Buy ben for a real Benjamin Moore color on a wall that gets looked at more than touched. At about $47 it undercuts Regal Select by roughly $26, carries the same 3,500-tint deck as the flagship, and matches Aura's emissions class outright — zero-VOC before tinting plus GREENGUARD Gold. Skip it if that wall gets wiped, scrubbed, or leaned on. Eggshell scores 5 out of 10 on washability for a reason: 35 percent volume solids against Regal Select's 41 percent.
ben Interior vs ben Exterior
ben has an exterior sibling and the tier logic carries straight across: it is the color at the lowest price, not the coating at the longest life. This review is the interior line.
Spec Sheet
- COVERAGE
- 350–400 sq ft / gal
- SHEENS
- Flat/Matte, Eggshell, Satin/Pearl, Semi-Gloss
- VOLUME SOLIDS
- Flat 31.5% · matte about 32% · eggshell 35.0% · semi-gloss 39.0%
- TOUCH DRY
- About 2 hr
- RECOAT
- 2 hr minimum, 4 hr recommended
- FULL CURE
- About 14 days
- VOC
- Zero-VOC, 0 g/L before tinting; GREENGUARD Gold certified
- PRIMER
- Paint-and-primer in one on coated drywall; prime bare, glossy or stained surfaces first
- SURFACES
- Interior drywall, plaster, properly primed wood and trim
- SIZES
- Sample pint, quart, gallon
- COLOR DECK
- Full Benjamin Moore library, 3,500-plus tints
- PRICE
- About $47 / gal at BM dealers
Dry, Recoat, and the Second Coat
ben is touch dry in roughly two hours and recoatable at two, with four recommended for the best result, so two coats in a bedroom still fit inside a long afternoon. Take the four when you can. Full cure is about 14 days. Worth noting that Regal Select is genuinely faster here — about an hour to touch and one to two to recoat — so if same-day turnaround is your constraint, that is a point for the upper line, not this one. Plan on two coats in most rooms. Light over light in eggshell can sometimes hide in one pass on a primed wall; over patches or light-over-dark it is two, and BM dealers put a true dark color at up to three. Price that third gallon before you decide ben is the cheaper can.
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
A shiny spot where you scrubbed a scuff
Why it happens: Burnishing, and the spec behind it is volume solids. ben eggshell carries 35.0 percent against Regal Select's 41.1 — roughly a sixth less material on the wall per pass — and the stain-release chemistry BM builds into Regal Select is not in this line.
The fix: Gentle wipe with mild soap and nothing more. If the wall genuinely needs scrubbing weekly, ben is under-built for it and the fix is Regal Select on that room, not a better technique.
The paint coming off along with the stain
Why it happens: A painting contractor left mustard, ketchup, coffee, wine, crayon and pencil on a ben semi-gloss wall for 24 hours. Coffee, wine and pencil wiped away fine; the ketchup and mustard only came off when the paint came off with them, and the film peeled under everyday degreasers like Krud Kutter and Simple Green. That was semi-gloss, the sheen in this line that should clean up best.
The fix: Keep degreasers off it entirely. Wipe fresh spills early with plain water and mild soap, and treat a set stain as a touch-up job rather than a cleaning job. Any wall that meets grease wants a tougher line.
Spatter everywhere off the roller
Why it happens: ben is noticeably thin when you pour it, and that loose body is the flip side of how nicely it rolls. A contractor running it against SuperPaint and Hi-Hide got spatter off the ben roller the other two did not throw, and Good Housekeeping's testing docked it to three stars partly for splattering.
The fix: A 3/8-inch nap or shorter, a lighter load on the roller, and more drop cloth than a thicker paint needs. It is not universal, but plan for it rather than discovering it over your floor.
A dark color still looking patchy after two coats
Why it happens: ben covers acceptably but it is not a one-coat paint, and dark colors are where the thin film shows. BM dealers put ben at up to three coats going over or into a dark color, where Regal Select tops out at two.
The fix: Budget the third coat and the third gallon up front. On a navy dining room that extra coat can erase the whole saving, which is the moment to re-price Regal Select instead.
