# Aura nightmare



## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

I do not use Aura a lot. The only other time that I have issues with it was an exterior job with a dark (green I belive) color. Just used it with BM Beau Greee, which is a dark blue green. It was terrible, the paint dragged when I cut in, there were drips all over the place, sags at the bottom of my roll, and I was not putting it on thick. I used the BM 1/2 inch roller that states it was good for Aura on the package. So, on the second coat I went even thinner with the coat to avoid sags...it looked terrible. It has been very rainy/humid which might account for some of my issues, but for almost $70 a gallon this paint went on worse than Behr.

I switched to an Arrowworthy 3/8 microfiber on the third coat and it did look much better but not $70 a gallon better.

Anyone else have issues with Aura in the dark colors?

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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Aura has been one of my least favorite paints to use of all time. I read on here, and it did work well, the Wooster Microplush 1/4" nap is the best Aura roller cover. In my experience that is right. One thing with Aura is you need to basically put it on super duper light with tons of roller pressure, and then NOT backroll. Basically counterintuitive to most "professional" paints as the paint is for DIYers with exactly that kind of technique. I had no sags using it, but lots and lots of flashing, though it was in a dry house with possibly questionable drywall (as in, it wasn't primed by the prior painters, though it was coated with Regal Matte in the early 2000s...) But yeah, it's totally contradictory to how I normally paint, use an Arroworthy 9/16" nap, put a ton of paint on the wall however, and backroll it all down until it's one uniform thickness and all rolled down. I did have some sagging issues on cuts with it, too, though, looking back. The guy I worked with using it was surprised I had no sags using Superpaint after on another job.

Colors didn't matter, it just sucked. One issue we had with colors was it took 4 coats with a light yellow/cream-ish color to cover over a tan. I think it's because Aura doesn't have a true white base, but everything is a pastel base. I remember using similar colors with Valspar 2000 ($20 a gallon Valspar version of PM-200) and having better coverage with that. 

Anyway, it's one of my least favorite paints. Also due to the fast dry times it can jam your brushes up quicker as well. :/


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

I have not heard about not bankrolling. Might be why the wall look terrible...tons of flashing. 
I was also using Regal Select in a grey. It looked great, which saved me with the home owner. She actually stated that the issues with how the Aura looked were obviously not my fault because the grey looked so good.

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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> I have not heard about not bankrolling. Might be why the wall look terrible...tons of flashing.
> I was also using Regal Select in a grey. It looked great, which saved me with the home owner. She actually stated that the issues with how the Aura looked were obviously not my fault because the grey looked so good.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


Pete don't backroll aura, been that way since that paint came out it dries too fast and doesn't need backroll anyway it will self level and blend into it's self. Been on tons of jobs with aura and only one good way to use it. 1/2 or 3/8 prodoozftp let cuts completely dry then roll. No microfiber rollers. Full continuous coat. No lay off no back roll. I'm pretty confident that if a HO can make a 30ft wall look good with aura eggshell then so can you. Even I can cut a line with aura without it running and I'm garbage with a brush compared to you guys. As far as coverage in off whites be wary of colors with high amounts of Y2 colorant...


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> Pete don't backroll aura, been that way since that paint came out it dries too fast and doesn't need backroll anyway it will self level and blend into it's self. Been on tons of jobs with aura and only one good way to use it. 1/2 or 3/8 prodoozftp let cuts completely dry then roll. No microfiber rollers. Full continuous coat. No lay off no back roll. I'm pretty confident that if a HO can make a 30ft wall look good with aura eggshell then so can you. Even I can cut a line with aura without it running and I'm garbage with a brush compared to you guys. As far as coverage in off whites be wary of colors with high amounts of Y2 colorant...


I just looked at the TDS for the interior eggshell, and none of this is on there. Thanks for the info. Seems like they would tell painters to not follow their normal practices. Why would I think to not bankroll or lay off when it is something that I do with every other paint.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

I just turned down an invite to bid because they spec'ed aura on smooth wall.


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

Weird, I use Aura all the time and don't have these issues. I also just coated with the colour White Dove. (Light Off white ) over dark tans and blues with 2 coats it could have used a 3rd but was passable with 2..
Those 4x bases are definitely more tricky though with extra colorant etc..
Regal is a better bang for your buck, unless going with a Matte finish, then Aura for the win..

