Buy Regal Select for interior walls in a home you plan to keep. The open time is long enough to cut a whole wall's edge and roll into it without lap marks chasing you across the room, it hides mid-tones in one coat where ben needs two, and eggshell takes a mild-soap wipe of fingerprints at month two without polishing where you rubbed. Skip it if the moody library wall is the whole point of the room, or if the rooms are low-traffic and the budget is tight.
Which Regal Are You Buying?
The Regal name has history and the cans on the shelf have changed. This review covers Regal Select Interior, the current waterborne wall line. If a dealer hands you Regal without the Select, ask — the older Regal Classic was discontinued years back and you do not want leftover stock for a real repaint.
Spec Sheet
- COVERAGE
- 350–400 sq ft / gal
- SHEENS
- Flat, Matte, Eggshell, Pearl/Satin, Semi-Gloss
- TOUCH DRY
- 1 hr
- RECOAT
- 1–2 hr, longer in humidity
- FULL CURE
- About 14–30 days
- VOC
- Under 50 g/L; LEED-eligible, not GREENGUARD Gold
- PRIMER
- Self-priming on prepped repaints; Stix or a stain blocker on slick, raw or stained surfaces
- SURFACES
- Drywall, plaster, primed wood and trim, interior masonry
- SIZES
- Quart, gallon, 5-gallon
- COLOR DECK
- 3,500-plus BM colors, dealer-tinted with Gennex
- PRICE
- $50–60 / gal quoted; $74.99 published 2026 retail, sale near $45
The Recoat Window, Honestly
BM markets Regal Select as a quick-dry, fast-recoat paint, and on the right day it is: touch dry in an hour, recoat in one to two. The trap is treating the one-hour figure as a green light regardless of conditions. In a steamy bathroom or a closed-up summer room the surface skins over before the film underneath is ready, and your roller pulls the half-set paint into streaks. The fix is not a different paint, it is patience and airflow — crack a window, run a fan, and give it the longer end of the window when the air is wet. Full cure runs 14 to 30 days, so hold off on hard scrubbing for a few weeks. Done right, two coats in an afternoon is realistic. Rushed, you are sanding and starting over.
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
Ropey streaks where the second coat dragged the first
Why it happens: The label says recoat in an hour, and on a warm dry day you can. In a humid room, or over a glossy spot, going back too early lifts the first coat instead of covering it. DIYers take the one-hour figure as a promise rather than a minimum.
The fix: Wait the full window and longer in humidity. Crack a window and run a fan pointed at the room. If it has already gone ropey, sand it flat once it is dry, spot-prime any bare drywall you opened up, and recoat on the slower schedule.
A shiny ghost wherever you cleaned a fingerprint
Why it happens: Flat sheen. It hides texture beautifully and scrubs terribly, and people buy it for the look without knowing that trade. Cleaning a flat wall leaves a polished mark right where you wiped.
The fix: Eggshell is the floor for any wall you will touch. Flat belongs on ceilings and nowhere else. If the wall is already flat, you are repainting it in eggshell rather than fixing individual spots.
A deep navy or charcoal reading uneven at the edges
Why it happens: The pigment is there; the resin clarity that makes Aura's deep tones vibrate is not. Side by side in the same color, Regal Select comes off a touch flatter and can want a third coat to look even.
The fix: Budget the third coat, or step up. At real 2026 shelf prices the jump to Aura is about $15 a gallon, not $35, which changes the math on a single accent wall considerably.
Patched repairs flashing through the finish coat
Why it happens: Self-priming is a real claim on a previously painted wall in a similar color, but raw patched mud, bare drywall and stains are not that case. The porous patch drinks the paint and dries at a different sheen.
The fix: Spot-prime patches and repairs before the first coat. INSL-X Stix for slick or glossy surfaces, a stain blocker for water or smoke marks. Then two coats over the whole wall, not just the repair.
Application Settings That Work
- BRUSH
- The long open time is what you are paying for: cut a whole wall's edge and roll into it without lap marks chasing you. With a Wooster or Purdy sleeve it lays flat and levels clean. A 3/8-inch microfiber covered a beige builder wall going to a mid-green in one pass, where ben needed two.
- PRIMER
- Self-priming on previously painted walls in decent shape and a similar color. Prime when you are going light over dark, covering stains, or painting raw drywall, glossy trim, or patched repairs. INSL-X Stix for slick surfaces, a stain blocker for water or smoke marks.
Regal Select vs ben vs Aura at Real 2026 Prices
The ladder makes more sense once you use published retail instead of the numbers everyone repeats. The step down is bigger than the marketing suggests, and the step up is much smaller.
| Regal Select | ben | Aura | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published 2026 retail | $74.99 / gal | $46.99 / gal | $89.99 / gal |
| Usually quoted at | $50–60 | $35–40 | $80–95 |
| Step from Regal Select | — | About $28 cheaper, not $15 | About $15 more, not $35 |
| One-coat hide on mid-tones | Yes, over a similar base. | No — it hides worse on color changes and wants two. | Yes, and it holds deep colors the other two flatten. |
| Washability | Eggshell wipes clean at month two without burnishing. | Burnishes faster and scrubs poorly. | Noticeably better burnish resistance at year three. |
| Where it belongs | Living rooms, bedrooms, hallways — most of a house. | Closets, ceilings, guest rooms, walls you will not wipe. | Forever-home rooms, deep colors, high-abuse walls. |
Regal Select is still the right can when you are buying BM's color deck and dealer tinting for walls you will live with for years, and eggshell is the sheen to buy. But run the real numbers before you commit: ben is roughly $28 cheaper, so the budget step down is bigger than it looks, and Aura is only about $15 more, which makes the better resin a small stretch if deep color is the point of the room. Independent dealers set their own prices and the regional spread is wide, so call your store before you budget the job. And if you are cross-shopping a big-box premium gallon, the field says you will not feel $20 to $25 a gallon of difference on a low-traffic wall.
