# BEHR paint products..opinions ?



## Spike2101

We have used Behr paint about half-dozen times (mostly at the request of the clients) Generally, I thought the paint was pretty good (the interior is better than the exterior). I do know Consumer Reports typically rates Behr paint quite highly...I just don't think it is nearly as good as Benjamin Moore's paints.


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## NaeGan

There is one thing I always wondered about the primer paint mix. Are they just mixing the primer in with the paint and then tinting it? Because if the primer is exposed on the surface tinted or not, it's going to deteriorate and the color would change. 

When I first started on my own I used to prime over dark colors because that's the way I was taught. I talked to another painter and he told me that even on dark colors if the paint uses the same carrier just clean it and not prime because paint obviously has a higher solid content and covers much better than primer anyway and there no issue with adhesion. 

It sure seems homeowners have bought into the ratings. My issue with Behr isn't it's coverage, and doesn't seem to flash particularly bad, it just seems sticky and blocks like a mother.


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## Pete'sfeets

The thing about Behr that I have is that it is made for Home Depot and well they sell a variety of other paints too, CIL and also sherwin for a while there but always the cheaper line,reeks of conflict of interest sort of when you consider that the same lines are difficult to find in the original paint stores. Games they play. Mind you there are products Behr has that the others don't , like concrete sealer/primer and at least you can buy exterior caulk if you need it. There is a little less confidence in the sales staff for me than usual so I am less anxious to try new stuff reguardless of it's popularity.


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## researchhound

NaeGan said:


> When I first started on my own I used to prime over dark colors because that's the way I was taught. I talked to another painter and he told me that even on dark colors if the paint uses the same carrier just clean it and not prime because paint obviously has a higher solid content and covers much better than primer anyway and there no issue with adhesion.


I never have used primer to cover existing paint because of difficult colors - just more coats of paint. If there's an adhesion issue I prefer the UMA bonding primer. For stain problems I use the shellac based Zinsser Allprime ( I have to wonder how much longer this will be around. It's one product I wear a respirator when brushing or rolling - nasty but effective). For newly textured areas, or to prepare a surface for retexturing, I use a primer that our regional company makes that's similar to PVA but better. Tough as h--l to get out of a brush if you let it go very long.


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## Dum edwards

*Dum edwards is the greatest along with sherwood willie*



CapPaint said:


> Im no master painter but Ive been paintin for about 5 years and have used many different brands mostly at the request of the customer.
> 
> I was never a fan of the basic Behr paint....thought it was junk actually. I also figured the paint and primer is just a gimmick....then I tried it. I dont want to sound like Im advertising for the paint but it works awesome. You can fill in any holes or dents with filler and sand them and go right over it with the stuff...It seals like a primer but actually lays great color at the same time and the 2nd coat is icing on the cake.
> 
> So for me I really like it...saves me priming and wastin a tray and a roller. My customers love the stuff...the colors are sharp and they can match any colors you bring in. I had this one high end customer who always requested SW paint and I painted half her house in it. About 6 months ago I painted her bathroom in a dark blue and recommended we try the paint and primer and she went nuts over it...loved how vibrant it was.
> 
> Ive only been on this board an hour....yeh its raining in ny....but i can see there is a huge bias against behr I just gotta wonder if people have actually tried the product....Paint in primer in one that is. THe regular behr sucks.


Opinions opiinions, I like facts. Yours was the only post i saw giving a heads up for behr. Does this mean its Good? You know the facts.....Letemstir dum edwards & sherwoods. shame the homeowner will only get a few yrs with that on the exterior.


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## Dum edwards

*P.S. my son says Lexus sucks. It must. until you drive one*



Dum edwards said:


> Opinions opiinions, I like facts. Yours was the only post i saw giving a heads up for behr. Does this mean its Good? You know the facts.....Letemstir dum edwards & sherwoods. shame the homeowner will only get a few yrs with that on the exterior.


Lexus sucks along with Behr. Go figure.


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## Caslon

Years ago, I briefly sanded some interior enamel trim coated with Behr before coating it with another paint. I wasn't wearing a mask as it was just a scuff up to smooth it before painting.