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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

finishesbykevyn said:


> Weird, I use Aura all the time and don't have these issues. I also just coated with the colour White Dove. (Light Off white ) over dark tans and blues with 2 coats it could have used a 3rd but was passable with 2..
> Those 4x bases are definitely more tricky though with extra colorant etc..
> Regal is a better bang for your buck, unless going with a Matte finish, then Aura for the win..
> 
> Sent from my SM-T330NU using Tapatalk


I do not use it a lot, but my issues have always been with interior, and with dark colors. And this is frustrating since Ben Moore recommends Aura for dark colors. I would rather put 3 coats of Regal Select than deal with the issues I had with the Aura. 

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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

I was never that impressed with Aura, although I've use a fair amount of it. Some customers insist on it...nothing but the best! I like Regal better. I've had a fair amount of coverage issues with Aura (for a paint that touts coverage), not to mention finicky application. I'm a big BM fan, just not Aura.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Lightningboy65 said:


> I was never that impressed with Aura, although I've use a fair amount of it. Some customers insist on it...nothing but the best! I like Regal better. I've had a fair amount of coverage issues with Aura (for a paint that touts coverage), not to mention finicky application. I'm a big BM fan, just not Aura.


An interesting question on this. Who determines what is "the best" paint? The paint manufacturer? The retailer? The marketing? Or someone applies paint all day every day? In the case of Aura...i would say marketing. And BM is good at marketing to "discerning" people of means. 

Every paint company in the world makes the "best paint" in the world. But someone has to be fibbing.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I will tell you one thing, i spilled a quart of Aura interior on my basement floor 7-8 years ago and instead of cleaning it up i took a roller and schmeared it around. It has held up under semi-submersion for that long better than ANY single component floor paint i have ever seen. No prep at all either. Unfortunately i wasn't concerned about it's application properties!


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

I have no doubts about Aura being a top quality paint when it comes to wear. Just the application properties are not conducive to profits. Many won't like me saying this (I'm not sure I do), but one of the best interior wall paints I ever used was Valspar Hi-Def from Lowe's. Of course I seldom used it. I couldn't let my customers seeing me use a box store paint!


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Lightningboy65 said:


> I have no doubts about Aura being a top quality paint when it comes to wear. Just the application properties are not conducive to profits. Many won't like me saying this (I'm not sure I do), but one of the best interior wall paints I ever used was Valspar Hi-Def from Lowe's. Of course I seldom used it. I couldn't let my customers seeing me use a box store paint!


My favorite cheap paint is Valspar 2000.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Lightningboy65 said:


> I have no doubts about Aura being a top quality paint when it comes to wear. Just the application properties are not conducive to profits. Many won't like me saying this (I'm not sure I do), but one of the best interior wall paints I ever used was Valspar Hi-Def from Lowe's. Of course I seldom used it. I couldn't let my customers seeing me use a box store paint!


Personally I think aura is easy to apply though I prefer regal, and faster recoat =$$$.

I don't see how you all can use the cheap box store stuff when batch to batch it could be a completely different product...


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> I don't see how you all can use the cheap box store stuff when batch to batch it could be a completely different product...


I used very little box store paint over the course of my career. When I did it was usually in a pinch, like on a Sunday or after 6:00, when most paint stores were closed. I never had a problem with any Valspar products from Lowes, TruValue, or Do-it Hdw.. I never tried the bottom of the line box store stuff.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

You wouldn't believe all the problems all the SW users had with Aura when i worked at the BM dealer. You'd think it was the most heinous paint ever made! Didn't matter how much time it actually saved them, it wasn't SW so it sucked. It does have a learning curve, but so does toilet paper and the SW users manage to make it work. I think.....


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

We keep going back and forth between Aura and Regal Matte as our main wall paint. When we switch to Regal, someone chooses a pastel base color with very little tint and we wish we were using Aura (the additional tint in Aura really helps here, IMHO). 

But, Regal is a little more forgiven to work with. Aura rarely looks good in one coat over a different paint (not an even sheen until the second coat). But, it is rare we spec one coat anyway. We did a job once where the Aura was going over a ceramic flat product of the same color, but we had a lot of sheen issues between cut and roll areas. 

