Written by Benjamin Moore Pinnacle Decorating South
I told him that I was more than happy to explain the 5 dollar difference, which I’ll expand on here. Unlike Emerald I can promise the following with Aura:
– 1 hour recoat window, not 2 or 3 hours.
– Guaranteed 2 coat coverage any color over any color, superior application (no backrolling required, just roll out the paint and let it self-level and when it dries, it takes care of itself and leaves a smooth finish.
– Washability and great color retention, as well as mildew resistance so it can be used in bathrooms or high moisture areas.
– Not to mention the fact that the paint is zero VOC, which means that it has reduced odor and is better for your health with its reduced emissions.
It was at that point I asked him if I had covered $5 in value, and if that helped explain the difference between Benjamin Moore and all others. Sufficed to say that he left happier after getting an in depth explanation, and so I hope to share that information with you, so that you get a better appreciation for why the quality of the material matters.
Recoat
It is very easy to get a great finish with Aura, it does so much of the work for you. As I mentioned above most paints have a 2-3 or even 4 hour recoat window, which is to allow the coating to dry enough on the surface such that when you recoat you don’t risk reactivating it and now have a thicker wet coat of paint that will take longer to dry and cure (harden). Aura dries to the touch in a half hour and can be recoated in an hour, if not sooner based on environmental factors such as heat and humidity. This means that I can recoat a wall in a fraction of the time, and get my project done that much sooner.
Application
Aura self levels wonderfully, so much so that all you do to apply is it roll it out, up and down, left to right (or whatever direction you started from), and when you reload your roller to roll into the wet edge and continue on. No backrolling is required, and is even a bad thing to do because Aura has such high adhesion and dries so quickly that it pulls itself off the wall when you try. What this means is that you don’t have to go back over what you have already done, you just wait for it to dry and then do your finish coat.
Wash-ability
Not many paints are scrubbable, and by scrubbable I mean that you can clean the surface without taking any of the coating off the wall along with the stain/marking. Many people (even those in the paint industry) get the terms washable and scrubbable mixed up, but the difference is that washable means that you are removing or abrading the surface of the paint off to clean the area. Aura is such a hard finish and so durable (because of those flakes of pigment forming something akin to scale armor) that it does not come off the wall with the stain. All you need is a cloth and some warm water and your walls are easily cleaned. Do not use cleaners with ammonia on your walls, that will breakdown the surface and cause the paint to come off the wall, so no harsh cleaners.
Two Coat Coverage
Because Aura has those flakes of pigment, the paint actually covers better due to overlapping instead of crosslinking. What this means is that Aura can cover any color with any color, so long as two proper coats are applied, with a coat of paint being 4 mils thick when wet. Most paints are 25% volume solid, which means a 4 mil coat dries to 1 mil think, whereas Aura is 50% volume solid, so one coat is twice the mil build, and 2 coats 4 times the build. This also helps in the durability and color retention over time. Your leaving more paint on the wall than the competition, which is actually giving you less for the same amount of work.
Edmonton Painting & Supplies
From interior and exterior paint, to stains for your deck and fence, Benjamin Moore Edmonton has the products you need to do the job your thinking of, including concrete and garage floors. Come to our three locations ( Benjamin Moore locations in Edmonton ) and get the advice and guidance you need, along with your 20% discount for being a RenovationFind member.
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