My mind has been filled with thoughts of our new home (which I’m very excited about!) and all the projects we have in store. Since we’re painting pretty much the entire house, for the first time we’re hiring this out so it can just be ready for us when we get there. Heavens to mergatroid, I’m so excited about this. Now my great-grandmother would never let us use the word “hate” (you don’t hate anything!) buuuuuut as far as paint colors go, there are some pretty hateful ones up on those walls right now. It’s still daunting trying to decide from afar but even if I don’t love the exact shades and tones, it certainly can’t be worse than what we’ve got going on now.
So I had a little Instagram survey asking, What do you look for in a white? Just to get some different opinions. Some preferred a warmer white (I’d rather feel a little sunshine, than hospital walls!) while others tended toward the cool undertones (I regret our warmer white, all I see is yellow!). I’m still not sure.
However almost everyone seems to prefer Benjamin Moore paint. My mother, an interior designer, suggest the same. In her own words, Whatever you do, do NOT use Behr. By chance my husband was looking through a recent consumer reports and found that Behr Premium Plus Ultra Satin Enamel and their Ultra Matte were rated #1 above Benjamin Moore Aura line. Additionally they cost about 50% less. This totally surprised my mom. (Not sure she’s convinced–ha!)
**Also, I’m so excited to finally be using this vintage Jenny Lind full size bed frame I bought probably 2 years ago. My husband was not happy because it was not in great shape (maybe unusable?) and why are we storing a bed we’re not using anyway? Silly husband… I explained that when you see a vintage bed frame that you know you’re going to use someday and it’s a good price, you get it. And I assured him that if he could make a bed from scratch, he could surely fix this frame. Of course he did. Built new side rails, slats and fixed the broken headboard. Luckily I always wanted to paint this baby white.
I really like the white we picked, recommended on Remodelista, with a touch of ochre. That said every color has its white. I like less the touch up and re-painting needed, but such is life with children.
Having painted the first room in our house with Behr paint cause we didnt know better I would NEVER use it again. I do like the snowbound color. It is a white white with maybe the tiniest bit of warmth to it but not yellow. I have Sherwin Williams white on other walls and it seens too cool. I love Sherwin Williams paint. the Emerald line is incredible. The coverage compared to Behr is night and day. And they have 40 percent off sales regularly so the price is comparable to Behr and you use less paint. I have never used Benjamin Moore. The stores are never as convenient. Also it seems almost all the professional painters here default to Sherwin Williams.
Ooooooh! Paint!!! I have found the color of paint that just looks great no matter where you put it. My sister started the whole thing and absolutely anyone who has seen it in her house has used it in his or her own. It is a great neutral strong enough to be interesting but versatile enough to allow for any decor. Although Benjamin Moore, I'm sure you could color match it with Behr. OK, Bleeker Beige. Love it! Happy nesting! I'm so envious! Oh…Golden ballet shoes will match perfectly!
I have used Benjamin Moore as well as other brands. Hands down Benjamin Moore has been superior for coverage and durability. We have hired painters that have used our own paint and everytime they see that it is Benjamin Moore they are giddy with excitement. The Behr paint may be cheaper but you will end up using twice as much!
Benjamin Moore Simply White – we used it for all our trim and wainscoting. We used Shale by BM on the walls- check it out-it's a cross between grey and beige. If you need a great and reasonably priced painter call Paul Stone 513-738-9228 – we used him for inside and outside our Cincinnati home.
I've never commented before, but I love stopping by here! I couldn't resist providing my two cents, since I just painted an entire house and know how overwhelming it can be. I haven't used Behr, but my mom has, and says (as others have mentioned above) the coverage is terrible, so in the end you spend the same as the more expensive brands. I ended up going with Restoration Hardware colors matched to Sherwin Williams paint, which is what my painter preferred. It turned out great. I've also used Benjamin Moore and it had solid coverage as well. Good luck!
Stephanie, Christy, And Anon—
So what about the consumer reports? There are all different levels of quality within the same paint brand. Perhaps those of you who used Behr used one that was a lower quality. As shown in our iPhone pic of the consumer reports magazine the Behr Premium Plus Satin Enamel was ranked #5, well below Benjamin Moore's Aura line. The only Behr line rated above (and again #1–and according to CR, on par with BM in coverage) is the Behr Premium Plus ULTRA Satin Enamel. I'm curious if anyone has used that line specifically and still prefers BM.
We used Aura- worth the extra money. We have painted a lot and this paint was by far the best coverage.
Ive painted two homes. Both With Behr and had no problems. So unsure what the negatives would be from my perspective. We have painted furniture as well. We did paint our kitchen cabinets with a SW paint…simply white and love it…but honestly didn't see that much difference in quality. I do think painting is an art, and unless your careful and really do a good job…My husband is a much better painter( attention to detail) and so not sure if my work looked as good as his did…but the paint wasn't the issue it was the painter! ( me!!) 🙂 Have fun with it and try not to get caught up in those types of things go with something that you love and in your budget. Not worth blowing $ you don't have on paint. That's what the big stuff is for! ( carpet, tile, cabinets, sinks etc the stuff that is perm. Paint can be changed quickly and cheaply if you want later)!!!