We notice the same thing on those projects were you almost get it perfect in one coat, but with Regal the sheen tends to be even in those cases but the Aura still has uneven sheen.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Oddly enough one paint I really enjoy is the Aura Bath And Spa. For whatever reason it applies basically like a normal paint, still has a fast recoat time, and it looks great. Only in matte iirc. I kind of don't understand this, why there's the difference. Anyway, if you're forced to use Aura matte, see if you can talk them into Bath and Spa, I think prices are the exact same and it's just so much easier to apply.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

celicaxx said:


> Oddly enough one paint I really enjoy is the Aura Bath And Spa. For whatever reason it applies basically like a normal paint, still has a fast recoat time, and it looks great. Only in matte iirc. I kind of don't understand this, why there's the difference. Anyway, if you're forced to use Aura matte, see if you can talk them into Bath and Spa, I think prices are the exact same and it's just so much easier to apply.


I once did a big condo with the Bath & Spa and it looked horrible. Every 9" there was a visible vertical stripe the width of the roller. I swear it looked like striped wallpaper. I even added BM Extender. I had to repaint the entire condo with Regal matte and it looked phenomenal.


With bathrooms you don't have a good angle to see the lap lines. Of course it looks good head on. I never had an issue myself with bathrooms. I liked it so much I decided to do an entire condo. Big mistake!!!


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## finishesbykevyn (Apr 14, 2010)

I agree. I just did a whole house in it. Flawless. Vertical lines as Mr Smith says was probably some unmixed tint caught in your roller ..



celicaxx said:


> Oddly enough one paint I really enjoy is the Aura Bath And Spa. For whatever reason it applies basically like a normal paint, still has a fast recoat time, and it looks great. Only in matte iirc. I kind of don't understand this, why there's the difference. Anyway, if you're forced to use Aura matte, see if you can talk them into Bath and Spa, I think prices are the exact same and it's just so much easier to apply.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

I can just envision the Marquee at the Cineplex now, Coming Friday June 28 "Nightmare on Aura Street"


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## Wildbill7145 (Apr 30, 2014)

Only time I've had serious weirdness going on with Aura was a few years ago. A friend who owns several Great Danes wanted her dog room walls painted with Aura semi gloss in a dark blue and the trim done in Advance high gloss. Whole room needed to be as durable as possible due to the constant cleaning of slobber and various other body fluids those beasts produce.


At the top and bottom of each rolled pass on the walls a little ridge was developing and I had to quickly turn my roller sideways to level it out which was really really annoying because I knew that once you put that stuff on you should absolutely leave it alone.


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## Pete Martin the Painter (Nov 8, 2012)

Wildbill7145 said:


> Only time I've had serious weirdness going on with Aura was a few years ago. A friend who owns several Great Danes wanted her dog room walls painted with Aura semi gloss in a dark blue and the trim done in Advance high gloss. Whole room needed to be as durable as possible due to the constant cleaning of slobber and various other body fluids those beasts produce.
> 
> 
> At the top and bottom of each rolled pass on the walls a little ridge was developing and I had to quickly turn my roller sideways to level it out which was really really annoying because I knew that once you put that stuff on you should absolutely leave it alone.


The ridges also happen to me with the dark blue-green color but I did not notice until after itry had dried. Sand them out the next day.

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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Pete Martin the Painter said:


> The ridges also happen to me with the dark blue-green color but I did not notice until after itry had dried. Sand them out the next day.
> 
> Sent from my SM-A600U using Tapatalk


I have noticed this as well.


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## Delta Painting (Apr 27, 2010)

I've had it pull the cut lines with dark colors. I think the extra tint takes forever to solidify under the film that's exposed to the air.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Delta Painting said:


> I've had it pull the cut lines with dark colors. I think the extra tint takes forever to solidify under the film that's exposed to the air.


On the phone I was told by a BM rep that Aura and Regal both need to actually have the cuts be dry when you roll. Then the paint is supposed to basically "melt" the dried cut line again. 

I dunno, it's just counterintuitive weird paint to use if you've been using "professional" style paints for so long.


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## Brushman4 (Oct 18, 2014)

celicaxx said:


> On the phone I was told by a BM rep that Aura and Regal both need to actually have the cuts be dry when you roll. Then the paint is supposed to basically "melt" the dried cut line again.
> 
> I dunno, it's just counterintuitive weird paint to use if you've been using "professional" style paints for so long.


