Read the data sheet.
Then read the warranty.
Benjamin Moore publishes a two-page technical data sheet for every can it sells. One column is numbers: solids, spread rate, film thickness, dry times, VOC, gloss. One paragraph on the exterior sheets is the warranty. Both are written to be skimmed. Here is how to read them slowly, with the sheets for the three lines at our counter as the example.
Six lines, and what each one is for.
Start with volume solids. It is the share of the can that stays on the wall. Aura interior eggshell prints 46 percent, plus or minus 2. Regal Select eggshell prints 45. ben eggshell prints 39. Outside, Aura low lustre is 45.5, Regal Select 43.0, ben 33.3. The sheet prints it per sheen, and inside one line it moves a lot: Aura interior runs from 47 in matte down to 38 in semi-gloss. Always read the sheet for the sheen on your ticket.
Spread rate per gallon is how far it goes "at recommended film thickness," and the sheet says the number depends on texture and porosity. Inside, Aura is 350 to 400 square feet, Regal Select and ben are 400 to 450. Outside, Aura and Regal Select low lustre are 250 to 350, ben is 350 to 475. A lower number is not worse paint. Read it with the next line.
Recommended film thickness is printed wet and dry, in mils. The dry number is the paint job. Aura interior eggshell leaves 1.9 to 2.1 mils a coat, Regal Select 1.6 to 1.8, ben 1.4 to 1.6. Outside, Aura low lustre leaves 2.1 to 2.9 and prints a high-build option at 6 to 10 mils wet, Regal Select leaves 2.3, ben leaves 1.3. Solids divided by spread rate is dry film; the sheet has done the math for you, and it is the one line that tells you why one can needs the third coat.
Dry time is printed "@ 77 °F (25 °C) @ 50% RH," to touch and to recoat. Interior: Aura one hour and one hour; Regal Select eggshell one hour and one to two; ben eggshell one hour and two; the semi-glosses run longer, three hours to recoat on Regal Select, four on ben. Exterior low lustre: one hour to touch and four to recoat on all three. Then the sentence that matters in Cheatham County: "High humidity and cool temperatures will result in longer dry, recoat and service times." Every sheet also says painted surfaces can be washed after two weeks, and every one prints a floor for application: 50 degrees inside, 35 outside.
VOC is grams per liter of solvent. Aura and Regal Select interior print under 50; Regal Select semi-gloss under 100; ben interior prints zero. Exterior low lustres print 40 to 50. The oil primers are the outliers, 344 for the 024 and under 350 for the 094, and that is the trade the sheet is honest about: the alkyd is what it sends you to for severe tannin and smoke.
Sheen is a gloss reading at an angle: eggshell 10 to 22 at 85 degrees on Aura, 15 to 22 on Regal Select and ben; semi-gloss 50 to 60 at 60 degrees on all three; exterior low lustre 9 to 15 at 60. Two lines with the same sheen name read the same on the meter. What differs is the solids under it.
What is the dry film per coat on this can. How many coats does the sheet say on my surface. What is the recoat time at 77 and 50, and what will it be on the day I am painting. Is the number I am reading for the sheen I am buying.
| Line | Interior eggshell | Volume solids | Spread rate | Dry film | Recoat @ 77°F / 50% RH | VOC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura | N524 | 46 ± 2% | 350 to 400 sq ft | 1.9 to 2.1 mils | 1 hour | < 50 g/L |
| Regal Select | N549 | 45 ± 2% | 400 to 450 sq ft | 1.6 to 1.8 mils | 1 to 2 hours | < 50 g/L |
| ben | N626 | 39 ± 2% | 400 to 450 sq ft | 1.4 to 1.6 mils | 2 hours | Zero g/L |
| Line | Exterior low lustre | Volume solids | Spread rate | Dry film | Recoat @ 77°F / 50% RH | Warranty |
| Aura | N634 | 45.5 ± 2% | 250 to 350 sq ft | 2.1 to 2.9 mils | 4 hours | Limited lifetime |
| Regal Select | N401 | 43.0% | 250 to 350 sq ft | 2.3 mils | 4 hours | Limited lifetime |
| ben | 542 | 33.3% | 350 to 475 sq ft | 1.3 mils | 4 hours | 25 years |
Benjamin Moore technical data sheets, current US editions. Interior lines carry the standard satisfaction warranty.
| Exterior test on the sheet | Aura N634 | Regal Select N401 | ben 542 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water vapor permeance, ASTM D1653 | 31 perms | 38.36 perms | 42 perms |
| Mildew resistance, ASTM D3273 / D3274 | Pass: no growth | Pass: no growth | Pass: no growth |
| Flexibility, ASTM D522 | Pass, no cracking | Pass, no cracking | Not printed |
| Elongation and tensile, ASTM D2370 | 151%, 422 psi | 167%, 674 psi | Not printed |
| Wind-driven rain, ASTM D6904 | Pass, over primed masonry | Pass, over primed masonry | Listed, tested over primed masonry |
| Application floor | 35 °F | 35 °F | 35 °F |
A number with a test method next to it is a spec. "Durable" and "long-lasting" on the front of the can are claims. The sheet has both; read the column with the ASTM numbers in it. If a scrub-cycle number is quoted to you, ask which sheet it came from. Benjamin Moore does not print one on these.
