I had used the Ben Moore Aura to repaint some furniture in my bedroom. I loved it b/c it is a green product with low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Also it dried quickly and there was barely a hint of odor. (Odor in the paint is the poison part) It was so non-stinky, in fact, that I could place the items back in my bedroom the very same night. Here are pictures of my “workroom” ahem, kitchen floor.
One drawback I did notice was that it set up rather quickly. With oil based paint, which we all used in the past for furniture and most brush work, you had some time to get really nice pull strokes with the brush. For a lay person, this is a bit harder to achieve this with Aura, so you have to work a bit quicker and steadier. Still, all things being equal, I felt it was worth it. And was quite pleased with my no-longer-green night stands. (They are now ivory!)
My painters have all given rave reviews, but I am yet to hear from a homeowner about it. Until now. Back in December, I met with Kate who was planning on doing some painting herself in her condo. We picked paint colors, talked about furniture layout, lighting, window treatments. I had been thinking about her and was wondering how it worked out, if she had had time to try anything yet…. so I shot her an email to check in. I was delighted to hear that she bought some new furniture and also started painting.
“Think about doing large spaces – with a fast set up time frame. What happens is that you can’t feather etc., so it leaves light spots. While it takes one coat (to cover) you end up having to go over the light spots about 15- 20 minutes later.”
It’s like working with clay slip – the end product is beautiful very rich good coverage (note I was going over white w/ a darker color”
Thanks, Kate for the tips!