out and use my competitor’s paint , some of which I commend and others not so commendable. But , most paint manufactures have already cut interior and exterior VOCs to 100 or below.
Hey ROB, I painted my office with Fresh Air low voc paint and I didn’t have any issues, it looks great and has for the past three years, I didn’t get high off fumes, and now I don’t have to worry about reproductive harm to my unborn child. Why do people get so offensive to things that are GOOD. Why do people get so mad when we try to not hurt the place we live in…
http://www.ewg.org/sites/bodyburden1/es.php
I just purchased Valspar Tintable Primer and then got worried by the amount of negative reviews I am reading.
The room I am painting is so pale gray it is almost white. The colors I am considering are all warm and rich colors, either in rust orange or some form of plum or red-purple. Going for a warm autumn feel. I have not tinted the primer yet. I am very environmentally concerned, which is why we chose Valspar to begin with. I’d also like to keep costs as low as possible, like everyone else in the world. Valspar is easily accessible to me, as opposed to most other eco-friendly paints, so I’d like to stick with that. Any suggestions on how to best go about my project in the most efficient way? Should I exchange my tintable primer for a high hide primer instead, or stick to what I’ve got and make it work? I am concerned about the proper finish choice as well, there are no children in my house and we are very clean, so washing the walls won’t be a major requirement. I prefer the look of a matte or flat finish as opposed to gloss, but I am no pro and keep hearing varying opinions. Help!
Also, I recently read that low VOC primer is no longer low VOC after adding tint (in most cases). Is this true of Valspar?
Horrible experience with Valspar. I bought 5 gallons of their premium paint with the extra primer in it thinking I was getting a top of the line product that would save me time and effort. It took THREE coats to cover a simple peach color. When I called Valspar customer service I reached an outrageously rude rep. who made matters waaay worse. I will NEVER use Valspar paint again. Terrible experience. Not worth the $161.00 I paid. Avoid at all costs unless you like being ripped off, insulted, frustrated and working harder than you should have to. NEGATIVE NEGATIVE NEGATIVE
I too have just purchased the new Valspar paint that supposedly had the primer in the paint already. After painting most of my downstairs walls, I can honestly say that it is better to just break down and buy primer separately if you are painting over a darker color. The Valspar paint was too think to apply. When painting in different directions to cover the texture in my walls, the wet paint started pulling off the walls. I tried to have my final strokes by vertical so to minimize roller marks, I can’t get the paint to stay on the walls. It is very frustrating to paint when the paint won’t stay where you are painting it. Over $30 per gallon is way too expensive, when using primer and an average priced paint like Olympia works much better. Never will I buy Valspar paint again!
America’s Finest Paint for $ 10.00 per gallon @ home Depot…works just fine.Primer paint by Glidden..Speed Wall….$ 8.67 per gallon
I too, have had the best experience with Ralph Lauren. My worst paint is definitely the Valspar.. it did not do what I thought it would at all! I had better results from my Walmart paint.. so very frustrating and irritating to have spent so much money on paint and get so poor results.
-Molly
Antique Jewelry
I am a long time Behr fan. I painted my bathroom a vibrant turquoise on new drywall 10 years ago. The Behr covered in 2 coats and has survived very well with the moisture and washing.
I painted my kitchen in navy Behr about 8 years ago (2 coats on new drywall) -also cleans up well, including grease spatters at the stove and water marks by the sink. The color has never come off.
I used Behr exterior last year to paint a previously redwood-stained picnic table. The lighter color again covered evenly in 2 coats.
The only issue I ever had with Behr was the primer. I used it about 10 years ago. The primer did the job fine, but the odor was so bad that I was painting with the back door open in February – occasionally vomiting out the door. My son volunteered to finish the room and was not affected the same way, but now I ask him to paint any primer.
I used the Ralph Lauren for trim in another bathroom – a darker raspberry color over previously painted white wood that I had prepped repainting. Some of the trim took 5 coats to get an even, uniform finish. While the color was perfect when I finished, I have been hesitant to use it ever since.
I am in the midst of repainting my fireplace and chose Valspar. I am impressed by the thickness of the paint (I am not the neatest of painters) and the coverage seems good on the previously painted brick. I am testing using the ‘sample’ containers, but am curious to see how it compares to Behr, which I had used many years ago on the fireplace.
The comments here are interesting. I used Ralph Lauren many years ago – I might be inclined to try it again.
DO NOT BUY Valspire paint! I bought the primer-paint mixture and painted most of the upstairs and downstairs of my house. I will need to re-paint everything because if you brush against this paint it will chip. After one year this paint is falling off my walls. Awful product and not worth the money or effort….
i agree. don’t bother with valspar paint. i’ve been painting since labor day weekend, dining room, foyer, kitchen,living room and hallway. i purchased regular valspar paint 4 gallons of 2 different colors. the paint was very bubbly when applying. one color was worse than the other. after trying a second coat and still having bubbling i called lowes and he said he would upgrade the paint to valspar signature with built in primer. i only upgraded the one color because the other wasn’t bubbling as much. not happy with either product on my walls. the upgraded paint wipes off on just a wet cloth and leaves the wall discolored. the valspar reps witnessed it and try to say i should wait 30 days before cleaning the wall. it’s been probably 3 weeks since i painted that wall. my opinion is that this shouldn’t happen. the other color non upgraded paint started peeling off the wall! there was a spec on the wall i went to pick off and the paint around it peeled up. so i tried to just get it to stop peeling so i could sand and repaint that spot. i ended up with a spot as big as my hand, i felt like i could have peeled the whole wall off, but i got it to stop. very aggravating to spend so much time to complete a big painting project and not be satisfied with the results. i wish i would have done some paint research BEFORE i started. but thankfully lowes refunded all the $ i spent on valspar and let me return the valspar trim paint i decided not to use. i decided to purchase paint at sherwin-williams. i went with the hg tv paint which was still expensive $35 a can. so far the SW hgtv paint is working but i am having to use 2 coats. i think valspar has a big problem on their hands….. i don’t see this valspar paint holding up for very long. i’m just irritated i’ve spent so much time and effort into something that will have to be redone at some point, and whatever goes over the bad paint, will it ever be right? i asked the reps if valspar would pay to have it repainted, they said no. they wrote down the model or batch # from my cans of paint and they are going to have the lab test it for adhesion and scrubability. i think it’s not right and they don’t want to admit it! don’t waste your time and money on valspar paint.!!!!!!