Hi Miggy — never commented before, but having just painted the entire interior of our house (well, we hired a painter to do it), I thought I'd throw in my two cents. The first half of our painting project was the first floor (kitchen, family room, dining room, living room) and we used Behr (their highest quality) and our painter hated using it. He strongly recommended we use Sherwin Williams for the second half of the project (upstairs — bedrooms, bathrooms) and he was happy and I think the quality was better. I think it's probably similar to Benjamin Moore. I'm a long-time subscriber to Consumer Reports and often use them as a guide, but try not to put my full faith in them. Besides, they'd have you believe that the model car I'm driving is a piece of junk, but after 5 years of driving it, I still love it and my favorite car yet in 30 years of driving! Good luck!
I have always been a bit of a BM snob and really do like their colors.
However, on a whim, I bought some Behr paint and was very impressed. Their paint/primer (highest quality) covered a dark red wall in ONE coat. I was shocked. It didn't spray all over either.
I used Behr color matched for BM for ceilings and it worked well there too.
I used BM to cover a very neutral wall with another neutral and it took a couple of coats – I was pretty shocked! I used the highest quality BM oil to paint kitchen cabinets and it is beautiful and very durable. Simply White is a great color IMHO. Not too white or too yellow.
So, this is a mixed review but I think I will go with Behr, color matched to BM on walls and stick with BM for trim…
We bought a house 6 months ago and we've painted a few rooms with Behr paints (also because of the good Consumer Reports review). We've had no problems. When we moved, we must have been put on some type of "new homeowners" list because Sherwin-Williams sent us a coupon for a free big ol' color wheel swatch thing (spacing what it's called for some reason), so we've had some of the Behr paint color matched.
We hired guys to paint the trim and they used Benjamin Moore for that. But for us, no problems with Behr. The walls did take two coats, but that's what we expected.
I love supporting local business so when a family opened a hardware in town and started selling B enjamin Moore paint, I bought a can. OH MY WORD!!! it was by far the best paint I have ever bought! When on so smooth, just thick enough not to drip…kinda a dreamy time painting my kitchen cabnets. Yes the colors are great, and my family must have a good color eye. Last January I pulled a copy of Souther living out of my mail box and saw a "man cave" home painted with BM paint…oh look honey..the same colors as our den and living room, I just didn't know it was man cave…but I do have all boys… In white..I like a touch of under tone, blue or pinkish in bedrooms and off white or paper white in the kitchen. ENJOY the house..I loved, loved loved your midcentry one and I'll miss it….but I cannot wait to see what you do this time around.
The only time I've splurged for BM paint is when I paint furniture or cabinets– the Advance line is awesome! Otherwise, I've always color-matched to Behr and haven't had a problem. My mom worked for a painting company and they swore by BM paint, but it's just soooo expensive, I haven't been able to justify it. (Paint is supposed to be the inexpensive part of re-decorating, right?!)
I love love love Behr Ultra paint. It is the best. Way better then Aura, and soo much cheaper. BM charges you to tint paint too, so it can be even more money. If you are doing dark colors, the trick is to wait 24 hours between coats. If you are covering a dark color, wait 24 hours again between coats. It is very durable and the coverage is amazing compared to other brands. I am not sure what people are talking about when they say it is no good. And I actually like Eggshell for walls over Satin and Matte though. And Satin for furniture. The cool thing with Ultra paint is that you can use any finish anywhere in the house. So you dont have to put satin in bathrooms anymore, or eggshell only in bedrooms. You can put eggshell everywhere, so then you dont see the imperfections 🙂
If you are painting the metal bed frame, I would prime it first though, to ensure it is going to stick. ( I would do this with any paint, even if it is a "paint and primer in one".
^^^Also, I should say. Although it covers in one coat as mentioned above, it will always look nicer if you do two coats, and it will be more durable.
And you can defiantly color match 🙂
I used to work at home depot, but I have tried many types of paint. I will forever love Behr.
So, I have read, and loved, your blog for years and it's funny that it is a paint post that gets me to comment. 🙂
My husband grew up with parents who were painting contractors and has done A LOT of painting and used every supplier under the sun. He is now a general contractor and we just finished building our third home ourselves. We ended up using the Behr Premium Plus Ultra Satin throughout our entire house. My husband said it has the best coverage he has ever seen. We have young children that are HARD on walls and it is holding up beautifully.
With that said, we didn't use a single Behr color…we color matched to either BM or Sherwin Williams colors. It turned out great and I would do it again and again.
Also, Home Depot has great sales on their paint a few times a year, combine that with the fact that they will match a Lowe's coupon and you are getting it for even cheaper.
Good luck with all your upcoming house decisions!
Hi! Stumbled across your blog because I am in the process of restoring a jenny lind bed that is also rickety and my husband gave me a look like "youre crazy" when I showed him it. Would absolutely love for you to share how your husband built the new wood rails for the frame, as we are without any sort of rails at this time and I need something to get my husband's butt in gear!!! Please share? laurenjean56@yahoo.com if you could email…pretty please.
We just picked up a headboard/footboard like this and need to build the side rails and support slats. Any advice??
So my husband bough the bedrail brackets off of amazon (he thinks). As far as length and width of the new boards he just used the old rails for measurements. So I'm sure if you can find a similar bed and get those dimensions it would work.
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