As Ed McMahon would say to Johnny, you are correct sir! But, this is a brave new world we live in.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I know how you can cut those vertical roller ridges in half! Use an 18" roller! GENIUS!


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## fishingfool (Feb 17, 2015)

kmp said:


> I just turned down an invite to bid because they spec'ed aura on smooth wall.


I walked off a job after painting the first door with Aura. Total junk and way overpriced even if it was a good product.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

I got to use some Aura semi on trim on a recent job and was actually pleasantly surprised. It actually leveled and laid off well. Seemed to dry pretty hard for a latex, and smooth. Sheen and whiteness was really amazing looking. Totally unlike the wall paint except for dry times. It was finicky for brush marks in hotter conditions in the house, but the only major problem I had with it was related to a brush not being cleaned out often enough. I think with some extender or water it would be really fantastic, but the guy I work for doesn't like me to add water or extender to paint. 

I don't know if it'd be my favorite go to paint for trim, but I'm surprised I liked it so much.


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## 804 Paint (Jan 31, 2014)

fishingfool said:


> I walked off a job after painting the first door with Aura. Total junk and way overpriced even if it was a good product.




You...didn’t like the trim paint so you walked off a job? Hmmmmmm


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

804 Paint said:


> You...didn’t like the trim paint so you walked off a job? Hmmmmmm


Now, now.......everyone has their standards.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

You all do understand that the ambient temperature and humidity can effect weather (see what id did there?) a paint "flashes" or not right? It can also effect how the roll blends in with the cut as well. And it will effect how well a paint brushes and "lays out". Darker colors tend to show these atmospheric effects quite a bit more than lighter colors. If it is dry and hot, use a little extender or flow additive. (technically the same thing but...) If it is cool and humid just use it straight from the can an hopefully it isn't too humid for it to dry properly.

This is why it is important to do side by each benchmark testing under the identical conditions. Like the paint manufacturers do. When BM says Aura will do such and such better than brand whatever, they are saying that under identical conditions and over identical substrates it will do such and such better than brand..whatever. Not "apply brand whatever in 75 deg. 30% humidity and Aura in 105 deg. 5% humidity" and it will work better." like most painters do. Never compare paints applied in different conditions or different days, if you are actually going to have some credibility anyway.


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

PACman said:


> You all do understand that the ambient temperature and humidity can effect weather (see what id did there?) a paint "flashes" or not right?


That's why these days, as part of my Personal Best Practice , I am applying paint ONLY when the temp. is 71.8*, the relative humidity ia 56%, and the moon is in the waxing gibbous stage.:smile:


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Lightningboy65 said:


> That's why these days, as part of my Personal Best Practice , I am applying paint ONLY when the temp. is 71.8*, the relative humidity ia 56%, and the moon is in the waxing gibbous stage.:smile:


well if you are using that cheap stuff then yes!

And WTF is "gibbous"?


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

PACman said:


> well if you are using that cheap stuff then yes!
> 
> And WTF is "gibbous"?


Gibbous is the shape of the moon between half and full - waxing gibbous when building toward a full moon. Waning gibbous after the full moon. :glasses:

That and $6.00 will get ya' a cup of coffee at Starbucks!


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## loaded brush (Dec 27, 2007)

celicaxx said:


> On the phone I was told by a BM rep that Aura and Regal both need to actually have the cuts be dry when you roll. Then the paint is supposed to basically "melt" the dried cut line again.
> 
> I dunno, it's just counterintuitive weird paint to use if you've been using "professional" style paints for so long.


You may have to let Aura cuts dry before rolling, reason enough not to use it, but that does not apply to Regal. IMHO, its hard to top Regal. In 35 years of using Regal, it has never disappointed me.


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

loaded brush said:


> You may have to let Aura cuts dry before rolling, reason enough not to use it, but that does not apply to Regal. IMHO, its hard to top Regal. In 35 years of using Regal, it has never disappointed me.[/QUOTE
> 
> I've been using Regal eggshell the last few days. The only thing I don't like is the smell. It's actually quite strong for a zero VOC paint. I don't think I'll use it again for walls unless they insist on a high grade BM paint. Maybe I'll try the Natura again. If I recall correctly the eggshell is quite shiny. I do remember the Natura semi-gloss being awesome for brushing trim.


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## PPD (Mar 19, 2018)

Yes! I’m having a horrid time with tophatting atm using a dark aurora color...so I totally feel ya. Isn’t worth the $ if the darker colors r gunna be so dang finicky!