A touch-up that flashes months later
Why it happens: Touch-ups blend cleanly inside the first few weeks. After a season the patched spot catches light differently, which is common in entry paints.
The fix: Re-roll wall to corner rather than dabbing, and keep a labeled quart from the job. Do not bank on spot-fixing scuffs in year two.
Application Settings That Work
- BRUSH
- It lays down flat and forgives a wobbly hand — a 10-foot bedroom wall in eggshell with a 3/8-inch microfiber came out an even sheet on the first pass, no ropey edges. That handling matters more to a first-timer than a spec sheet admits. The trade is spatter, so keep the nap short and the load light.
- PRIMER
- Paint-and-primer in one on previously painted drywall in good shape. It is not a stain blocker. Bare drywall, raw patches, glossy trim, and water, marker or smoke stains all want a real primer first — Zinsser BIN or a bonding primer — and then topcoat with ben.
ben vs Regal Select vs Aura: Where the Money Goes
Every claim about hide, scrub life and coat count on this page traces back to one spec nobody prints on the front of the can: volume solids, the percentage of paint left on the wall once the water has evaporated.
| ben | Regal Select | Aura | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per gallon | About $47 | About $73–75 | About $90–94 |
| Volume solids, interior | Flat 31.5% · eggshell 35.0% · semi-gloss 39.0% | Flat 37.8% · eggshell 41.1% · pearl 40.1% · matte 42.7% | Matte up to 48%, in a 40–48% range |
| Washability | 5/10. Gentle wipe only, and degreasers can lift the film. | Holds a scrub, with stain-release chemistry as the named mechanism. | The best wear of the three. |
| Coats over or into a dark color | Up to three, per BM dealers. | Tops out at two. | The richest deep colors of the three. |
| Emissions | Zero-VOC before tinting, GREENGUARD Gold certified. | 0 g/L in matte, eggshell and pearl; under 50 g/L in flat and semi-gloss. | Same emissions class as ben. |
| Buy it when | Bedrooms, offices, guest rooms, ceilings, rentals. | Kitchens, hallways, any wall that gets touched. The default for most homeowners. | Deep statement walls and high-abuse walls you want reading new for a decade. |
Read the eggshell rows against each other — 35.0 percent for ben, 41.1 for Regal Select — and the ladder stops feeling like marketing. That sixth of a coat is why ben burnishes when you scrub and why a color change eats an extra pass. Buy ben for rooms that get looked at rather than touched, and buy it because the color you fell for is a Benjamin Moore color a big-box match will not reproduce faithfully. The uncomfortable context is the shelf price: at about $47 you are not cross-shopping other entry paints. Behr Marquee is within a penny at $46.98 and it is the top of Behr's ladder, Behr Ultra undercuts both at $43.98, and Sherwin-Williams Cashmere at $66.49 sits between ben and Regal Select. On film thickness alone Marquee is the thicker coating for the money, and we would rather you knew that.
What It's Good At
- +Color access at the lowest BM price — the same Hale Navy or Chantilly Lace, about $45 less a gallon than Aura
- +Rolling easy for a first-timer; it lays flat and forgives a wobbly hand
- +Zero-VOC before tinting plus GREENGUARD Gold, the one spec where the entry line matches the flagship
- +Two coats inside a long afternoon if you respect the recoat window
- +Sample pints, so you can test the real color on the real wall before buying gallons
- +Ceilings, closets, guest rooms and rentals, where thin film costs you nothing
What It's Not Good At
- −Scrub resistance — 5 out of 10, and the line's weakest score by a distance
- −Standing up to household degreasers, which can lift the film outright
- −Deep colors, which read flatter and slightly chalky next to Aura
- −Coat count on darks: up to three where Regal Select needs two
- −Roller spatter, thanks to the thin body that makes it roll so nicely
- −Touch-up flash after a season
- −Price context — at $47 you are cross-shopping other brands' flagships, not their entry lines
Honest Alternatives
BM's contractor entry line, a few dollars under ben by the gallon and cheaper by the bucket. Oddly it carries higher volume solids at 40 to 42 percent, because it is built to cover apartment walls fast rather than roll beautifully. It is not a paint-and-primer, so bare or patched drywall wants a separate primer coat.
