# Behr Premium Paint Warning



## Jack Straw (Oct 5, 2012)

My wife and I took the week off to paint our family room in the basement. We got Behr paint from Home Depot and followed the directions, from the can and the guy at the paint counter. After 2 coats it looked awful, it had streaks of different shades of the paint color. I thought maybe we didn't mix the paint properly. We mixed the hell out of a new can of paint and painted one wall for a 3rd time with the same results.  We went back to the Depot and after about a half hour of debate the store manager agreed to give us 3 gallons of Glidden paint in the same color. The Glidden paint did the job and it came out great. I am grateful to the Depot for giving us the free paint and making things right, but I will never buy Behr paint again.








I don't know how well this will show up, but this wall had 3 coats of the Behr paint.


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## jharkin (Oct 5, 2012)

Good to hear it worked out.  There is probably a reason why most painting contractors use Sherwin or Moore......


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## daveswoodhauler (Oct 5, 2012)

Thanks for the warning and info.
Have also used the Lowes counterpart, Valspar and also had poor results.....painted my middle sons room with the Valspar latex, and the fumes last about 1 month. (We had him camp out in the  living roomf or the first week as the smell was so bad....painted duriing dry-nice weather and had 2 fans running 24/7. Can also see why folks stick with Benj M or Sherwin.


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## Adios Pantalones (Oct 5, 2012)

Home Depot didn't want to part with that particular color- maybe they have more stores to paint?>


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## Jack Straw (Oct 5, 2012)

It's actually much darker, I don't know why it's so orange in the picture


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## SmokeyTheBear (Oct 5, 2012)

I can tell you that colors that tend towards the red have issues if the wall isn't smooth and all the same material. It is the light angle and the small imperfections that lead to streaks and apparent change of color. Red will look like it has black spots or streaks under certain conditions.

It makes no difference who the paint manufacturer is, the surface prep or lack of it plays a huge role in how a large surface looks after it is painted.

We learned a long time ago that for certain colors more than two coats can be required because of the existing surface conditions the paint is being applied to.

We use Benjamin Moore for all interior paint and some exterior paint and Sherwin Williams for some exterior paint .

The comment about the red is from both what others have told us and personal experience.


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## Morgan (Oct 5, 2012)

If you painting towards the red spectrum I believe it is recommended that you prime your walls grey first, helps prevent the issues you described.  Otherwise you will need 3-4+ coats and it still might not be %100


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## btuser (Oct 5, 2012)

Behr paint sucks.


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## Biglumber (Oct 6, 2012)

I used Behr premium before. Might work better if the walls are primed. I have had same coverage issues.


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## btuser (Oct 6, 2012)

It wears well. but I've got a sneaky suspicion that there's nowhere near the pigment/base coloring % you get with the good stuff.  It's does well in tests, but I have never EVER enjoyed using it.  I find it sags more, regardless of surface prep and doesn't cover well at all.  I hate it.  Hate it hate it wouldn't use it if it was free.  Some folks have good luck, but my wife's an Art teacher, which means there's not a single wall in my house that is the same color.  Seriously, we're talking 20 colors in a house, so I do/done a lot of painting, and by the time I get to the last room she's sick of the first one!  I don't care, if it means I don't have to paint it twice I'll spend the $30/gallon and paint it once vs saving a few dollars and having to paint it twice, then running out and buying another gallon.


jharkin said:


> Good to hear it worked out. There is probably a reason why most painting contractors use Sherwin or Moore......


EVERY pro has tried Behr at least once and most go back.  Granted they don't pay the retail price, but I can match a BM/SW color from 5 years ago and it's usually the same guy behind the counter.  If I go to HD, all bets are off.


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## Corey (Oct 6, 2012)

Sorry to hear the experience, but glad HD made it right.  Guess I've had almost the opposite experience...have painted most of the house and an outdoor shed with Behr and it seemed to work great.  Also painted a room with Glidden and it seems much more runny and easy to streak...you can definitely tell where a brush was used vs a roller.

I know color/pigment does make a big difference, too...most of my stuff is earth tones, though the black ceiling in the basement seemed to work out well, too.  I know the reds / maroons do have more trouble covering. 

Also, I guess it was completely dry?  Thick or multiple coats can take quite a while to dry - especially in cooler humid weather.  Most any paint will have a different sheen / color until dry.


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## ozzie88 (Oct 8, 2012)

Jack Straw said:


> My wife and I took the week off to paint our family room in the basement. We got Behr paint from Home Depot and followed the directions, from the can and the guy at the paint counter. After 2 coats it looked awful, it had streaks of different shades of the paint color. I thought maybe we didn't mix the paint properly. We mixed the hell out of a new can of paint and painted one wall for a 3rd time with the same results. We went back to the Depot and after about a half hour of debate the store manager agreed to give us 3 gallons of Glidden paint in the same color. The Glidden paint did the job and it came out great. I am grateful to the Depot for giving us the free paint and making things right, but I will never buy Behr paint again.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I am glad this worked out for you,but I had same problem with Glidden?? isnt that something?  I painted my kit. put 3 coats on and same thing, streaks and bad spots. They gave me new paint also, good job!


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## Sprinter (Oct 8, 2012)

jharkin said:


> Good to hear it worked out. There is probably a reason why most painting contractors use Sherwin or Moore......


I did a ton of research awhile back because I had a large job to do (interior) and I didn't want to make a mistake. I read several forums like this one, for pro painters. There was one recurring theme: "Behr sucks", or similar. Almost all prefer either Benj. Moore or Sherwin Williams. I ended up using a very expensive Benj Moore interior called "Aura" ($60/gal) and It was worth every penny. I had a very hard time spending that much, but it was cheap in the long run. I painted a light color over a much darker color and it truly covered in one coat and was easy to apply and dried very quickly (actually, you need to be careful in you application technique or this attribute can bite you. Directions cover that.) and very little odor.  I''ll use it again if I need to paint again.

Note that both brands offer cheap lines and expensive lines. As always, you get what you pay for here. Ironically, the cheaper lines are sometimes called "contractor grade" or similar, and are usually not recommended.


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## bluedogz (Oct 14, 2012)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> I can tell you that colors that tend towards the red have issues if the wall isn't smooth and all the same material. It is the light angle and the small imperfections that lead to streaks and apparent change of color. Red will look like it has black spots or streaks under certain conditions.
> 
> It makes no difference who the paint manufacturer is, the surface prep or lack of it plays a huge role in how a large surface looks after it is painted.
> 
> ...


 
+1... had the same problem till I started priming every job first.  Even with Behr paint, which I agree is crap.


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## EJL923 (Oct 16, 2012)

If i have a surface i know is going to take a beating, such as when i stained my exterior, or paint doors, i use ben moore.  For most of the colors in the house, we have used behr, but always make sure to use a REAL primer and try to tint close to final color.  As with most paints, its all in the prep.  I think its more in the color you chose.  I had big problems when painting red.


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