EmailBest Reviewed
Interior Paint
- Best-coverage interior paint Benjamin Moore Aura *Est. $55
- General-purpose interior paint Pratt & Lambert Accolade *Est. $40
- Budget interior paint Behr Premium Plus *Est. $23
- Zero-VOC, low-odor interior paint Sherwin-Williams Harmony *Est. $40
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General-purpose interior paint
- Great coverage
- Strong, vibrant colors
- Durable
- Harder to find
- Expensive
Pratt & Lambert Accolade nicely straddles the gap between top-performing but more expensive interior paints and less expensive paints that are harder to work with. Covering ability and long-term durability are said to be excellent. Colors are a particular strong point, with some professionals saying they are unmatched by any other paint. Other options at this price point include Sherwin-Williams Duration (*est. $45 per gallon) and Benjamin Moore Regal (*est. $40 per gallon). However, Duration had trouble standing up to sunlight in one report that we saw, while some contractors report that Regal has reduced covering ability following a recent reformulation.
Consumer Reports is one of the few professional reviewers to regularly report on interior paints, and Pratt & Lambert Accolade is among the products covered in the magazine's latest update, which simulates aging. Professional painters and contractors -- many of which have lots of experience with Accolade and many, many other interior paints -- willingly and frankly share their opinions about the paint on a host of discussion forums, including DoItYourself.com and PaintTalk.com. Jim Evans of Jim's Home Repair Stuff names Accolade as one of the best long-lasting paints, but provides no details, and the test that claim is based on is too old to be of much value today.
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Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
Three varieties of Pratt & Lambert Accolade are among the 57 low-luster, flat and semi-gloss interior paints tested most recently by Consumer Reports. Paints are ranked and rated, and top picks are named, but discussion is exceedingly brief.
Review: Interior Paint, Editors of Consumer Reports, Mar. 2008
Painting contractors and others with long experience with virtually any brand of paint are frequent contributors here. While Pratt & Lambert Accolade doesn't get as much discussion as other brands, most of the professional painters that have used give it a hearty recommendation.
Review: Painting Forum, Contributors to DoItYourself.com
PaintTalk.com is another site where you can get the straight scoop on paint right from those who use it most -- professional painters. As at DoItYourself.com, discussion of Pratt & Lambert Accolade is more limited than about other brands, but what's here is almost exclusively positive, with one poster saying "Accolade is simply the best paint there is."
Review: General Painting Discussion Forum, Contributors to PaintTalk.com
Jim Evans offers his picks for the best and worst brands across paint types. Though these are superseded by more recent selections, some finishes of Pratt & Lambert Accolade are picked as the best for coverage, fade resistance and a smooth finish. However, the recommendations are old (Sept. 1997) and there's no information about what they are based on.
Review: Interior Paint, Jim Evans, Sept. 2004 & Sept. 1997
Interior Paint Runners Up:
4 picks by top review sites.
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