I have read all the comments about paint on this board. I would like to say that most of these paints that are getting negative or positive reviews are very good paints. Behr and Valspar just to mention a couple. 99.9 percent of the time it is preparation and knowledge. Do you know how many times I have had a customer complain about the paint and found out that they tried to paint over semi-gloss without preparation?
The biggest problem is the commercials on tv that make you think that you don’t need to prep or prime. My advice before you start your paint job get some advice from a professional. If you are not comfortable with the knowledge of the sales associate selling you the paint ask to talk to the Behr or Valspar rep. These people are seasoned pro’s that can help you with preparation. They are very happy to do this, because they are the people who have to explain to you what you did wrong when it doesn’t come out right. Dealing with someone who is asking for advice is a whole lot easier than dealing with someone who is upset that their living room looks like crap.
One more thing, I mentioned Behr and Valspar because they are purchased at a big box store and during the busy season, the associate may not have taken the time to find out about your project. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are usually sold at smaller outfits that have a more personal service.
These are all very good paints and if you take the time to gain the knowledge you need, you will have success with any of these brands.
About Duron: Professional painters and AAA members get a discount that is way below the retail price of the paint. Also, I have found that the people who work for Duron are very knowledgable and helpful. They helped me choose the best paint for the job.
We just decided to repaint our kitchen after about 5 or 6 years. It is a smallish kitchen and there is NOT an OUTSIDE VENTED Range Hood which most folks know WILL add the GREASE complication to anyone’s experience. My wife took time to wash the ceiling down and as I patched a Blistered Drywall Seam, she went to our local LOWE’S and bought a gallon of VALSPAR 2000 Series Latex, Eggshell.
It was what the Lowe’s salesman recommended to her.
I’ve done a decent amount of painting over the years connected with Drywall Finishing, etc. This VALSPAR was new to me and I must say that I am NOT pleased with it….not at all! The paint Blistered more than any paint I’ve ever used BUT, I did NOT Prime the ceiling first, this also had a Primer Built into the paint, yeah, right. It blistered and reblistered and despite trying hard (of course) to NOT have Roller Marks….Yep, gee, I was NOT satisfied on that end of it either. I don’t mind going back over a job IF I feel it might look better and I ALWAYS try second coating any job. I use quality Roller Covers, etc. BUT this VALSPAR just seemed to CREATE roller marks, it dries ‘funny’ too and when you throw in the blistering, yeah folks, it is NOT worth buying in our opinion(s). To have to go back OVER a job because of BLISTERING, most of you know the work that entails as you CANNOT just recoat it and expect it to look ok….it never will, without being evened out with Joint Compound! I feel like many who have written in, I will ALWAYS remain faithful to Sherwin Williams and will never trust in any built in primer…Take time and do it right the first time as the SHORTCUTS they declare will come back to bite you in the butt. hill
We decided to try valspar. We primed using valspar primer last weekend. Painted this weekend and it looks horrible. We have used Behrin the past and never had problems. I now have try and fix this horrible paint… It is worth the extra 15 minute drive to Home Depot to save hours in painting.
I’m doing my prep work by reading all your reviews before buying paint for my ceiling. Over the years, it has a grey look to it, and I want to freshen up the room.
I’ve used Valspar and was not happy with the thinness, not worth the cost. I was unhappy with the color that looked better on the swatch. But I’ve also used Behr and it was a thicker, richer color.
Now that I have to paint the ceiling of a huge living/dining room, I want to know a paint that has a non-greying look to it. The walls are a wheat color, so I may add a tint to the ceiing paint. I want the pink ingredient so that I can tell where I left off. So is it Glidden? Ralph Lauren? or Behr? Why pay Consumer Reports for advice.
Please notify me of followup comments via email, I forgot to click that box before submitting my comment just now.
I hired pro to paint my kitchen and the walls leading to basement I have checked every wall and the paint washes right off with just warm water. He did not prime the walls first. It was pittsburg speed hide ( since found out this is the cheapest contract paint you can get) This was eggshell latex over latex. I had him to check to make sure it was latex and he agreed with my testing that it was indeed latex. I’m going to remove all the paint and should I use BEHR premium plus with primer in it or, with just primer. then paint. the walls were previously painted about 10 years ago with latex the kitchen in a medium green paint and the hall going down stairs a cream color If I prime first then paint should I tint the primer? And have I any recoarse to get my money back?
My husband & I bought a fixer upper and we used Valspar paint through the whole house. What a waste of money and labor! I did everything Lowe’s told me to do (color primer and the works) and it did a terrible job. I called Valspar and got the run around. After 6 months of wasted time Lowe’s did give me some money. What about my time. I am disabled and it was very hard work for me.
A Valspar rep was to come to my home 4 times. After waiting all day each time no one showed or called.
I would never use or recommend Valspar to anyone.
I’ve thought of going to Lowe’s and stand by the painting section and telling everyone not to use Valspar. Wonder if a Valspar rep would show up then?
I’ve used every single brand in my house that have been discussed above. I used a different brand in every room to compare, and every single brand had problems. But, good thing I love painting, because I’ve had to touch up spots for months in every room. I do it to keep it looking fresh, and all in all, if you put the time in, paint seems to be about the same.
okay i’ve read almost all of these reviews… and I just want to say a couple of things… first and foremost not all paints are created equal… the price of the gallon has a lot to do with what is in the gallon, not necessarily how “proud” the company is of the product… cheaper paint uses cheaper ingredients, which results in poorer performance. Clay based paints for example are thick but also extremely cheap… because mud is cheap… the more “expensive” paint brands use more expensive materials in there paint i.e. SW and BM use Titanium Dioxide… this is a much more expensive material resulting in a more expensive product… but also a better paint. Bottom line is you really do get what you pay for.