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## Lightningboy65 (Mar 12, 2018)

Mr Smith said:


> loaded brush said:
> 
> 
> > You may have to let Aura cuts dry before rolling, reason enough not to use it, but that does not apply to Regal. IMHO, its hard to top Regal. In 35 years of using Regal, it has never disappointed me.[/QUOTE
> ...


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## Mr Smith (Mar 11, 2016)

Lightningboy65 said:


> Mr Smith said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't put a gallon of Regal on in couple of years. But this was always my go to wall paint. I've put on 1,000's of gallons over the years. I understand to further confuse things, there is a Regal Classic line which is low VOC, and a Regal Select line which is zero VOC. And I guess the Select line does still contain some "exempt" solvents, so there is still more than water evaporating as the paint dries.
> ...


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

Regal I think has a lot of ammonia to speed the drying up. I've posted this before, but the 508 (I guess essentially Regal) ceiling paint in one house smelled super bad on what I'm guessing was a really porous surface. Eyes watering, etc, from everyone. I'm guessing the ammonia and that combo made it "cook off' too fast. When I added Floetrol it actually smelled less, from not going off as fast. 

Anyway, going back to Aura, I did find Regal easier to brush out, but Aura in semi definitely has a hair better sheen and hardness to it. I still think based on past experience any customers wanting Aura I'd try to steer towards Regal Select and have something less temperamental.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

celicaxx said:


> Regal I think has a lot of ammonia to speed the drying up. I've posted this before, but the 508 (I guess essentially Regal) ceiling paint in one house smelled super bad on what I'm guessing was a really porous surface. Eyes watering, etc, from everyone. I'm guessing the ammonia and that combo made it "cook off' too fast. When I added Floetrol it actually smelled less, from not going off as fast.
> 
> Anyway, going back to Aura, I did find Regal easier to brush out, but Aura in semi definitely has a hair better sheen and hardness to it. I still think based on past experience any customers wanting Aura I'd try to steer towards Regal Select and have something less temperamental.



If you think BM paints have high amounts of ammonia I hope you don't ever open a can of behr.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> If you think BM paints have high amounts of ammonia I hope you don't ever open a can of behr.


I'm afraid we are going to see(smell?) a lot more paints with ammonia in them in the next few years. The EPA is cracking down on some of the more common replacements for it and they will be outlawed for the most part. Ammonia smells like hell and can cause all kinds of respiratory issues to the people smelling it, but it dissipates in the atmosphere without leaving any free carbon molecules so the AOC groupies love it. It will kill YOU, but not the lefties. And they count for more than the rest of us do.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> If you think BM paints have high amounts of ammonia I hope you don't ever open a can of behr.


I have unfortunately opened a can of Behr. A few unfortunately. Behr is worse, as it combines ammonia with massive amounts of the other VOC exempt solvent, acetone. It is overall my least favorite paint brand. Benjamin Moore has its temperamental quirks, but Behr is just... nope. To be fair I do like the Behr WB Alkyd trim paint, it manages to reek more like oil than Advance does. It doesn't have quite the ashesion/hardness of Advance, but it's certainly not bad, just reeks. 

Today while brushing out Aura semi on trim I was reminded of some of my problems really early on with customer supplied Behr Ultra, though.  I found now the two best rules are "clean your brush out every hour, as it dries too fast on your tools and drags" and "1 hour recoat is bull****, it will drag and be awful at that time." It did look great, though. Thankfully only one door frame did I do the optimistic label recoat recommendation. :/ With these optimistic recoat times, all the extra cleaning you need to do and the amount of drag it has, I don't REALLY see how it's faster to use than.... lots of other stuff, but oh well.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

celicaxx said:


> cocomonkeynuts said:
> 
> 
> > If you think BM paints have high amounts of ammonia I hope you don't ever open a can of behr.
> ...