"Lifetime" is one paragraph. Here is the whole thing.
The exterior Aura and Regal Select sheets print a paragraph titled Limited Lifetime Warranty, and it is short enough to read all of. Benjamin Moore warrants that the paint, "when used in accordance with the label instructions, will not: 1. blister from properly prepared and primed surfaces, 2. peel from properly prepared and primed surfaces, and 3. wear down or weather to expose the previously painted surface."
Read the three promises for what they leave out. Fade is not on the list. Chalking is not on the list. Mildew is not on the list; the sheet covers mildew with a test result instead of a promise. What is covered is the film letting go of the wall, or wearing through. Then read the condition that is in every promise twice: "properly prepared and primed surfaces." The surface preparation section on page two is the definition. Clean, dry, free of chalk and mildew and loose paint, glossy surfaces dulled, cedar and redwood primed with the primer the sheet names. A wall that was not prepped that way is a wall the warranty does not reach, and the sheet says why in the next sentence: "Since we have no control over surface preparation or application."
How long. "This warranty shall be effective for so long as you reside in your home." That is what lifetime means: your time in the house, not the paint's. It is "made to the original residential consumer paint purchaser" and it "is non-transferable." Sell the house and it ends. Benjamin Moore's own explanation of the warranties says it plainly: if the property "is sold, leased or rented to another party, then warranty is no longer valid." A rental is not covered from day one.
What you get. "An equivalent or comparable product at no charge," on presentation of the original sales receipt. Paint. Then the capital letters: "THIS LIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF LABOR FOR APPLICATION OF PAINT," and Benjamin Moore is not liable for "INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES." The explanation document spells that out too: not lost time, and not "damages to the house underlying our products." The warranty replaces the gallons. It does not repaint the house.
ben exterior carries the same three promises with a number instead of a lifetime: "effective for 25 years," to the same original purchaser, still non-transferable, and still paid in paint rather than labor. The interior lines carry a different kind of warranty entirely. Benjamin Moore "warrants satisfactory results if used according to label directions," and if you are not satisfied you return the unused portion with the receipt for replacement or a refund. That is a satisfaction warranty on the can, not a durability warranty on the wall, and Benjamin Moore's own explanation says the standard is "defined by the consumer."
None of that is a criticism. It is a clearer warranty than most, and the three promises on the exterior lines are the three ways exterior paint actually fails. The point is to know that "lifetime" on the label means blister, peel, and wear-through, on a prepped and primed wall, for the original owner, paid in paint. Keep the receipt.
| Read for | Where it is on the sheet | What it says on Aura and Regal Select exterior |
|---|---|---|
| What is covered | The numbered list | Blister, peel, wear down or weather through. Fade, chalk, and mildew are not on the list. |
| The condition | Inside each promise | "Properly prepared and primed surfaces," defined by the prep section on page two. |
| How long | One sentence after the list | "For so long as you reside in your home." ben exterior: 25 years. |
| Who | Same sentence | Original residential consumer purchaser. Non-transferable. Rentals are not residential. |
| The remedy | "Benjamin Moore & Co. will..." | Equivalent or comparable product, at no charge, with the original receipt. |
| Labor | The capital letters | Not included. Not indirect or consequential damages either. |
| Interior lines | Explanation of Product Warranties | Satisfaction warranty: return the unused portion for replacement or refund. |
Which three things does the warranty name. What does "properly prepared and primed" mean for my wall, in the prep section. Does it transfer. Does it pay labor. Then staple the receipt to the sheet and put both in the drawer.
Before You Price Paint
Know what is in the can.
Three short reads on paint. Written for the builder who has to answer to the money, and for the wall that gets painted twice.
Frequently Asked
Paint data sheets and warranties, answered.
What is dry film thickness on a paint data sheet?
What does spread rate per gallon mean?
What does "dry time at 77 degrees and 50 percent humidity" mean?
Does Benjamin Moore publish a scrub resistance number?
What does the limited lifetime warranty on Aura and Regal Select exterior cover?
What does VOC on a paint can mean?
Come See It
Put your hands on it first.
Specs only tell you so much. Come walk the yard and the showroom.
119 Cumberland St, Ashland City. The coffee’s on.