Secondly the people who said it’s all about prep are absolutely correct… poor preparation can only yield poor results. the reason your paint peeled off the wall I can say with great certainty is because you did not allow the paint to cure (30 days for a latex paint).
And about the low and no VOC paints… not all of these are terrible… most products right now simply removed all the good stuff in order to remove the VOC… this results in sub par performance. also most tints contain VOC… so that can of 0 VOC you just purchased at a big box store… was 0 VOC, until you made it a color… colorants contain a large bulk of VOC… However there are some brands out there that use different methods all together… BM has a new colorant system called gennex… which is a 0 voc colorant… so the products are no or low voc… and they stay that way… Benjamin Moore’s system also revolves around chemistry that I don’t at all understand, allowing these products to be extremely effective… I have used just about every line of paint in the Gennex platform and can honestly say they are terrific… they act like paint, cover as a BM paint is expected… and maintain their durability… Without the odor associated with painting…
I’ve used Valspar in the past because it’s convenient and cheap and I’ve been perfectly happy, but this time I chose 2 colors that were only available in their signature line which includes built in primer. IMHO, it’s not worth the extra money. I still had to do two coats, and if you take too long it starts to clump up in the tray and leave paint “chunks” on the wall. I had to keep a paper towel handy to wipe them off. I’m a firm believer that priming (get it tainted if possible) and painting should be a two step process.
I used the Valspar primer AND Valspar High Gloss paint with built in primer to paint furniture. I prepared the surface as required. The I put two coats of primer, and then two coats of paint, according to recommendations, except I allowed longer to dry between coats. The salesman told me that the paint will completely dry and never be sticky if I used Valspar. The long and short of it is that I spent a lot of time doing that project. A week later and the paint was still slightly sticky. Another week, still sticky. All the drawers pulled the paint off the dresser where they made contact with the paint. I had set some items on top of the dresser and they stuck to it as well. I contacted Valspar but the response was that it must be me because no one else complained. But, he would give me a refund any way.
Hi Cindy,
Chalk me up as another complaint about Valspar remaining sticky and tacky long after two weeks. I used the Valspar Signature Colors Unique Faux Finish Clear Protector over white Cabinet Rescue paint on a birch plywood cabinet I built.
I let the cabinet sit a week in my kitchen nook to cure before putting anything on it. I placed my decorator items on it, but about a week later when I went to pick them up to dust, the items stuck to the finish. They did not pull the paint off, but the color on the bottom of the items stuck to the Vaspar Clear Protector. I tried to rub the marks away with a damp rag, but they were absorbed into the Valspar.
I had to sand and repaint the shelves and top of the cabinet. Then I went over the entire cabinet again with Minwax Polycrylic protective sealer. The doors also stuck, repeatedly, on a tv cabinet where I used the same Valspar Faux Finish protector. I went over them with the Minwax and it solved that problem too.
My items no longer stick, the doors no longer stick. But Minwax does not say non-yellowing on the can, which is why I decided to try the Valspar Protector.
For me, the biggest plus side of Valspar Protector is that I could use a high density foam roller, instead of a brush, and I would get a beautifully smooth finish without any air bubbles. It made the varnishing process easy and fast and the finish looked great. I ‘was’ thrilled. Now, if anyone can solve the sticky/tacky problems of Valspar Clear Protector, I would be in my glory for the simple fact that it is the only varnish that I could ever apply with a foam roller.
As for Cabinet Rescue, it is an excellent paint that goes on ‘glass smooth’ with a high density foam roller, but don’t believe the manufacturer when they tell you that you don’t need a clear coat. Less than a year later the cabinet had greyish marks all over it from normal use that would not wipe off.
I used Olympic flat true white one coat with primer paint to paint two bedrooms and their ceilings. I was not a happy camper. According to the can, there should have been enough paint in each can to do one room, and have some left over. One wall was an off white and the other a light yellow. Both rooms should have easily been covered with one coat. The paint didn’t cover and had to do two and three coats of paint to cover very light colors. Also, the paint did not stick in some places, randomly, through the room and I had to go back over it. Also, even after two coats, you can see where the rollers traveled on the wall.
Having tried Benjamin Moore’s Aura in one room, I will never use anything else (and, yes, I gulped at the price–$60 a gallon). No spattering, no roller or brush marks, no smell. Perfect. One gallon (“Lush,” an intense deep green) covered a 13 x 15 bedroom with 10 ft. ceilings (I didn’t paint the ceiling) with paint left over. A friend described my bedroom as lush, not knowing that was the name of the color!
The important thing is to follow the Aura instructions to the letter: Cut in the entire room before you start rolling. If you miss a spot, leave it. When rolling, roll in an up and down pattern rather than the typical “W” or “N.”
I’m amazed at the spectrum of comments. I’ve had both good and bad experiences with the brands mentioned. Probably was my fault.
People get fired up about paint…. 🙂
Wow! Choice of paint is sure a hot topic. Skimming through the responses, I did not see anyone comment on Kilz paint. It was my top choice until Wal-Mart stopped carrying it. Now I am trying different brands until I find “my” paint again.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of choices in the area in which I live.
Today, I am using Pittsburgh Paint Grand Distinction over primer on new drywall. Hopefully, I will like it.
Oh, I do like Sherwin Williams and Ben Moore a lot. But I cannot justify the price.
Thanks for doing this I have to paint over a very dark blue wall come fall and I was worried it would show through. It would be a waste of money to paint two times with different paint just to cover it up. I have heard nothing but good things about Benjamin More and the local interior design show “city line” always uses it.
