Why you should use Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint instead of his Natura paint

For as long as I can remember, I have used Benjamin Moore colors for myself and for my clients’ projects. They have a superior product range at an excellent price! Until a few years ago, I was not very familiar with your new line of low VOC eco paints (VOC stands for volatile organic compounds), so you can imagine my doubts about using these eco friendly products.

My first thought was “Oh no, my clients are going to ask me to use this paint because they saw it advertised as low or no voc paints, and since I’m the great designer that I am, I was going to have to please (or have a very good reason not to use them) “. So, I went out and bought a can of each, to test them, as I was working in a kitchen at the time that was in desperate need of new paint colors.

First off, the new green line of paints was priced slightly higher than Benjamin Moore’s “regular” primer, so I was glad they were providing a green product that didn’t break the bank like other green products. . There are three of them: Aura, Natura and Eco Spec… I applied each one to the walls of the kitchen I was renovating, and this is what I found …

  • Will have: Aura paint is low in volatile organic compounds, low in odor and resistant to mold. The best thing I like about using Aura paint is that the paint contains the primer, so you don’t need to apply a primer to the walls first. That saves time and money, and pretty much offsets the higher cost of Aura paint, as you would have to purchase primer with your standard line base paints. The color did not saturate and it dried very quickly. If I had needed to add another coat, it probably could have been done just two hours after the first application.
  • Nature: If you really are a stickler for VOCs, Benjamin Moore’s Natura paint does NOT contain VOCs, unlike Aura’s LOW VOC content. It was also practically odorless and dried very quickly, just like Aura paint. The Natura paint, when I applied it, did not cover well. It was like he was painting with watercolors! (Well, not too bad!) However, in defense of Natura, I applied a second and third coat, all in a span of about four hours, and was finally able to achieve the desired result. Remember though, Natura does NOT contain primer, therefore I had to prime the walls first. If you are going to paint a lot of walls or ceilings, you will have to buy a lot of Natura paint!
  • Ecological Specifications: Eco Spec, being a commercial grade paint, was great. Benjamin Moore’s Eco Spec line of paints is volatile organic compound free, odorless, and mildew resistant. It is the paint of choice for most commercial interior jobs. Although I had to primer the wall first, the Eco Spec covered very well and was around $ 10 cheaper than Natura.

There you have it! Simply put, Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint was the best covering and least time consuming as the primer is already in the paint. If you personally believe that, or the job you are working on, requires the paint you use to be completely VOC free, Eco Spec is your best option!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *