apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

This won't help but it's related so I'll ask anyway...

Has anyone used the Benjamin Moore "Aura" paints? Supposedly you don't need to prime and the coverage is supposed to be good enough for only one coat. Also low VOC which is good as well.

When I painted my entire house by my itty bitty self ,I went to HD to get my blue tape, edger protectors, I got everything and know what? I ended up with a plain brush. I painted the ceilings with these flat brushes with those little bristles and they were great because they didn't drip but it took me forever because my ceilings were textured and I ended up padding the paint on instead of stroking it. By the time I got half way through 1500 feet. I was using the brush wisely. Just tipping it in the paint and spreading it in criss cross direction to cover every miniture pop corn.

About those edgers. No they don't work. Clean edges blue tape and a good brush with a steady hand. It's all in the technique.

I've used something similiar before and they don't work great. It's still worth it to tape!

I used the Benjamin Moor Aura paint in a dark red color and it only needed ONE coat. It's pricey, but it pays off.

I've tried a lot of different "time-saving" painting tools, and none of them really work as well as you would hope. It's honestly quicker just to stick to the basic tools & techniques.

These gadgets, I've found actually make more of a mess.. which you then have to correct. Ug.

I used to be a tape junky for doing trim and wall near trim, and I'm really not anymore... I've learned the trick that professional painters use from my husband's family... they run a general contracting firm that specializes in restoring older and historic homes. His brothers switch from being project managers, to doing the hard work themselves. So when we restored our 100 year old home, I had plenty to learn.

The name of the technique is called 'Cutting in' and relies on you using a brush of 1"-2". with the angled edge. I've become particularly partial to my Purdy 1 1/2' angled beauty for just this purpose.

it is easiest to learn on a vertical area...
What you do, is dip only the tips of the brush Don't let the brush get too dry, because once this bead runs out the effect is lost. Redip the brush, wipe both sides off, the dip the tips again, and wipe off the side again. then.. back to the wall. Wash, rinse, repeat. After about a half hour of doing this, you'll probably gain the muscle memory to finish the rest of the room rather quickly.. and once learned, you'll be glad you never have to paint again.
Have a friend in the business? Have them show you... it is far easier than my description makes it sound. I just have no good pictures, and a simple google search only brings up techniques that I think are horrid and complicated.
If you ever see painting classes offered by a paint shop, this is probably the technique they will teach you. HD and Lowe's will probably only teach you to buy gadgets and tape from them, not show you how to do it well.

Good luck, and try it out with a surface that you can correct your initial mistakes on, because you will have a few as you learn how best to hold the brush and how much pressure to apply.

@magdelane
ha. "be glad you never have to paint again. " maybe so, but should read "be glad you never have to TAPE again."

off topic, but in response to the above post... I have used the Ben Moore Aura paint and loved it. I am painting my bedroom in 3 weeks and will use it again. Really high quality stuff that is easy to find!

Blue tape is what works best for me, another gadget to sit around the house does not work.

We used the Aura paint and thought it was great -- one coat, no primer. When you figure it takes half as much paint and no primer coat, it costs the same overall as buying three gallons for every gallon of Aura. The color is really good.

I used an edge painter than is essentially some kind of spongy thing mounted on a plastic mount with wheels that roll against the edge that you're not painting, to give a straight edge. It's really good for painting tall baseboards as it rolls along the floor and makes no mess.

magdelane, I wonder if what you describe is the technique used on HGTV shows - I've noticed they never seem to tape, they just have at it with their paintbrushes. We'll be painting all 1200 sq ft of our new home soon, and skipping the blue tape would be nice. On the other hand, there is something quite satisfying about tearing off all of that tape once finished...

I used a similiar thing once which had a flip-down guard that you would move in place when you wanted to edge. The problem is that the guard was metal, and so left a metal streak down everywhere it touched.

I don't recommend.

Cutting it...

This guy makes it look easy:
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/video/painting-tips-cut-in-a-straight-line.aspx

I agree that pulling off the tape often pulls off the paint. I hate to tape and rarely do. But when I do, I find that Frog Tape works much better than the blue stuff.

Page 91-91 of this pdf pictures for those who prefer that.
http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/how-to/articles/repainting-interior-trim.aspx

Regarding the Aura paint: suppose you are going with a lighter color? For example, a beige wall being repainted with white? Has anyone had good results with one coat in such a situation?

(Don't cringe...the apartment doesn't get much daylight!) Thanks.

I'm so glad to hear the Aura paint works well.. Maybe a combination of the paint with a tool like this will really help cut back on waste and time. It would be fantastic if the coverage is just as good in the opposite direction (white over dark).

I had my bathroom painted in Aura. The original color was a deep teal color that was in bad shape. It definitely took two coats of Aura to cover it up. One coat would not have sufficed.

Oh and I forgot to add that I was going from the teal to white.

I used a pale yellow Aura paint on white walls and it covered very well in one coat, using the BM Aura rollers that have a thick nap. I think it's worth the money.

valspar also has a $5 rebate for ever gallon you buy.

Magdelane is right. Taping is a waste of time if you do use that brush technique. It just takes a steady hand and a little bit of patience. It goes really fast once you get the hang of it.
As for those edging gadgets. don't wast your money. Spend it on a good brush that won't shed instead.