Melissa and I use and love Sherwin William / Duron paints. They are definitely more expensive, but they do go on sale quite often so if you aren’t in a hurry it’s worth waiting for. Also, for us it’s worth the extra little bit of money to talk to friendly knowledgeable staff, something not always found at the box stores.
My mother tried the regular (non primer included) Behr paint when painting her dining room dark red. It took 5 coats and still didn’t cover over the old white walls. She finally went to Duron and they gave her the correct primer and it only took two coats after that. Live and learn.
For all the complaints about the smell of a freshly-painted room, try this before putting another drop on the walls: Add a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract or peppermint oil to your paint. For the vanilla, make sure it’s the real deal, not imitation extract. Mix well, and Bob’s yer uncle.
I’ve used a lot of paint brands over the years from Benjamin Moore, Valspar, Behr, Olympic, Valspar Premier from a farm store. My first and favorite will always be Benjamin Moore. I had the pleasure to use their new color system on a recent remodel. It is touted to keep the color mixed in and be able to touch up. I can attest to your ability to do this. It was really great not to have to repaint an entire wall when I hadn’t gotten it all the first time around. Btw… with good lighting one coat is all you need. The Aura paint doesn’t seem to go as far, but one coat has an amazing texture. It also washed well after week one. I have this in my kitchen. I used the lower line Ben for the area below the chair rail. It also coated in just one take, and it was a cappiccino brown. I also touched up a nail hole, and no surprise, you couldn’t see it at all. I used this paint on the exterior and interior of our previous home and it worked very well. The kitchen paint was 14 years old and was still perfect. I painted it only because I wanted a change of color. Btw.. one gallon painted a 20 x22 room minus several doors and behind lower cabinets. All these rooms have been primed and this makes all the difference. I won’t ever use Behr, one gallon looked like coffee grounds on my brother’s walls, Olympic lifted drywall seams despite priming and many previous coats of paint underneath. True Value paint was terrible too. One gallon just sucked into the primed walls. It also ruined the tape joints. My opinion is there is too much water in these paints, and it also sucks it up into the walls. One gallon TV did not even cover a 7×9 room with 3 doors in it! Rediculous! I’ll keep using what works well and does a fantastic job. Benjamin Moore. He’s treated me right all these years. No fading, chalking, running, blistering, etc. It keeps looking great no matter what.
Valspar Premier couldn’t even cover the same color, that was color matched! You could see the color through it, and it took two coats. Lots of wasted time and effort, not to mention money down the drain.
They are all poor quality and overpriced. Up until July 1971 you could walk into any paint store in the country and walk out with a good bucket of paint. After july the paint world changed. Remember the price freeze President Nixon put on! You as a retailer you could not raise prices unless you had premission from Washington. Montgomery Wards pulled a fast one with their high quality 75-1 super house paint. No price increase, right. a new product 75-11 lower the quality, less TiO2, more calcium carbonate and raise the price. Not a price increase but a new price. The race was on and has been going on for 40 years. Most people today don’t know what a good bucket of paint is like.
Now here comes the EPA and VOC’s and another race. Can you remember the first time you saw mildew on paint and did not know what it was or what caused it? Who is winning, not you! Smith’s Painting Service since 1946
Dear Gary Smith,
I would like to shake your hand, sir. I am 50, and remember as a kid that many things, like painting, used to be a lot simpler. Paint in those days really did last 20 years. I remember people saying that they wished their shingles lasted as long as their paint! Enter the EPA, and you are lucky to get 3 years out of exterior paint now in Michigan. Anything they touch is a disaster.(only a couple years ago, gas cans were very simple, and worked fine!)
As far as paint and this blog goes, very little has been mentioned about climate and conditions. the same paint will NOT perform, apply, dry,or last the same in different climates, seasons etc. What works great in South Texas might not do as well in Alaska. I worked on a military base in New Orleans where the humidity kept the paint the painters were using, from drying for almost 2 weeks. Our duct sealer, which normally dries in 1 hour, and cures in 24, was still wet 4 days later.
This being said, means that LOCAL experts are your best bet for answers. A rep or paint expert in Arizona might be a desert paint expert, but who would I trust here in Michigan, him, or the guy who has been doing quality work locally for 30 years. The local guy knows my environment. Enough said
For the price.. nothing can beat Olympic ONE.. $24 dollars!! The flat enamel is amazing as far as appearance. Semi-gloss white is very durable and levels great.. perfect for trim work!! First coat covers amazing.. second coat gets true color!! Mildew resistant too!! Looking forward to more reviews on this HOT product!!
Wow! I’m glad I don’t have to paint over squares on walls. What a great way to test paint coverage though.
Now if they can come up with low VOC paint in more colors that covers in one coat I’ll be really happy.
I used Valspar to paint my living room. It bubbles really bad. I painted through college so I know how to work a roller. I tried two different roller covers and it still bubbles. Even when I brush it on I have to keep going over the paint to make sure the bubbles are out. I have seen some paints do this and then bubbles pop and it smooths out but the Valspar dries with the bubble rims showing. I would suggest you avoid the Valspar. My walls look terrible.
Iam planning on painting my mobile home in Fl.Any suggestions on type of paint to use It is aluminum,and I have been told that Behrs with primer is the best.Any comments?
I’ve use Behr, Valspar, and Ralph Lauren. Never used Sherwin Williams. Recently, I helped my mom paint her new house. She bought Behr paint, and I HATED it. It took several coats to get the results she wanted. I made her buy a different brand after the first room. IMHO, the Valspar was much easier to work with then the Behr but it still took at least two coats. Perhaps, I’ve been spoiled on paint because I used Ralph Lauren about seven years ago to paint my place and it was great to work with. I didn’t need more than one coat to get the look I wanted. That was the paint I asked my mom to get after the Behr disappointment only to find that HD didn’t sell it anymore. I would recommend Ralph Lauren paint way over either Behr or Valspar, but it might be harder to find. And I recommend Valspar over Behr. My suggestion, forget Behr because it sucks.
