New From Northern Utah

Hi Scott,

Welcome to HTS and congratulations on the room!

A word on paint. Having built out my own theater a few years ago, I did some research on paint (probably way too much research). I wanted the best quality so it looked good and I also wanted to have a burgundy-ish color on the walls. Here is a short summary of what I found out.

1) Opinions will probably vary, but virtually all of the guys who claimed to be professional painters in my research said Benjamin Moore was the best. Coverage, durability, looks. It went on easily/well and still looks terrific. A little more money than other brands, but worth it.

2) Colors that are red-based present unique issues (as would any darker colors you might choose). I read over & over that it takes multiple coats to make it cover well. Fortunately, the paint store salesman was a part-timer and had his own painting business (he also said Benjy Moore was the best). He turned me on to a specific shade of burgundy that they use for law offices and he described it as "elegant" (which it is). He explained that the secret with reds/darks is to tint the primer dark gray and the multiple coat issue goes away. I ended up putting on only two coats (raw dry wall is thirsty) and it came out great.

3) He asked how I applied paint with a roller and I told him that I use the "W" method and fill it in. He suggested that I do a single, roller-wide, up/down row instead and overlap the next up/down row as I went. He explained this would virtually eliminate roller marks. Again, he was dead on and it looks great.

4) I took in a leather sample swatch of the furniture we had orderes and they matched the color for the trim paint.

All in all, I am extremely happy with the way it turned out.

Hope the info is helpful!