[crg2mls]

I have kids and one who for some reason doesn't think that his two legs can support his weight so he is often holding himself up with the assistance of a wall.

I know semi-gloss is more washable but I dislike the sheen.

I am going to check out Devine paint. Their colors look great and the coverage is amazing. I have used red paint and what you've heard is true. Two coats is often not enough even when using a tinted primer. Of course I wish I had known that before I began painting a bathroom. I swore off red after that project. BTW litlnemo, I love your use of the gold paint.

Apri, plastic lids - I've never seen that. If I weren't looking for a specific color to match my window treatment I might consider FreshAire. Many years ago I used Behr in my son's room and I too had trouble with the paint adhering to the wall. The store employee kept telling me that I hadn't prepped my walls properly. My father was a professional painter and then the owner of paint store (who btw told me you get what you pay for - I should have bought BM) so I was more than an educated painter. I swore off Behr's at that time.

Today I'm going to pick up SW's Harmony primer to get started while I decide on the paint.

[klcampo]

In March '09 I painted my powder room with Benjamin Moore's Natura paint in Georgian Green in eggshell. I chose it because I was going to have a birthday party at the house and I didn't want to have that new paint smell. It's been a little over 6 months, but it still looks as fresh as the day I painted. The paint had great coverage. It goes on thick and luxurious. It was nearly perfect after 1 coat, but due to the rough hand trowelled texture of my walls, I had a few spots I missed so I did a full 2 coats. There is a smell, but it's definitely not a paint smell. If I had to describe it, it's almost an herbal smell and it disappeared fairly quickly.

I was a bit concerned about doing an eggshell finish in a bathroom, in the past I've always used a semi-gloss. As I mentioned before I have a very rough texture in that room, so I didn't want to call attention to it with a higher gloss paint. I wasn't too worried as the room doesn't have a tub or shower. I've wiped down the walls and even given it a bit of scrubbing and it's stood up to the rough treatment. I wish I could say the same about my entry hall painted 1 year ago in Valspar eggshell. It shows every scuff and boasts wonderful kid crayon drawings that won't scrub out. I'm definitely a BM convert. So if anyone is wondering if it's worth the price, I say DEFINITELY!!

[csholocene]

Here's a head-to-head vs BM's Eco-Spec.

Normally, I use BM's Eco-Spec (I've been using it for five or six years, I'm comfortable with its quirks, it's a Zero VOC and is reasonably priced.) However, when I went to get the paint for our bedroom and kitchen, my usual shop was out of the Eco-Spec base for the kitchen accent wall, so they gave me a gallon of Natura in Pomegranate. (Other kitchen colors are Fusion and Twilight Zone -- so deep red, a neutral grey and black.)

I found the odor of the Natura almost perfumy, while Eco-Spec really is virtually odorless. I didn't find Natura significantly better in terms of application or ease of use over Eco-Spec. Both went on beautifully -- they are BM after all -- even over our textured walls. I had to do a light second coat, but I always do if I'm using a deep or bright color, and in the case of the Pomegranate (and in the bedroom, Vintage Charm, a middle grey-violet) I had to go over the wall with a stipple brush to get the tiny white specks that no amount of tinted primer or multiple applications would get. (I hate our textured walls, but I hate the notion of spending a few weeks messing with joint compound, primer and more paint even more.)

Given the choice... I'll keep using Eco-Spec. It's $20 a gallon cheaper, equally safe, works just as well and goes on equally well. Given the differences between the MSDS (Natura has more kaolin; they have equal amounts of titanium dioxide and silica)... well, they're both safe enough to drink, though you won't feel well after doing so.

Give me five years, but I'm pretty sure they're going to wear equally well.

[zeldajk]

We recently bought a house and painted every single room. We used the Olympic from Lowes. It was the best-rated zero-VOC paint on Consumer Reports. It was about $22 per gallon--$10-$20 cheaper than the FreshAire or SW Harmony, which is why I researched it, and why I was so surprised that CR said it outperformed the pricier one. We loved it!! It covered very well with 2 coats in most colors and hardly smelled at all--kind of like silly putty. It has a full spectrum of paint choices; we painted light browns, 2 shades of blue, a dark green, a yellow and a deep red, plus white on the ceiling. The only one that I was worried about was the deep red, which barely covered at all on the first coat. But after the 2nd coat and a touchup, even that turned out awesome.

[BoosterGold]

I can't believe you managed to paint all of the rooms in your house by yourself. I get tired after just doing one room, I can't imagine the fatigue one would feel from doing all that. But I'm sure it was fun.