I’ve used Sherwin Williams, Ralph Lauren, and Behr for years. I wasn’t satisfied with any of them really, until I tried Behr’s paint and primer in one. Pretty good, but hits the wallet hard at $38 a gallon. So I tried Glidden paint and primer in one. It’s AWESOME!!!! the coverage is much better, but you have to load the roller more often. TOTALLY worth the effort, and $11 cheaper a gallon at Home Depot. Highly recommend!!!!
Thanks for the Glidden tip…getting ready to redo our guest bath!
I would like to know what does mean the words on a bottle of remover for adhesive, the words are : contractor grade 8 fl. oz – 236 ml.?
Is it a kind of category or quality?
I hope you will be able to answer to my question, but I have never been able to find it on Internet.
Thank you for your help.
Yes, it is a measure of liquid. Like the doctors say on tv, “give me 10 ml.’s of epi stat! ” It is interchangeable with cc’s, cubic centimeters and it can be converted into ounces, which is more of a measure of weight. A heavier liquid would have less mls per ounce/pound than a lighter one.
Eight ounces roughly equates 236 millileters of measurement of fluid measure. It is a category of measurement.
I am a professional painter. My crew has over 1,000 years painting experience. To a man, they hate Behr’s paint. Too much “fillers” to extend the paint and keep the price lower. it does not lay correctly and is “Gummy”. Ralph lauren is over rated and RL gives arrogant customer service . We do not use too much S.W., but it is a good product. Valspar is a good consistant product, so its not like we have a beef with box stores. Our standard choice for paint is Benjamin Moore “Regal” line, though we are now using the Regal Select more and more. Aura sets up very fast and could cause a problem for inexperienced painters. We love Farrow and Ball, but at $100 a gallon average, it scares off many of even the most affluent customers.
Just finished painting a room with Behr…never again. It runs..does not level..does not cover all that great.I plan to sand my walls down and repaint with my #1 go to paint….Benjamin Moore. I know Benjamin Moore is expensive, but will continue to use it. Always my number one choice is Regal Matte. Second choice is Cashmere paint from Sherwin Williams. Not a fan of SW Duration, but use it sometimes.
One question that I hope someone can answer for me. I stripped wallpaper from my bathroom, washed walls, sanded walls, primed walls, and finished with two coats of Benjamin Moore paint in a low gloss finish. This was over a year ago. My walls have what appears to be runs all the way down them after showers. These runs will not go away. If I wash my walls down with a damp towel, I can remove the runs, but they immediately reappear after showers (with very powerful exhaust fan running). Has anyone had this problem, or any idea how to get rid of this problem?
I have had this happen in several different rooms, all with different paint on the walls. I can see it on basement walls painted with a cheap flat paint that was put on by the previous owners. It also shows up on True Value semigloss in a bathroom wtih an equally good fan. It showed on BM too in my old bath, but admittedly, we didn’t use the fan in that house as often. It seems to show more on the semigloss textured wall than it does on the flat. Sorry, I don’t really have any idea what to tell you on how to “fix” it.
Don’t know how to get rid of them but I have a question for you. Did you tell them you were painting the bath room and needed a paint made for such a highly moist room?
If not, I’m guessing your paint is some how reacting to the high moisture content. Call SW. See if they can help. Good luck.
I have always had good luck with Behr, Glidden, and Dutch Boy, but when I did a bedroom two years ago, I decided to try Valspar, boy did I make a big mistake. It took three coats and three gallons to cover over virtually identical color walls. Their ceiling paint was even worse, it should not take three coats to cover over white on white. I will never buy Valspar again. The same can be said about Sherwin-Williams paint, I used it 35 years ago and it took 9 coats to cover green walls. It left bubbles and looked horrible, so I never used it again, and never will.
My wife likes to keep up with the latest fashion, even when it comes to the colors in our home, as a typical “do it yourselfer” I would always shop Home Depot and abiously purchase Behr paints, one day my wife showed up with a few gallons of Valspar she purchased from Lowe’s, I was a little unsure of it at first but I went ahead and started painting, I have to say I was surpriced, I have used Behr, sherwin Williams and Ben moore paints as I worked as a painter thru school but never used Valspar, now I am hooked, as far as coverage it is just as good or better then other paints and at a lower cost, I also did some research on the company and found out they have been in business since 1806 and that to me says alot about a company.
Wow I have no idea Valspar has been around that long. That does say allot.
When it comes to paints I’ve used them all, my top choices are Ben Moore and Valspar, it all depends on my clients budgets, Ben Moore cost about $50 a gallon, and Valspar is at $30 per gallon, As far as Behr paints go, not a bad paint but is not a paint I would put on my home.
I will never use valspar paint again or recommend it. Even if you follow all of the instructions very meticulously, it won’t stay attached to the wall. A simple little s ratch will cause it to peel. We have used it with tape for stripes and removing the paint tears off the paint. With dark colors, if you apply it thick enough for one coat coverage, it tends to separate and run. Overall, it has very poor durability.
Any suggestions on how to REMOVE Valspar Interior Satin Finish paint (spots) from a little boy’s shirt. Thank you!
I have used a paste paint remover on jeans before, put it on and let it set for about 10 min. and wash. If it is thick, then after 10 min. scrape the loosened paint away and apply more then wash.
I have plaster kitchen walls,originally covered with oil paint .Later. I covered the walls with latex, which some years later had to be removed because of peeling.
How can I prepare the walls to use only oil again? Is there an oil based interior paint>
You might try a deglossing product, it softens the paint so that the new will adhear.
