painting halls inside building

Depending on the traffic I would either go with Benjamin Moore Aura or Stainmaster paint, which could be costly but works well

Ben Moore - China White semi-gloss looks good

i would stay away from white in common areas and go slightly grayish. this way you will avoid having to retouch on regular basis. i'm all for benjamin moore higher end lines.

marco: Benjamin Moore sells those small sample size paint jars. It's worth the $4 to pick up a few different colors and bring them home to see how they look on your walls.

Happy first Holiday season in your new apartment.

now thats a good idea. thx!

Always a pleasure, marco.

The off-white colors like "Eggshell" have a few subtle variations. They also have off-white colors that contain a bit of a soft pink hue (and are very "warm" in paint-color-speak).

For retouching, you can make note of the color that you painted it with, and go out and get the sample size.

Big White Dove fan here. Grayish white that comes off as warm and easy to live with.

also 1) don't buy a flat finish -- it will make the walls look great, but hard to clean. For high-traffic areas, use as much gloss/shine as you can stand -- at least an eggshell.

2) If you put white walls next to white trim, use the same white, or fairly differentiated whites, otherwise one will look "dirty."

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

To All:

Eggshell is not a color, thats a finish. You can buy flat paint now, Benjamin Moore Aura is easy to clean.

Eggshell is a very nice finish but what condition are your walls in? If they are not skim coated (smooth with little or no imperfections? then you can use anything. If you live in a pre war building and you have imperfections i would in no way use anything but flat. Flat hides the imperfections the best.

I am in the process of painting an apartment at Trump Place, which is modern. My clients picked White Dove (I suggested Aura, thats what we went with) the crown moldings and base moldings are being painted Ballet White in Semi gloss. The combination really looks great

front_porch and Primer: Yes, I agree with both of you.

"Eggshell" is, or at least; once was a "color". "Aura" is nice, too.

Marco: Just choose a few of the above, in sample sizes and decide for yourself.

"Flat" vs. "gloss/shine"...
Eggshell= "finish", as opposed to a "color"...

marco: you have eyes.You can see,compare, and decide for yourself.
It's your apt. You will know what you like best.

Primer, I never suggested eggshell was a color. The only color I suggested was White Dove. Read that post again.

But flat paint is not easy to clean in my book, even Aura.

ali r.
DG Neary Realty

We just painted our hallways and stairwells this year.

The contractor absolutely refused to paint the halls in anything flatter than semi-gloss, and for good reason. We are very glad he talked us into it. Flat is appropriate for surfaces that will never EVER be touched (ceilings), and eggshell is fine for inside apartments that have no children and virtually no traffic. Benjamin Moore now has a finish that's between eggshell and semi-gloss: satin. VERY nice ... no shine (just the barest hint of a sheen) and easy to clean (I had eggshell walls in my old apartment ... BM says it's actually "scrubbable" but that's total bullshit ... it's not even "wipeable").

Our lobby, halls, and stairwells were done in semi-gloss. Trim, doors, stair risers, and handrails done in high gloss. Looks fabulous and much easier to maintain than the less-hardy finishes.

front_porch: Even if you had suggested eggshell is a color, you would not have been incorrect.
It's both a color, and is also a paint finish.

Matt: The Ben Moore satin finish is very nice.

Front, where did I say you said it? If you read the post above yours.... If you want to go that way, there really isnt any paint that is easy to clean.

As far as finishes I guess it really depends on how high end the building is as well. There are some that would never paint the hallways in a semi gloss while others would put very expensive millwork and wallpaper in theirs

Actually, oil-based eggshell finish Benjamin Moore is really easy to clean.I used Windex on it all the time.

TGhe only problem is that oil-based was taken off the market in the eggshell/satin fimish, except for Farrow & Ball, which still makes oil-based paints in those finishes.

Also have to point out Farrow and Ball is a lot more expensive then Benjamin Moore

Money is no object to the queen of the penthouse.

I now have one room painted in F&B and the others painted in B&M Aura Satin finish. I never noticed before, but I much prefer (obviously not the public hallway of a bldg) the flatter finish of the F&B paint.

As to costs, professional painting costs way more than the differential for a couple of gallons of paint. I painted my one F&B room myself, so I wasn't too fussed about paying double for paint.

"Actually, oil-based eggshell finish Benjamin Moore is really easy to clean.I used Windex on it all the time."

Ah, but that's the rub. Oil-based paint is MUCH more durable than the water-based latex, regardless of finish. But it's more work to apply, takes longer to dry, and gives off a lot more fumes while it's drying.

By this point in time, Marco has gotten some samples of various colors and finishes.

He may have chosen an "eggshell" color, perhaps also in an "eggshell" finish.
(It's in the dictionary, see: eggshell. Under "E".)

Happy holidays,Marco; in your new apartment.

Does he qualify for the free dinner?

Truth is right:

Benjamin Moore Eggshell 2026-70.

Nyc, yes having a professional paint job is more then the cost of better paint. But the difference if you use a pro and buy the better paint can be a lot as well. Some people dont want to spend an extra $500-$1,000 for F and B