The little dust I inhaled thru my nose caused me intense itching and sneezing in my nose for a good 12 months afterwards. I don't know what solids Behr used in that paint, but it was like the the dust I breathed in thru my nose were tiny razor blades. No other sanding of paint in my 30+ years of painting caused that kind of intense nose itching and sneezing for 12 months afterwards.

It was like I snorted talcolm powder or something.


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## Dum edwards

Caslon said:


> Years ago, I briefly sanded some interior enamel trim coated with Behr before coating it with another paint. I wasn't wearing a mask as it was just a scuff up to smooth it before painting.
> 
> The little dust I inhaled thru my nose caused me intense itching and sneezing in my nose for a good 12 months afterwards. I don't know what solids Behr used in that paint, but it was like the the dust I breathed in thru my nose were tiny razor blades. No other sanding of paint in my 30+ years of painting caused that kind of intense nose itching and sneezing for 12 months afterwards.
> It was like I snorted talcolm powder or something.


. Sounds interesting......Nothing like a Carlton scientific study to clear the Facts up. Shouldn't that be a New Behr Thread? Seems the only thing anyone can learn here is They don't know how to paint with behr paint and it burns Carlton's snozze. Strange? The Paints Flawless in my world, no matter what ive used. And my nose never even twitched. Good luck with the nose and remember Lexus sucks". Goodday


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## svronthmve

Caslon said:


> Years ago, I briefly sanded some interior enamel trim coated with Behr before coating it with another paint. I wasn't wearing a mask as it was just a scuff up to smooth it before painting.
> 
> The little dust I inhaled thru my nose caused me intense itching and sneezing in my nose for a good 12 months afterwards. I don't know what solids Behr used in that paint, but it was like the the dust I breathed in thru my nose were tiny razor blades. No other sanding of paint in my 30+ years of painting caused that kind of intense nose itching and sneezing for 12 months afterwards.
> 
> It was like I snorted talcolm powder or something.


That must have been some REALLY old Behr paint, cuz most I've run into over the years, you could start rubbing a spot & then just peel the rubber surface away, :laughing:

I don't use Behr at all anymore. I like BM & SW, but it's getting close to prohibitively expensive. For the last year I've been using the Valspar Signature line. Very decent for the price, but not the same as BM & SW better quality paints (obviously, duh!).

For latex primer, the only primer I will use anymore is Glidden Gripper. (And it's the only Glidden product I will touch.) It's an awesome primer IMHO......


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## Dum edwards

svronthmve said:


> That must have been some REALLY old Behr paint, cuz most I've run into over the years, you could start rubbing a spot & then just peel the rubber surface away, :laughing:
> 
> I don't use Behr at all anymore. I like BM & SW, but it's getting close to prohibitively expensive. For the last year I've been using the Valspar Signature line. Very decent for the price, but not the same as BM & SW better quality paints (obviously, duh!).
> 
> For latex primer, the only primer I will use anymore is Glidden Gripper. (And it's the only Glidden product I will touch.) It's an awesome primer IMHO......


Strange? Never had a problem. Flawless perfect and years later 5 houses in a row in the desert look like new 12 years later. I know its not as cheap price wise as I can get Sherwin for 15-20 a gal. But I'm not into saving a couple hundred bucks on a clients house. Never peeled never primed hard as a rock. But in the end we All have the Happiest customers on earth. So it doesn't matter.


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## svronthmve

What SW are you getting for $15-20 a gallon?


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## ToolNut

To all you guys that like Behr get ready to be excited. They have a new line called Marquee dries quicker, and can be applied over dirt and chalky finishes. Also made to dry quicker. Oh yea it goes for $50 a gallon.


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## tedanderson

I did a 3-story redwood house using Behr stain. 5 years later, it still looks like a new paint job. The down side was that it took a whole lot more gallons to get the right coverage than it did doing a similar project using the Benji products. 

I was pleased with the results but if I ever have to do another job like this again, I am going to BM.


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## svronthmve

ToolNut said:


> .... and can be applied over dirt and chalky finishes...