Ben Moore, Pratt & Lambert, Sherwin Williams, and Pittsburgh are all brands with good products. Don’t waste your time with Behr, Valspar, and Glidden — or anything you can buy at a big box store. Behr is more expensive than some Ben Moore, or P & L products, and even their “low end” contractor products outperform all “premium” Valspar or Behr products — all of these products can be considerably more expensive. I do not personally know a contractor that would ever recommend products from the big box stores. Do your homework, don’t listen to reviews on homedepot.com, and shop locally!
Those are all great if you are a cheap contractor ripping people off. I would not let you near my house with most of that garbage. You don’t need to trust home depot.com just go to consumer reports and see the truth about the garbage contractors use. It’s all paint that can be put through speakers like water and you can make a bunch of money on. If you are doing it yourself use Behr and get the results consumer reports gets year after year with their number one rated Behr paint. Trusting a contractor is the same as trusting a convicted felon.
you people should do a review on your products.. valspar has been around for over 200 years, they have more than one product than what you see in the big box stores…hell they paint one of the worlds leading industrial equipment… if your gonna be cheap and buy paint that is 20 and under you get what you pay for.. its all about who is painting, what color and over what .. and the experiance…
For Pat on 2/18/2012 about the water runs on your wall– I’ve used baking soda and water mixture for hairspray and water runs. It works great. Mix some baking soda and water and use a terry cloth rag. Wash the walls, start bottom to top to prevent drips. Be sure to use clear water with a clean rag to rinse (might need to rinse twice). Then, I towel dry wall. Seems to clean walls and prevent it from running for awhile. (I even used this on a wall that the paint bled and it stopped it from bleeding when I need to wash the wall.) Hope this helps. Still not sure what exterior paint to use!!!
Thanks, Karen for that great tip! I’m going to share it on our facebook page now! 🙂
I’m afraid I’m going to have to advise anyone considering a paint job to avoid Valspar paint. I used it on the trim and the walls, and it came out beautiful (did take an awful long time to dry) . The problem? The acrid stink in the room a full six months after I put the final coat on. I can’t watch a movie in the room I painted, I can’t sit in there that long, I can even smell it passing the door out in the hall. To say I’m disappointed in the outcome is an understatement. Job looks beautiful and yeah, I thought I was actually done but it appears I’m going to have to do it over again with another product to seal in the stink and get my room back… And sorry guys, I’m a pretty experienced painter, this isn’t a shortcoming on my prep, application, etc. so let’s not go there. The smell will make your eyes water.
Until Lowes/Valspar starts owning up to this problem, I’m just fine letting them keep that paint. (Google Valspar paint odor, it won’t take you long to find quite a few people who’ve had the same experience I’ve had)
You need to understand paint better. Behr is an enamel and it forms a plastic
Like coating on your wall. If you peel the tape off shortly after painting you won’t have this issue. Otherwise you can keep using watered down garbage like SW or Valspar. There is a reason painters use SW so often. It’s thin enough to put through a prayer and goes on like water. There is a reason Behr has been the number one rated paint forever by most consumer media including consumer reports. It’s important to note that this site accepts advertising and that’s never good when looking for unbiased results. Check out consumer reports!
Sounds like Eric works for Behr or Home Depot. It is obvious he know little about paint and has never made a living doing high end repaints. The thickness of paints has little to do with its coverage, durability and ability to hide. The quality is determined by the quality of the binder, resin and TO2.
Behr is not compared to Glidden, SW, BM and Porter s best paints. In consumer report,
A few years ago THD and the Behr salesmen were showing Behr had the brightest whites. To prove their point they compared Behr to SW Promar 700, which is SW’s low end paint, produced to paint cheap apartments. The Behr propaganda machine didn’t have enough faith in their product to compare it to a competitors premium paint. If they would spend as much time on research and development as they do on propaganda they maybe able to produce at least a decent product. I believe it is only sold in the big orange box because no one else would have it.
Well I can’t find Charlie’s response (that I read in my email) about using a gray primer before using a deep color paint on your walls so I’ll just thank him here.
Thank you Charlie. I learned something from your reply.
The paint and primer are a product of marketing departments. If you want a nice paint job you will need 2 coats of paint no matter what paint you use. You can not get a uniform coverage with one coat. You will also want to use good quality roller covers and brushes. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason. You will also want to purchase your paint from a professional paint store. Do you really want advice from some who makes $10 an hour and works part time in paint and part time in lawn and garden? Glidden, Porter and SW have pros working in there stores. They will insure you get the correct paint and apicators for your situation. they will also ensure your colors are match correctly and record them for you. that is very important if you need to touch up 5 years later. As far as paint Behr is a terrible example of a premium paint. It’s over priced, sags, doesn’t cover and never fully cure. Glidden’s Diamond 450 is the best covering and easy to use paint I have ever applied. It also dries very hard allowing for a tuff scrubable surface. SW’s Cashmere is a close second.
We spent $160 on 4 gallons of Valspar paint, being that it was a Minnesota brand and we wanted to support that. After applying two coats and once the sunlight hit it, you could see there were differences in the shine and that the paint is just too think to apply evenly- if you re-roll over a spot that already has paint on it, it will pull it off. We went back to Lowes and they told us that we used too cheep of a roller and that it wasn’t their job to tell us what roller to buy in the first place because they didn’t know our budget. They also said that Valspar REQUIRED three coats, as opposed to other brands which require 6-7 coats. We bought the blue rollers and nothing has changed. We have wasted a lot of time and money. Unfortunately we will now never buy or recommend Valspar OR Lowes.
Off to repaint!!
Thanks for the information. We are ready to paint our dining room and liked a color that Valspar made. I would rather pay a few dollars more and be happy with the end result. We would not want to have to paint coat after coat and still have problems. Will take your advise and go to Benjamin Moore. A little pricey but they do make a good paint. We will get them to match the shade we need.
Trudy, they should have a computer to look up the other paints on. The stores I go to do. It makes it easy to get great paint, and the color you want. I’ve had no problem matching other colors to the swatch this way. You’ll love Benjamin Moore’s new color technology. It stays mixed, and you can go back over a spot if you need to fill a nail hole, or touch up without there being a mismatch in color.
