I just purchased a home and it needs a good painting (interior). A little research led me to a thread stating that Benjamin Moore has the best paint. How does it compare to Lowe's and Home Depot paints?
Does the brand really matter?
What are the qualities of a top end paint versus a low end paint?
Update
I have always been pleased with Behr paints from the Home Depot, though I know they are a bit pricey.
From my experience less expensive paints tend to have the following in common (and I'm sure this is by no means comprehensive)
less covering ability ... the pigments used don't seem to be able to provide as good a barrier to bleed through from what's on the wall now
less coverage ... probably related to the first point, but they also don't seem to get the same amount of square footage per gallon
more spatter/drips, the paint itself seems thinner leading to more cleanup
less selection of colours
less durable, the less expensive semi glosses that I've used don't seem to retain their finish as long leading to repainting earlier.
more marking, again related to the finish, the walls seem to mark up much easier
Again this is only based on my experiences, Sears used to have a good quality paint but lately I've bought Behr. CIL is probably good in most cases as is Benjamin Moore. I've used a number of bargain brands and don't really recommend any of them, and the last time I used a gallon of Walmart house brand was the last time I used a gallon from Walmart :-P
Hope this (mostly opnion) helps.
Stephen has a great answer. One more thing:
Consumer Reports does objective analysis of paints and stains every year. They test properties like how well it covers up what is underneath, resistance to fading, resistance to mildew, resistance to cleaners and scrubbing, etc.
Behr is usually one of their top-rated brands. Other top picks are from Kilz, Glidden, and Benjamin Moore. Which one is "best" will vary depending on the specific type of paint you are looking for (Satin, Semi-Gloss, Flat, etc). It can also change from year to year as companies reformulate their products.
You have to subscribe to see the ratings: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/home-garden/home-improvement/paints/index.htm
You can also buy a back issue.
In general, yes the cheapest option rarely is, but if you live in the New York City, there's a relatively small company called Mercury (no, that's not a comment on the ingredients :) ) that I've found to be the best I've ever used. It covers almost half again as much area as I was able to do with Bejamin Moore. As an added bonus, their low VOC line smells a lot less than any other one and doesn't affect people who get sick even from other low VOC paints like Benjamin Moore Aura.
