Never ever buy Behr paint

by admin on October 24, 2012

behrpaint

 

You can follow the conversation about Behr paint coverage on this linkedIn thread

Denis J. O’Connell, Sr. painted a sign to Behr paints showing his feelings towards the paint company. This picture appeared in the Concord Monitor online edition. Here is the original post

An Excerpt from the article:
By LAURA McCRYSTAL Monitor staff Wednesday, October 24, 2012

After an unhappy experience painting his Badger Street home this summer, Denis O’Connell has given up for the winter and left a message on the front of his home: “Never ever buy Behr paint.”

O’Connell, 71, wanted to paint the home a cranberry color, but the paint color he purchased did not sufficiently cover the white primer. Instead of looking like cranberry, he said, it looked pink or red.

After several trips back to the store, phone calls to the paint company and the advice of a professional painter, O’Connell learned it would take several more coats of paint to reach the desired color. *He has turned down an offer from Behr to reimburse him for the $350 he spent on paint.

“I want to be able to go forward with a clear conscience and be absolutely 100 percent critical of their paint,” O’Connell said.

Right now, the front of the home is a cranberry color, one side is “reddish,” another side is half gray primer, half yellow and the back is still the home’s original yellow color.

O’Connell said the tenants in the two-family home have laughed about the paint, but neighbors have asked him how long he intends to leave his written message on the front of the home.

“It will certainly be up there until next summer when I get around to painting the house next year,” he said.

END OF EXCERPT

In defense of Behr paint. This house paint color is probably a clearbase; which means more colorant has to be added to achieve this particular color and other dark or unusual colors. The implication is that the paint has less solid material such as Titanium Dioxide which is important for color coverage. I would estimate by the amount of money he spent ($350 quoted by article) the owner did not apply two coats of paint. As a best practice the primer should have been tinted gray and two coats of top coat paint should have been applied; this would have certainly covered. I have never used Behr paint but I recommend these exterior grade products in this order for coverage:

Fine Paints of Europe Eco

Aura by Benjamin Moore

Duration by Sherwin Williams 

Read comments on this subject on Heidi Nyline’s Blog and the Land of color

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