That’s good to know Marismom96. I didn’t know that about Ben Moore Paint.
Trudy – I have to say, I didn’t have this problem with Valspur. I picked up this brand by chance and found the coverage fantastic. The first coat looked really nice and sufficient by itself – but for any project you should expect two coats and then expect to go by a third time to do spot-touchups, regardless of the paint brand. But more than two “coats” is unacceptable, in my opinion, which is why I’m never touching Behr again.
I think certain colors may have different coverage issues (I’m basing this on my art experience, not painting) but again, in my opinion, I think it’s the manufacturer’s responsibility to not sell those colors as a painter and primer in one and to simply inform customers that if that want X color they’ll need to lay down a white primer coat first.
Between I can’t speak to the second paint, but I can speak to Behr and Valspar, and my results matched this test. When I first started my project I basically went to whichever store was closer when I remembered I needed paint – so sometimes it was Home Depot, and sometimes it was Lowe’s. I remember being a little miffed about Valspar for a second – I had painted my living room and come back the next day to see a few areas that were patchy…but then I remember that I’d only done one coat! The coverage was so good I actually forgot I hadn’t done a second coat! The second coat looks fantastic.
Meanwhile, in trying to do my kitchen with Behr, I’m at three coats and it’s a nightmare. It’s supposed to be a paint and primer in one, but drywall patches are still showing through (which they didn’t with Valspar) as well as marks on the wall. I’m going to buy new gallon of Valspar paint in the kitchen color and go over it. I had already bought gallon of Behr paint&primer in a different color for the den, but based on the results in the kitchen, I’m going to have to get a gallon of Valpar primer. Behr simply isn’t good at priming the surface. Also – on a completely qualitative note, Behr seems to release more fumes. I noticed a much stronger smell from their paints than Valspur.
I just bought Vespar Kitchen & Bathroom paint in BLACK (low sheen) for my 12 yr old honey birch wood kitchen cabinets that my 3 grandchildren young grandchildren have thrashed .Im using BIN primer.My Cabinets have been cleaned and sanded with a 110 paper and then wiped down again with a cleaner that leaves no residue. The primer will be applied today and left overnight to dry.Im planning on doing the cabinets with a Purdey brush and small roller set that were recommended to me at Lowes.I have a friend who is going to spray the cabinet doors for me . Lest see what happens!!!!
Should try Porter Paints, I have used their sutff on several of my projects, and the results have been fantastic. I think you should run a test trying out the Silkent Touch line for interior and the Acri-Shield line for exterior. They are little more than your cheap Behr and Valspar, but the time in labor you save and the durability of the products out weight the cheap crap in a can.
***Silken Touch not Silkent Touch
Duron is no longer since Sherwin Williams bought the company in 05. The products are now nothing more then relabeled SW products that suffer greatly in quality.
Currently the best product around for my money is Porter or Pittsburgh Paints, both of which is owned by PPG Industries.
If you want “Real Paint” buy Benjamin Moore. It makes the others look like water.
We are completing a total redecoration of a 15-year old house that we bought. The kitchen cabinets were dark “scumble”, i.e., brushed on glaze to give the appearance of old antique wood. Our professional painters used Valspar, in an off-white color, mixed on-site in a van with a Valspar rep supervising. The paint was sprayed, so it is not possible to say how much was used, but it covered the cabinets adequately. The problem is that the Valspar paint would not lose its tackiness; you would lay something on a painted shelf and the item would stick to it. They felt very tacky to the touch. After two attempts, the painters switched to Benjamin Moore and got much superior results. Needless to say, that painting contractor won’t be using Valspar again!
We stopped our paint interior trim project after 2 doors. I used Valspar Signature did not cover and looks like a big mess and next to the light you see patchy messy non coverage streaks, dullness and the different directions. It is still tacky after 7 months. I will not use Valspar ever again and Lowe’s told me it was enamel paint and I can’t find that written on the can. I’m still looking for a good trim paint, and the best one for doors! Has anyone experience this problem going over old Duron oil painted doors? If so, do you know a better solution?
I’ve used Behr in the past and was very happy with. Moved from HD to Lowes and decided to try Valspar. Big mistake for me. While Behr provided full or almost full coverage with one coat, Valspar looks insane and patchy at one coat. I also had problems cutting in. The paint kept coming off when I went back over it. It was like the paint didn’t want to stay on the wall. Very thin consistency. Made the project take so much longer. Back to Behr for the next room.
Try this with any of the brands of paint mentioned in the comments. Preparation is the most important part of painting. Not much of a name dropper and will not pay $45_$50 for a gallon of paint, just sounds crazy. I use an inexpensive white ceiling paint as a primer and then apply the finish color. Take your time and apply two coats, second coat goes on quite easy. I’m amazed how people assume that more expensive has to be better, or some guy’s name on the container warrents charging top dollar. There are many paint snobs out there that are more interested in bragging about what brand or how much they spent on paint. For the people that have new paint not staying on the walls, this should not happen with any paint, you just did not take the time to clean and prep properly.
I work at Home Depot in the Paint department from my experience. and proven test the ultra lines of paint and the more premium paints have stain blocking, scrub resitance as well as better hide compared to standard paint. Also most people dont realize that the ultra lines of paint have mildew resistance in every sheen unlike the regular cheaper option. So there is a definite difference in most if you actually seen at paint roadshows against each other. and when it comes to price if you are choosing a seperate primer and standard paint you are paying more for less qualtiy aswell as doing 3 coats as opposed to 2 with the premuims. just my experience selling paint myself.
First of all, there is no primer in paint.That was a marketing scam from Behr, but it worked so well that all other paint companies got on the wagon. It is a lie. Paint ompanies startered claiming that any acrylic paint could be called paint with primer. If there was primer in paint it would not do anything but thin the paint. Any paint sales person thet garantees a one coat paint is either ignorant or not being honest. I have been around paint for decades and I have worked in paint for eight years and i train new people. Not being honest with customers comes back to sting you or doesn’it come back at all. Lowes.