Sounds about like what Behr is good for.....


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## Rent A Painter

MDpainting said:


> SW Duration has been on the market for some time now, they call it self priming, not paint and primer in one. I'm not sure on the price point at the box store, but sw paint goes over dark colors in one coat.....any dark color i go with duration.


I'm gonna have to get the BS card out. Not even BM Aura or SW Emerald would do the job in one coat.


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## GCTony

I bought my first gal of Behr paint abou 6 months ago on a weekend when the paint store was closed. It the most expensive gal of semi gloss white I could buy. It was the first and last gal of behr I will buy. Four coats on preprimed bifold door. JUNK


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## ToolNut

svronthmve said:


> Sounds about like what Behr is good for.....


Yea but $50 a gallon kinda takes them out of the cheap paint class.


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## renov8r

I always recommend certain brands to my clients. I prefer to use Benjamin Moore, BEHR and Sico. I painted a house a few months ago and they had the Valspar Premium and I really enjoyed working with it, so I recommend it now. For primer I prefer to use BEHR because they have a 2 gallon pail for a couple bucks more then the 1 gallon at home depot so I buy it for (a) price (b) covers well. Trim and ceiling paint I prefer BEHR as well because its very bright white and that's what I like. I used to recommend cloud white before but over the past two years I've grown on the crisp white I get from BEHR. I try to avoid the cheaper brand like Premier and Glidden made by CIL as I find them to be more water then paint. When you think about it paint is water, glue and color.


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## Caslon

Wasn't Behr paints one of the first (if not THE first) to offer the public a paint that has a primer in it too? Maybe they were merely the first to put ads on TV about it.


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## carzie

Behr with me I have a storey about HD and Behr..I had a customer ask me to come fix his DIY paint job. He had purchased a Behr product in a wine color and the sales person told him he needed a deep base primer (also a Behr product) to go over the existing builder's beige flat latex prior to applying the finish Behr product. So they sell him 3 gallons for a 2 gallon job and he proceeds as directed, sanding and then priming the entire area with 2 finish coats. Well actually 3 finish coats because even with a deep grey primer the Behr couldn't cover. He had taped the baseboard and trim and when the job was done he removed the tape only to remove the paint, right down to the builder's beige, and I'm not talking little bits it came off in a sheet.
When I came in a could take a putty knife and lift and edge of the Behr paint and peel it off the walls like wallpaper. I preped and applied 2 coats of P+L red base latex...... job done
He just about cried when I pulled the tape from the baseboard and it came away clean


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## maxbabineau

I do a fair amount of painting and Behr Premium Plus Ultra works for me in most cases. Of course you can't go wrong with Dunn Edwards, Benjamin Moore or Sherwin, but the top level Behr paint get's the job done most of the time for me.


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## #1Painters

REWSTER6 said:


> Don,t do alot of painting..room here...ceiling there
> 
> been using the BEHR paint and primer in one product and the premium plus grade
> 
> conversation with a friend who does more painting than I told me it was JUNK ?
> 
> looking for other opinions ?



Its not bad I painted an exterior barber shop with the Behr primer in one exterior paint.



It covered very well and I looked back at it 3 years later and its still looks like the day I applied the paint.


But normally I use Benjamin Moore. That client already bought the paint before contacting me. And I thought I might as well try it out and see how it works.


Personally I prefer Benjamin Moore over Behr... But if a client has already bought Behr I will use it.


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## txgencon

#1Painters said:


> Its not bad I painted an exterior barber shop with the Behr primer in one exterior paint.
> 
> 
> 
> It covered very well and I looked back at it 3 years later and its still looks like the day I applied the paint.
> 
> 
> But normally I use Benjamin Moore. That client already bought the paint before contacting me. And I thought I might as well try it out and see how it works.
> 
> 
> Personally I prefer Benjamin Moore over Behr... But if a client has already bought Behr I will use it.


My barber uses a spray bottle to wet my hair before cutting with scissors. Looks like this guy uses condensation from an A/C unit as you're coming in the door. Only works in warm weather, but sweeet.....