What It's Good At
- +Brush and roll feel — long open time, so a wet edge is easy to keep across a big wall
- +One-coat hide on mid-tones over a similar base, where ben needs two
- +Washability in eggshell: fingerprints and chair scuffs wipe off at month two without burnishing
- +The 3,500-color BM deck, and the off-whites and muted mid-tones where BM's color work shows
- +Self-priming that genuinely holds up on a sound repaint in a similar color
- +Available in 5-gallon for a whole-house job
What It's Not Good At
- −Deep-color depth — flatter at the edges than Aura, and sometimes a third coat
- −Lifting into streaks if you recoat too soon in a humid or closed-up room
- −The flat sheen, which cannot be cleaned without leaving a shiny ghost
- −No GREENGUARD Gold certification, which Aura carries
- −The real shelf price, which runs far above the $50 to $60 it is usually quoted at
- −Interior only — it will not do the porch ceiling or the siding
Honest Alternatives
Same brand, same color deck, thinner film and weaker scrub life. Fine on ceilings, closets, guest bedrooms and any wall you will not wipe or repaint within a few years. It burnishes faster and hides worse on color changes, so it is a false economy in a kitchen or a kid's hallway.
Deeper color rendering, a thicker self-priming film, GREENGUARD Gold, and noticeably better burnish resistance at year three. At real shelf prices the gap is closer to $15 than $35, which makes it the honest pick for a forever-home room where the color matters.
The direct cross-brand rival at the same use and price. Cashmere lays down a softer, almost velvet matte that hides brush texture a hair better; Regal Select scrubs better in eggshell. If your nearest store is a Sherwin-Williams, it is the easy swap with no real loss.
Regal Select Interior Questions, Answered
How much does Regal Select actually cost?
More than the internet says. Published 2026 retail is $74.99 a gallon, against $46.99 for ben and $89.99 for Aura, even though the line is usually quoted at $50 to $60. Independent dealers set their own prices and the regional spread is wide, so call your store before you budget the job.
Is Regal Select worth the upgrade over ben?
For any wall you will touch, wipe, or live with for more than a few years, yes. ben burnishes faster, hides worse on color changes, and scrubs poorly. Regal Select buys real washability plus better one-coat hide on mid-tone colors. For a closet or a ceiling, ben is fine.
Does Regal Select need a separate primer?
On previously painted walls in decent shape, no — it self-primes well over an existing coat in a similar color. Prime when you are going light over dark, covering stains, or painting raw drywall, glossy trim, or patched repairs. INSL-X Stix for slick surfaces, a stain blocker for water or smoke marks.
How does Regal Select compare to Sherwin-Williams Cashmere?
Direct rivals at the same price and use. Cashmere lays down a softer, more velvet finish and hides brush texture slightly better in matte. Regal Select scrubs better in eggshell and has the deeper BM color deck. For a kid-and-dog hallway I lean Regal Select eggshell; otherwise buy whichever store is closer.
Which Regal Select sheen should I use on living-room walls?
Eggshell for most rooms. It cleans well, hides minor wall imperfection, and reads as a soft low luster. Use matte for ceilings or low-traffic adult bedrooms where you want zero shine. Skip flat on any wall you will touch. Save pearl and semi-gloss for trim, doors and bathrooms.
How long should I wait between coats?
One to two hours in good conditions, and longer whenever the air is wet or the room is closed up. The one-hour number is a minimum, not a promise. Recoat too early and the roller drags the half-set first coat into streaks, which is a sanding job, not a touch-up.
Is Regal Select GREENGUARD Gold certified?
No. It is low-VOC at under 50 g/L and LEED-eligible, but it does not carry the GREENGUARD Gold certification Aura does. If that badge is the deciding factor for a nursery, the upgrade to Aura buys it. For most rooms the VOC level is already low enough to live in the same evening.
Can I use Regal Select Interior on a porch ceiling or siding?
No, it is interior-only. Regal Select Exterior is the outdoor line and it is a different resin. If you want a single can that crosses from an interior wall to a covered porch, this is not the product to buy.
Is Regal Select better than a big-box premium paint?
On a low-traffic wall, you probably will not feel $20 to $25 a gallon worth of difference. What you are really buying is the BM color deck and dealer tinting, and BM's off-whites and muted mid-tones do not translate faithfully into a competitor's base. If the color you fell for is a BM color, that is a fair deal.
Ask a Question
Mid-project with Regal Select Interior? Stuck between two cans?
Ask Maya below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day. Painted a house with Regal Select? Tell us what your dealer actually charged and which sheen you ran — the real prices vary more than any spec sheet.