Always go to a professional paint store to buy your paint even if you are a DIY’er. The quality of paint sold there is heads and tails above the consumer grade house paint that is found on local hardware store shelves. Price will be the same or even lower as the hardware store and the paint will be better. If you own a business then hand them your card and open an account to qualify for wholesale discounts. Need a lot of paint? No problem. Buy it in a 5 gallon bucket and save even more. Hardware stores do not sell 5 gallon buckets. Thats why pros shop there and not at Home Depot. And FYI pro grade paint is easier to apply, covers better, cleans easier, is more durable and the color lasts longer. Consumer grade paints splatter horribly when applied, go on too thin and the color fades quickly. I cringe when I see home owners paying $50 for a gallon of colored water at the hardware store when they could have bought pro grade paint for $30 a gallon from a paint store. The product advice at a pro store is also much better than what you will get from a part timer who knows nothing about painting at the hardware store. Just sayin.
I have applied 2 coats of Valspar with the pink tint, note this is ceiling paint and the pink tint disappears after drying. The pink tint is to show you where you have painted as you go.
But,,, my ceiling has dark shawdowy spots and the ceiling drys in a different tint of white, PS, I took the empty cans back to Lowes and they gaveme 2 more gallons of regular ceiling white paint,,,I applied it and it did not do any better,,,what is up with this paint, so today I am going to try Porter Paint ceiling paint and see what happens. Mercy,,what a mess…to be continued
durability!!! hello?? which lasts the longest?
Your test proves very little. Paint a room with each. Which goes on easiest? Which paint after curing is the most durable. Behr wins.
Painting since 1974, all the primary colors such as yellow,red and blue are very difficult to cover.Especially in the mid to deep tones.Using Zinger brand would be best then whatever high grade acrylic will do.As for Sherwin Williams although,I feel only the latest top of three line is fine but the price is obscene.Everything below that line is vinyl acrylic or vinyl instead of acrylic resin.
Thanks for doing paint trials! In 2015 I did this project and I am still having odor issues. I did not use any of the products you mentioned. I was seeking a Low odor paint product. I coated first with Zinnser Bulls Eye water base multi purpose primer and sealer. The label claims Very Low Odor and can coat in 1 hour. I followed with Walmart ColorPlace Latex Interior Satin Wall & Trim. I was rushing to complete the painting before the contractor arrived to put in molding so we were hurrying around the room and timing carefully not to coat before an hour had passed. However, it’s been a year and a half since we did that job and there is still a very noticeable odor in the room that smells like curing paint. I had an air leak in the room so air change was constant for months. I put in a odor remover canister after several months but that made no difference either. When I smell the clothing in the closet I do not detect an odor but when I press my nose to the painted wall I smell paint. If I walk by or into the room I smell paint fumes. I am super sensitive to things like perfumes, cologne inserts in magazines, cleaning chemicals and other odors. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this smell? Wash the walls? Repaint them? Reprime and then repaint them? If I apply a better quality product, will it eliminate the odor by coating and encapsulating the cause of the odor? I would be willing to use the highest cost Ben Moore product if that is the best solution. Thanks for any suggestions!
I just used Valspar spray laquer from lowes it craceled waste of time and money
Bought a 25.00 gallon of Behr white satin paint to put a fast coat on a bathroom prior to listing house. WORST paint I have ever used in 45+ years of painting. TWO coats and does not cover Benjamin Moore Flat Navaho White, a light cream color.
NEVER buy Behr paints–they are horrible and a waste of $$. Stay with SW or BM or some other brand you have used successfully in the past.
What a rip-off.
Got5 gallon of bher paint and I have a little little living room..OMG I HAVE BEEN ON IT SINCE 10 AM AND UT IS 8 PM..IT WILL NOT DRY,I DO SUCH A THIN COAT AND IT JUST WILL NOT DRY,,IM PISSED OFF SORRY THAT IS ALONG TIME TRYING TO PAINT MY HOME THAT WE HAVE TO REMODEL TOP TO BOTTOM..we got so many different paint rollers and nothing works.im calling them which I should have already done but being AGERVATED all day who would call…would not buy this,needs discontinued bad…Walmart paint dries in 10 mins..this has not??I got ceiling fans,fans on and door open so you tell me what is the deal???
I have worked at True Value, Ace and now a Pro hardware store; we carry PPG. In defense of Valspar, I heartily recommend Valspar Optimus and Aspire, both available at Ace Hardware. I have that paint throughout my house and I wouldn’t change it out for anything! You get what you pay for in paint, and this is top-of-the-line!
I’ve painted interiors, exteriors and artistically as a professional scenic theatre director. A lot of the opinions here seem tainted by poor technique. Cooking grease makes kitchens tricky. Remove tape before paint is dry. Prime with the correct color. Killz might be required on some hides.
The test also left out factors; interior or exterior, long-time durability, natural / fluorescent / LED/ incandescent lighting? paint technique = how thick was the one coat? how dry when the photo was taken = all cured completely before photo? Finish; gloss same performance as flat? A wear and tear area vs. a ceiling. A lot of variables left untouched.
For interior use – price, availability, shelf life and versatility I like Behr. Glidden if budget is an issue.
What about long term quality. Rubbing off with w/ damp cloth, chipping, etc.
I’ve been a professional painter since 1985. I will only use Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. If the customer won’t agree to one of those I walk away from the job.
I’m a professional painter for over 40 years and I’ve tried basically every brand out there. The best paint by far for coverage purposes is Benjamin Moore, Period.
I think you have to compare apples to apples. Valspar SIGNATURE vs Behr isn’t on the same level, if I am not mistaken. If you used the signature version of Behr or the non-signature of Valspar, you may get more comparable results perhaps?