The line most homeowners should default to. Roughly 41 percent solids in eggshell against ben's 35, stain-release technology behind the washability, a faster recoat, and no third coat even on a dark color. About $26 more, and it fixes both of ben's real weaknesses at once.
A step sideways rather than up: a scuff-resistant, antimicrobial wall paint for corridors, stairwells and anything rubbed by shoulders or banged by carts. If the one room defeating ben is a busy hallway rather than the whole house, this is the targeted fix.
A different brand for when the wall is the statement. Emerald wins on scrubbability and color retention at the top of the deck. Overkill for a bedroom; the right tool for the one wall you want to look expensive.
ben Interior Questions, Answered
Is BM ben worth it over Ultra Spec 500?
For a homeowner repaint, yes. ben is the consumer entry line; Ultra Spec is the contractor entry line. ben rolls smoother, hides a touch better, and comes in the full color deck. Ultra Spec is cheaper by the bucket and fine for rentals you will repaint often. If you are doing your own walls and want a clean result, ben is the better few dollars.
Does ben need a separate primer?
On previously painted drywall in good shape, no — ben is a paint-and-primer in one and self-primes there. On bare drywall, raw patches, glossy trim, or stained spots like water rings, marker and smoke, prime first. ben is not a stain blocker. Use Zinsser BIN or a bonding primer, then topcoat.
How is ben different from Regal Select and Aura?
Price and performance both step up, and volume solids are the reason. ben runs about $47 a gallon at roughly 35 percent solids in eggshell. Regal Select is about $73 to $75 at roughly 41 percent, with stain-release technology behind its better washability. Aura is about $90 to $94 with matte solids up to 48 percent, the richest deep colors and the best wear.
Can I use ben in a bathroom or kitchen?
In satin or semi-gloss, a powder room or a low-steam bathroom is fine. For a daily-shower bathroom or a kitchen wall behind a stove, ben is under-built. It scrubs and resists moisture less than Regal Select or Aura Bath & Spa. Use a tougher line where the wall gets wiped weekly or sees real steam.
How many coats of ben do I need?
Two, in most real situations. ben covers well for an entry paint but it is not a one-coat product. Light color over light color in eggshell can sometimes hide in one pass on a primed wall. Going over patches or light-over-dark always wants two, and a true dark color can pull a third.
How many coats of ben over a dark color?
Plan on three when you are covering or applying a dark color. BM dealers confirm ben can need a third pass there, while Regal Select tops out at two. If you are buying gallons for a color change, price the third coat before you assume ben is cheaper.
Is Benjamin Moore ben zero-VOC?
Yes. The current ben interior formula is zero-VOC, meaning 0 g/L before tinting, the same emissions class as Aura, and it stays low-odor in practice. That makes it a defensible pick for nurseries and bedrooms you need to sleep in the same night. ben Exterior is the exception at under 50 g/L.
What grade of paint is ben in the Benjamin Moore lineup?
The entry consumer grade. Dealers describe the ladder as ben good, Regal Select better, Aura best, with Ultra Spec 500 on the contractor side below it and Ultra Spec SCUFF-X alongside. The spec that separates them is volume solids: ben eggshell at about 35 percent against roughly 41 in Regal Select and up to 48 in Aura.
Is ben cheaper than Behr Marquee or Sherwin-Williams?
It costs almost exactly the same as Behr Marquee, roughly $47 a gallon, but they sit at opposite ends of their ladders: Marquee is Behr's flagship, ben is BM's entry line with thinner solids. Sherwin-Williams Cashmere runs about $66, between ben and Regal Select. You pick ben at this price for the 3,500-color BM deck and dealer tinting, not for the thickest film per dollar.
Why does my ben wall show handprints?
Thin film and no stain-release chemistry. Owners describe walls picking up greasy-looking handprints from clean hands within months of a repaint, and BM counter staff will tell you a rub against a ben wall stands a fair chance of chipping or scratching. It is why dealers steer the line toward renters and households without kids or pets.
Ask a Question
Mid-project with ben Interior? Stuck between two cans?
Ask Maya below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day. Rolled ben in a bedroom or a rental? Tell us how the walls looked a year later, and whether the price gap to Regal Select was worth skipping.