Not sure why you would reach for aura semigloss for trim when cabinetcoat or scuffx are available


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> Not sure why you would reach for aura semigloss for trim when cabinetcoat or scuffx are available


Guy I'm subbing for picks it out for whatever reason. :/ :/ :/


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

So now that I've used it extensively, I guess I have some tips for brushing it out if you need to. We can complain about problems but it's better to try to think of solutions. Unfortunately not in the luxurious position to walk off jobs because of bad trim paint. If applied right, it does have a nice finish for a latex paint for certain. It doesn't dry super hard, but I'd put it in the same camp as a latex Proclassic or similar. Does sand OK the next day. I just think where we used it, in a whole house, it's logistically a nightmare due to how fast drying it is. That said, if time was of the essence I could see it as totally OK in say, a single bedroom, where it's easy to manage runs/sags (I thought it was as finicky in this regard as even Advance is, except it's thick and gluelike to apply, best of both worlds, right? :| ) and your brush won't dry up as easily, I could see it as great. One thing good about it is on somewhat not great condition trim, it does tend to fill in minor pitting and areas that are borderline for needing caulk, because it's such a thick paint. So that's a positive about it, a thinner paint like Advance will show more of the flaws. Sheen is really high on semi, could be good or bad, depending on what you like. Coverage is really good, too, if you know how to brush it out. I used a Wooster Silver Tip and got better coverage with it vs the other guys I was working with using Chinex bristle brushes, both Corona and Wooster. The guy I was working with said it looked like I two coated the trim in one coat, and I got less/the same runs and sags as he did. 

So for technique, what I found is aside from the recoat time not really being accurate, it's actually *almost* best to try to get everything in one coat. The reason being, I think because Aura is designed to "melt" your cut line from dry again, recoating trim with it is sorta problematic, as you'll get more brush drag on a second coat than first coat with it, even a day later, as it's melting the paint again. That's not a normal experience for me with trim paints. Even Regal Select by comparison works "normal" for me. The other thing too technique-wise I've found, whilst you still need to go outside in (ie, inner frame, outer part of the casing, casing face for painting order...) you can't really lay off this paint. I normally paint everything up down, starting at the top of a casing piece, then at the end, lay it all down across the whole piece until it meets at an angle. With Aura I've found the best way is still go outside in, but paint meeting in the middle instead, and brush from the bottom up upwards, then meet roughly in the middle of the piece, with no whole section layoff, just the middle meeting. It's very very weird, but about the only way I've found to not get it brushy looking but also avoid sagging. 

Overall, it reminded me of... Behr Ultra.


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## Worker Bee (Jun 2, 2017)

Aura is a very tempermental paint... oh and it has attitude...

you have to play nice with it. the moment you call it a bitch, its all over.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

celicaxx said:


> So now that I've used it extensively, I guess I have some tips for brushing it out if you need to. We can complain about problems but it's better to try to think of solutions. Unfortunately not in the luxurious position to walk off jobs because of bad trim paint. If applied right, it does have a nice finish for a latex paint for certain. It doesn't dry super hard, but I'd put it in the same camp as a latex Proclassic or similar. Does sand OK the next day. I just think where we used it, in a whole house, it's logistically a nightmare due to how fast drying it is. That said, if time was of the essence I could see it as totally OK in say, a single bedroom, where it's easy to manage runs/sags (I thought it was as finicky in this regard as even Advance is, except it's thick and gluelike to apply, best of both worlds, right? 😐 ) and your brush won't dry up as easily, I could see it as great. One thing good about it is on somewhat not great condition trim, it does tend to fill in minor pitting and areas that are borderline for needing caulk, because it's such a thick paint. So that's a positive about it, a thinner paint like Advance will show more of the flaws. Sheen is really high on semi, could be good or bad, depending on what you like. Coverage is really good, too, if you know how to brush it out. I used a Wooster Silver Tip and got better coverage with it vs the other guys I was working with using Chinex bristle brushes, both Corona and Wooster. The guy I was working with said it looked like I two coated the trim in one coat, and I got less/the same runs and sags as he did.
> 
> So for technique, what I found is aside from the recoat time not really being accurate, it's actually *almost* best to try to get everything in one coat. The reason being, I think because Aura is designed to "melt" your cut line from dry again, recoating trim with it is sorta problematic, as you'll get more brush drag on a second coat than first coat with it, even a day later, as it's melting the paint again. That's not a normal experience for me with trim paints. Even Regal Select by comparison works "normal" for me. The other thing too technique-wise I've found, whilst you still need to go outside in (ie, inner frame, outer part of the casing, casing face for painting order...) you can't really lay off this paint. I normally paint everything up down, starting at the top of a casing piece, then at the end, lay it all down across the whole piece until it meets at an angle. With Aura I've found the best way is still go outside in, but paint meeting in the middle instead, and brush from the bottom up upwards, then meet roughly in the middle of the piece, with no whole section layoff, just the middle meeting. It's very very weird, but about the only way I've found to not get it brushy looking but also avoid sagging.
> 
> Overall, it reminded me of... Behr Ultra.


