A while ago, I had an opportunity, as a BzzAgent, to test and review Benjamin Moore Aura Waterborne Interior Paint. I was sent an awesome BzzKit with a material safety data sheet, a fan deck of color swatches as thick as my fist, a booklet of ideas for room transformations that even lists the colors used, a sample pint of Aura Waterborne Interior Paint & Primer in eggshell finish, a coupon for a free gallon of Aura paint, and coupons to hand out to my family and friends for $5 off.
The Green Promise
The Green Promise® designation is Benjamin Moore's assurance that its environmentally friendly coatings meet and exceed the strictest industry standards, while also delivering the premium levels of performance you expect from Benjamin Moore.
Unlike other manufacturers that claim to have low VOCs but add a bunch of them during tinting, the amount of VOCs in Benjamin Moore’s Green Promise paints start low and stay low. I can definitely tell by the strength of the smell that it puts off, which is so much less than other paints I’ve used.
Colors
Available in Every Benjamin Moore Color (over 3,600)
It seemed to take me ages to settle on a color that would go perfectly with my curtains, but I finally decided on Deep in Thought in matte finish. I’ll admit, I was a little worried about this color. When it was wet, it almost looked a little too creamy and slightly on the side of yellow. It dried perfectly, though. It matches the swatch exactly, and was just what I was hoping for.
Plus, I like the color so much (and since I had a decent amount left over), I decided to paint my new review office with it, and plan to repaint the water closet with it, too.
Application
This paint is thick and creamy. It went on like a dream, whether I used a brush or a roller. I’ve seen no brush or roller marks. Everything smoothed out and left my walls looking absolutely perfect. According to the pamphlet, this is because of a thicker dry film. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but it does level itself out nicely.
Also, there was no mess. I hadn’t bothered to get a drop cloth. We have one downstairs, but…eh… I still find our basement unclean. I wasn’t about to bring that drop cloth up. So, I painted as carefully as I could. Normally, painting would result in me having paint freckles all over my arms, shirt, floor covering, etc., but not this time. This paint was thick enough not to cause me any issues.
Coverage
We just bought our house not too long ago, and the previous owners didn’t really take care of the walls. I could tell where they patched and used the wrong shade to touch it up, and there were what seemed like scuffs marks. To really test this paint, I attempted to cover the black marks.
To my amazement, it actually covered them in one coat! Woo! That meant I could do the rest of the living room with just one coat! You have no idea how happy that made me… I’m little, as in “kid-size” little. My living room is big. Painting takes a lot of effort from me. Yeah, I could have my husband help, but that would just double my work in the end.
So, this is what mess it looked like before. I was having issues trying to get good lighting. So, this is a different corner of the living room.
And, this is what it looks like now! The lighting in our house is tricky. We have one set of 3 tiny lights on a track for the entire living room, and that’s it. So, I jut have to take pictures however the sunlight will let me. This is just the other corner of the living room.
According to the pamphlet, the pigments in this paint are microscopically bonded to the dry paint film, permanently locking in color. Special polymers wrap themselves around the color particles, which creates a thicker paint that dries harder. (No, I’m not really sure what they mean by “dry paint film”.)
Durability
I haven’t had this paint up for maybe more than a week or two. So, I can’t really comment on durability. However, the pamphlet says that it can be washed with soap and water, with no damage to the color. It will also resist scuff marks, scratches, streaking, and water spotting. It’s also mildew-resistant.
Smell
There’s barely any smell to this paint. I’m very sensitive to paint, and get sick at the drop of a hat. With this, I did my whole living room without having to take any breaks for fresh air. If you paint a room with the windows shut, you’ll very faintly smell the paint until the next day, and maybe a little the next. If you paint with the windows open, you’ll barely be able to smell a thing once you close the windows.
Opinion
I love this paint! I’m so spoiled by this now… In addition to painting my living room walls, I got the can to stretch enough to do my office walls, too. I bought another gallon, and will be painting my office ceiling and the water closet, once we get our new windows installed. Things are a bit of a mess right now.
FTC Statement: And The Dreaming Moon… was provided this paint and BzzKit by BzzAgent, free of charge. No affiliate links have been used, and no compensation has been accepted. This has not affected the opinions within the review, and complies with FTC standards.
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