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## dieboy

Might as well toss in my two cents since everyone else is.

I painted professionally, in million dollar plus reservation homes for approx 11 years.

Few things are tried and true. No matter what brand, 2 coats period. If you here a painter say "yea one coat will cover it fine" do yourself a favor and walk away.

I used to use SW. They line turned to crap. Duration for the price is worthless. Promar 200, is basically apartment paint.

Tried some BM and it felt the same, not to my liking.

I used Behr 2 in 1, and it was okay, better than SW.

I found a couple things to watch out for when using Behr, it tend to stir it allot.

It does leave a more noticeable stipple/build/whatever you wanna call it. Personally I prefer a 3/4 nap, it provides good stipple, which I like (personal preference).

So .. buy what ya want really. Now days, they are mostly the same. Remember, you get what you pay for unless you buy Duration by SW .

Your going to get a billion responses for best paint. Every painter has a differing view.


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## Holistic

I'd say Behr sucks


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## fast Freddie

First of all regardless of any paint brand preparation is everything I've pretty much used all brands of paint from behr to dunn edwards Sinclair to Benjamin Moore and have nothing bad to say about behr it's an all around great product if u know what your doing but if I'm in doubt with a surface that needs priming I will always do so before applying paint in fact I only trust a paint and primer when I'm covering a dark wall or using a A base paint for maximum coverage 2 coats should do it with behr or your in the wrong business


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## fast Freddie

Always use a red oxide primer not gray primer...... before red walls make paint work for u not the other way around u can make any job easy or make it hard on yourself


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## avenge

fast Freddie said:


> First of all regardless of any paint brand preparation is everything I've pretty much used all brands of paint from behr to dunn edwards Sinclair to Benjamin Moore and have nothing bad to say about behr it's an all around great product if u know what your doing but if I'm in doubt with a surface that needs priming I will always do so before applying paint in fact I only trust a paint and primer when I'm covering a dark wall or using a A base paint for maximum coverage 2 coats should do it with behr or your in the wrong business


Behr sucks so I guess I have no idea what I'm doing, but what do I know I'm just a remodeler.


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## DCBrooks

I would say that the cheapest version of any paint is terrible, Behr Marquee has some ways that it is pretty impressive, you truly can sand a house and cover in 2 coats, although I prefer a first coat of gripper. Ultimately I prefer Sherwin Williams Duration or Emerald Behr is a good runner up for the price only if you get marquee I dont recommend the lower versions of any paint really the labor is the most expensive part of the job so I always tell the customers they may as well get the better paint, alot of times if the customer cant appreciate that statement they probably arent the best customer to deal with any way.


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## hdavis

DCBrooks said:


> really the labor is the most expensive part of the job so I always tell the customers they may as well get the better paint


The painting part on exterior repaints is so small, you might as well call them exterior preps with a free paint job.:laughing:


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## DCBrooks

hdavis said:


> The painting part on exterior repaints is so small, you might as well call them exterior preps with a free paint job.:laughing:


Lol pretty much mostly sanding caulking and filling


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## 91782

Used Behr to paint a place 8 yrs ago.

Re-did it with the same colors, still Behr, but the new, low VOC stuff.

Still took two coats.

BTW, how the eff do you guys put up with that ammonia smell?

God awful.


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## Caslon

When you think of it, Behr sells out of Home Depot and nowhere else.
As such, they have meet Home Depot price requirements agreed on by both parties. Behr keeps the price down more than some others and at the same time does it adequately with new innovations of their own.

Now for the funny part that I've mentioned before. I lightly sanded just a couple of 1-1/2 inch window trim without using a mask. I inhaled some Behr oil based paint dust, not a lot...it was only a few window casings! I swear, for the next full 12 months, my nose was in itchy agony.


What the HELL did Behr add to that oil interior enamel? It was like I snorted talcum powder or something. My nose recovered, but it took 12 months of intense hayfever symptoms before it went away. Whatever they made it out of, the sanding dust was like a million tiny razor blades on my nose passages. I'd never experienced that before or since.


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