Why use aura for trim? CabinetCoat is superior in almost every way and it's less expensive.


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## celicaxx (May 29, 2015)

cocomonkeynuts said:


> Why use aura for trim? CabinetCoat is superior in almost every way and it's less expensive.


I never bought it for that purpose. :/ I think I may buy Bath and Spa for my own bathroom ceiling, think it has less sheen than Permawhite Eggshell. I already have the Permawhite eggshell sitting around though, so who knows. I don't think I'd buy it (except Bath and Spa which I like) for any purpose now that I do think about it, except if time was really of the essence. 

But if I'm getting paid to put it on, don't have the luxury of walking off the job due to disliking the trim paint. The guy I sub with likes the fast recoat times and likes thicker and draggier paints in general. He was even thinking of using it on cabinets, sprayed thankfully. He did use Advance at one point for a lot of trim work, but for whatever reason (dry times mostly) switched to Aura to go faster by going slower putting it on. I think as well the Aura name has a lot of pedigree for high end work, for better or worse.


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## Woodco (Nov 19, 2016)

I havent had good luck getting Cabinet Coat to flow out with a brush for some reason. ScuffX and advance both do great. Never tried Aura...


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

Woodco said:


> I havent had good luck getting Cabinet Coat to flow out with a brush for some reason. ScuffX and advance both do great. Never tried Aura...


Cabinet coat just have to put it on good flowing coat and work fast. It's been really impressive on new mill work paired with the 1wb.200 undercoater. Scuffx hasn't really caught on here for use as a trim paint.. actually I put on CC the same way I lay on advance just a bit heavier of a coat.


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

celicaxx said:


> I never bought it for that purpose. :/ I think I may buy Bath and Spa for my own bathroom ceiling, think it has less sheen than Permawhite Eggshell. I already have the Permawhite eggshell sitting around though, so who knows. I don't think I'd buy it (except Bath and Spa which I like) for any purpose now that I do think about it, except if time was really of the essence.
> 
> But if I'm getting paid to put it on, don't have the luxury of walking off the job due to disliking the trim paint. The guy I sub with likes the fast recoat times and likes thicker and draggier paints in general. He was even thinking of using it on cabinets, sprayed thankfully. He did use Advance at one point for a lot of trim work, but for whatever reason (dry times mostly) switched to Aura to go faster by going slower putting it on. I think as well the Aura name has a lot of pedigree for high end work, for better or worse.



I still don't see what the fuss is all about. I see so many HO's use aura and it always comes out looking perfect when they use it as i tell them. I mentioned earlier I was on a job w/HO used SW acrylic primer (which actually looked really good) and 2 coats aura matte, sprayed with an older x7 and backrolled with purdy 3/8 over a light texture. Looked great like any other professional job I had been on. Huge 30ft windows too. No drips or flashing. Helped my buddy do his house too, I was there every day after work. Came out great and they have never picked up a brush in their lives.


I do really like bath & spa too buts BM doesn't manufacture it in 5's


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## PNW Painter (Sep 5, 2013)

My experience with Aura is that you can’t put it on very thick. Unfortunately, most pros have developed their rolling technique to apply as much millage as possible. In contrast most HO’s apply very thin coats of paint and they tend to overwork the paint. This is probably why Aura turns out well for them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## cocomonkeynuts (Apr 14, 2017)

PNW Painter said:


> My experience with Aura is that you can’t put it on very thick. Unfortunately, most pros have developed their rolling technique to apply as much millage as possible. In contrast most HO’s apply very thin coats of paint and they tend to overwork the paint. This is probably why Aura turns out well for them.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk



I basically had to stop selling HO's 3/8 covers for that reason. Regal, Ben, Ultraspec...etc As soon as I switched to giving everyone 1/2" nap I stopped receiving complaints. Even had a Pro asking for E&J microfiber 3/8 today. I told him NO. You have used 1/2" micro exclusively in the past with this paint (natura flat) and it worked out so stick with it. lo and behold it came out looking perfect.


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