Update: I have since shared my current thoughts on painting furniture with Benjamin Moore Advance. Please read that post here as a follow up to this post.****

1. Bm Harris Paint Brushes
2. Benjamin Moore Paint Price List

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Hi friends! A few months ago I decided to try out a new paint, Benjamin Moore’s Advance. For a while now I have been using General Finishes paints and topcoats, but since I began spraying furniture with an HVLP spray gun at the beginning of 2015 it’s proven to be incredibly hard to achieve an even finish when spraying on a topcoat. The conclusion I have come to is the air that comes out of the gun causes the topcoat that was just sprayed on in the previous stroke to immediately start drying. Pretty much there wouldn’t be enough of a “wet edge” for the topcoat to run together into a smooth, even finish which results in streaks on the long surfaces (like the tops and some sides of pieces). I’ve tried spraying thicker and thinner coats of the topcoat to try and combat this problem, but I have not found anything that works to prevent it from happening. In the end I would smooth out the finish with steel wool and then apply the last coat of poly/topcoat with a high quality paint brush or foam brush. *As a side note, this problem is more prominent when using high sheens like gloss or satin topcoats.*

Bm Harris Paint Brushes

This item is a Benjamin Moore Paint Brush Polyester Angle 2 '. Purpose of use for Painting Supplies, household-bristle-paintbrushes. This product is manufactured in United States.

This led me to find something different. I was searching for a paint that came in different sheens that would not require a top coat (and not stay tacky). Enter Benjamin Moore Advance. BM Advance is a Waterborne Alkyd Paint which acts and looks like a traditional oil-based paint in a waterborne formula that easily cleans up with just soap and water. I’ve read of people rolling, brushing and spraying this paint on and having great results with little texture (brush strokes, roll marks, etc.) I’ve used this paint 3 times now (I’m currently painting a third piece with it) and have only used the high gloss finish. I’m hoping to try the satin finish or semi-gloss as well, I just need to get more pieces prepped and ready for paint. You can see the modern credenza with geometric drawers I painted with Advance here.

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3. The Benjamin Moore 65125 brush is my favorite paint brush. Chisel tipped and tapered for extreme sharp cuts. Yes, made by Wooster Brush Co. The link will take you to my review on the 65125.
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Here’s my opinion on this paint, the good things about it, and the things I don’t care for. I will say, there’s no perfect paint out there. Different paints do different things and act differently. It all depends on the look you are going for and what you need the paint to do for you (like be durable on high traffic surfaces, or just cover an old finish).

Cost
I want to start off with talking a bit about price. I find this paint to be similarly priced to other paints that I use (like General Finishes). BM Advance Waterborne Alkyd Paint will run you about $25 a quart plus tax and $50 a gallon plus tax. Obviously a gallon is more cost effective and it makes sense for me to buy common colors that I will use often (like white) in larger quantities. For colors that I’m trying for the first time or ones that are brighter and not used as often, I just purchase a quart.

Dry and Re-coat Time
One thing to note about this paint is the dry time and re-coat time. It’s long, and people freak out about it. If you need a project done fast this may not be the paint to use on that project. The paint takes approximately 4 to 6 hours to dry and 16 hours before re-coating. Temperature and humidity can play a role in those times and can increase the dry and re-coat times. To be safe I wait at least 24 hours between coats and sometimes even wait 2-3 days if I can. I also use my dish heater (you won’t want to use a heater that blows air as this will cause any debris in the air to end up in your painted finish) and turn it on about 10 minutes after I finish spraying. My spray booth holds the heat well and I will move it about every 30 minutes or so to another area in the spray booth. Just be sure not to turn the temperature too high and do not put it too close to the piece.

The great thing about the extended open time for Advance is it means that paint has a longer period of time to level which can result in a finish with fewer brush, roller or spray marks. I did still have problems with orange peel texture when spraying this paint sometimes. The negative to an extended dry time is more time for dust, fuzz and other debris to land in the finish. A clean space that will not be disturbed for a few hours is ideal. For me a fully controlled environment for spraying is not possible, but I do my best to keep my spray booth vacuumed, I lay down a wet or damp drop cloth to catch some of the overspray and other particles in the air, and once I finish spraying I leave the booth with as little disturbance to the plastic sheeting and try not enter again until the paint is dry.

Drips and Runs
Another thing I’ve struggled with is applying the paint a little too thick on pieces with detail and molding, and then having it drip. This is partly due to the longer dry time, but this paint is known for now having great sag and drip resistance. Now that it has happened (and I’ve never had a drip when spraying any paint before using Advance) I changed how I painted doors and drawers with molding. Just be aware if you paint a piece with insets and molding, they can be tricky. If you get a drip with this paint you have to let the area cure for a few days (if it cures) and then use a high grit sandpaper (400 or higher) and lightly sand the area to smooth it out. Once you have done that go over it with 000 synthetic steel wool. In my experience it’s almost impossible to perfectly fix an area where a drip occurred without getting all the paint off in that area. I only ever got a drip when painting this piece.

