2 House Brands Top Paint Rankings

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2014

Interior paints from Behr and Clark + Kensington earned top marks in Consumer Reports’ latest performance evaluation—measuring “excellent” in terms of hiding and scrubbability.

The products earned the highest scores of 67 paints evaluated.

The Home Depot's Behr Premium Plus Ultra paints ranked No. 1 in both the satin and matte categories, while Ace Hardware’s Clark + Kensington took the top spot in the semi-gloss category. The top paints were priced at just over $30 per gallon.

©  iStock.com / ozgurdonmaz

The testing agency conducted performance testing on 67 paints.

©  iStock.com / ozgurdonmaz

The testing agency conducted performance testing on 67 paints.

The influential non-profit organization issued its interior paint ratings Jan. 14, based on demanding testing methods of a number of important appearance and performance measures.

The agency said it had toughened its interior paint tests this year by applying water and oil-based stains to the painted panels, in addition to testing how well paints held up to scrubbing, their ability to hide old paint, and their overall smoothness.

Top Performers

Behr Premium Plus Ultra and Clark + Kensington paints were joined by a number of other products in earning Consumer Reports’ coveted verdict of “recommended” or “best buy,” according to a review of the rankings.

Other high-ranking satin paints included Benjamin Moore Aura Satin, Clark + Kensington Satin, Kilz Casual Colors Satin.

As for flat paints, Consumer Reports ranked Valspar Signature Matte; Glidden Premium Flat; Benjamin Moore Aura Matte; and Clark + Kensington Flat Enamel in the top five, along with Behr Premium Plus Ultra.

Consumer Reports

The full report and ratings of interior paints is featured in the March 2014 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine and online to subscribers at www.ConsumerReports.org.

In the semi-gloss category, Behr Premium Plus Ultra Semi-Gloss Enamel; Valspar Signature Semi-Gloss; Behr Premium Plus Semi-Gloss; and Benjamin Moore Aura followed Clark + Kensington in the rankings.

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Commentary, Suggestions

“Our new Ratings show that spending top dollar won’t always get you better paint,” said Celia Kuperszmid-Lehrman, Consumer Reports’ deputy content editor of home and appliances.

She also warned consumers to be “wary of relying on past experience to pick a paint,” noting that brands frequently are tweaked from year to year, which affects the paint’s performance.

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The publication also offered recommendations on selection of paint products, including:

• Use online resources to get ideas. Whites and neutrals are in style again, and warm grays are hot, too. Consumers can find inspiration at the manufacturers’ Pinterest boards and websites, where they can compare color palettes or play with additional painting tools.

• Pick the finish. Many eggshell and satin paints have become much better at standing up to scrubbing, according to Consumer Reports’ latest tests. Flat paints are better than eggshell at hiding imperfections because they don’t reflect light, but they are also the least stain-resistant, so flat-finishes aren’t an ideal choice for busy rooms.

• Nail the perfect color. Light affects color significantly. Once a hue has been selected, consider buying three samples: the desired color, one a shade lighter and one a shade darker. Paint a sample next to a window and in an area that’s dark, viewing the colors in daylight and at night, with the lights on and off.

About Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is the world’s largest independent product-testing organization. Using its more than 50 labs, auto test center, and survey research center, the non-profit rates thousands of products and services annually.

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The full report and ratings of interior paints is featured in the March 2014 issue of Consumer Reports Magazine and online to subscribers at www.ConsumerReports.org.