Sanding Between Coats
You must dull the surface between coats. I’ve been painting with the high gloss finish, and it’s glossy. If you do not dull the surface by using a high grit sandpaper or synthetic steel wool between coats you will not get good adhesion and the paint can repel the next layer that is applied. Indesign cs5 mac download. Even when working with other paints it is a good idea to smooth out the finish between coats to ensure a durable and smooth final finish. I don’t normally do this between every coat with other paints, but it is necessary with Advance.

I’ve actually found that even high grit sandpaper, like 400 grit, will leave scratches in the paint (which will show through if you are using high gloss) so I solely stick to using #000 synthetic steel wool. The photo above shows the side of a piece that I had used synthetic steel wool on the dull the finish and smooth it out. In my experience real steel wood sheds and it can be hard and a pain to remove all of the particles from the piece. Plus, if you miss any particles there is a possibility they can rust and come through the freshly painted finish. None of the hardware stores in 30 miles of me carry synthetic steel wool (that I have found) so I order it off of Amazon. The Norton #000 2 pack is my favorite but I also buy and use the Task ‘Fine’ grit. Do not buy the the 3M brand. I tried it and it did nothing, don’t waste your money. The best thing about dulling the surface between coats with synthetic steel wool is it doesn’t remove much, if any at all, of the paint. When I used sandpaper and a sanding block it made a mess and would rub the paint off the edges of doors and drawers so I would be back down to the primer. Synthetic steel wool won’t do that! I only ever use sandpaper on with the paint if I get a drip. Any fine particles get removed and smoothed out with the synthetic steel wool.

Clean Up
One thing I’ve loved is that Advance comes in multiple sheens/finishes. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post I have only used the high gloss finish so far, but the paint is also available in satin and semi-gloss. For a non-oil-based paint the high gloss Advance has a really nice shine. When I spray it on it gets pretty glossy… and I don’t have to use an oil-based product which would mean terrible clean up and lots of fumes. It’s a great alternative to an oil-based product. Even though this paint acts like an oil-based paint, it is low VOC (no strong chemical smells) and it cleans up with soap and water. Score!

*** please read this updated post on The Truth about BM Advance. I have a different opinion on this now after more time using this paint***

Cure Time and Durability
One drawback to this paint being a waterborne alkyd is the cure time. The can reads 60 days for the most durable, fully cured finish. That’s a long time! I don’t know anyone who wants to do a project, like paint a piece of furniture, and then have to wait 2 months for it to cure and regularly using it. While it may take 30 -60 days for the paint to fully cure I have let a piece sit for 2 weeks before putting everything back together and staging (staging = wear around here). I’ve moved books around on it, set glass vases on the paint, heavy metal lamps, picture frames and other items without any marks, scratches or indentations. I even left items on overnight for 24-36 hours and still had no problems with only 2 weeks of curing. That being said I’ve had the opposite experience. I painted a piece that seemed like it cured but dinged and scratched way too easily. This was before the full 60 days of recommended cure time, but that shouldn’t happen to dry paint after 1 month. Like I said before, this paint isn’t for every project. I also assume (and have had people confirm) that a lower sheen like satin will cure faster. Semi-gloss and high gloss are more likely to stay tacky longer until they fully cure.

In full disclosure I want to say that I have yet to paint a piece and use it for an extended period of time, so I cannot speak to the long term durability of this paint. I do plan to paint a piece to use and test out and will do an update in a few months on how the finish has held up and if any dents, scratches or anything else occurs.

Since 2016 I no longer use BM Advance. Please click here to read why and my updated thoughts on the paint.

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So there’s my little run-down of how this paint works and some of the advantages and drawbacks to a waterborne alkyd paint. If this scared you away or you want a product that does not require as much time I love using General Finishes milk paint, which is actually an acrylic paint, not a true milk paint. Their paint comes in one sheen (it’s a low sheen finish) and is best when sealed with their High performance topcoat which comes in Flat, Satin, Semi-Gloss and Gloss. I have been using GF paints and high performance topcoats for a couple of years now and they provide beautiful and durable finishes.

Benjamin Moore Paint Price List

If you have more questions about this paint leave a comment or shoot me an email: theweathereddoor[at]gmail.com. Have you tried BM Advance yet? I think we’d all love to hear your tips and experiences with this paint.

Stick around for a new piece coming soon! It’s another piece painted in high gloss Advance… and I’ll warn you now, it’s a pretty bold color 🙂

-Reeves