I used Martha Stewart’s new line of paint for The Home Depot this weekend to paint the bedroom. Since I shared a preview of the colors with you a while back, I thought I should now share my experience with the paint. I used flat/matte interior paint in ‘Zinc’. And before you start your next painting project, take a look at the guide I wrote recently: DIY Painting Tips, Tricks, and a Step-By-Step Guide.
Martha Stewart’s paint is Low VOC. I actually like the smell of paint (I know it’s bad for you), but this had hardly any odor. I did notice a slight (not unpleasant) scent when I first opened the paint can, but that was it. What I did notice right away though is that the paint is very thin. Behr is the thickest I’ve used, and I still prefer Benjamin Moore, but the Martha Stewart paint was by far the thinnest. I was a bit concerned but apart from being messy to pour, it wasn’t a problem.
The first coat of paint gave me beautiful coverage and I adore the color. I’m a perfectionist and I always put a second coat on, but I think many people would have been happy with just the first. I painted the ceiling as well as the walls, and I experienced absolutely no splattering (which is often a problem when painting celings). Maybe it’s because of the thin consistency? The only problems I had while painting were the occasional drips from loading too much paint on my brush or roller. I just had to adjust my technique and wipe off more paint before applying to the wall. One gallon was enough to paint my 12′x12′ room.
At first I thought that the paint was fine and that I would use it again without hesitation, but now here’s where the hesitation comes in. We leaned our mattress against the wall while we were bringing furniture back into the room, and when we grabbed the mattress to put it in the bed frame, it slid against the wall a bit. The paint was fully dry, having been finished 36 hours earlier, but the mattress left a few scuff marks. They’re only visible if the light hits the wall in just the right way (I didn’t even notice them until the next morning), but they are there.
I should also note that I have received very mixed reviews from readers. A few people have mentioned using Martha Stewart’s new line of paint and loving it, but a few have absolutely hated it. My final thoughts? There are some beautiful colors to choose from, and I liked the paint a lot, but I didn’t completely love it. Honestly? I would consider using it again, but I’d be just as likely to have it color-matched.
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Good advise! I was considering try this paint for our next project.
I would assume that the scuff marks are because it is a flat/matte paint. I’ve seen chairs just slightly back into flat/matte paint, that is of high quality, and it’s left a mark. There is hardly any give or kindess with that finish of paint when it comes to traffic against it.
Love that you painted the ceiling. I bet it will be really relaxing to look up at it. =)
True, flat paint is more susceptible to marks. I have used the finish in other brands though and they have proved to be more durable.
That color is stunning!
Thanks for the info!! I just picked out the perfect MS color for our living roomm this past weekend . . . but I think I’ll take my swatch and have it color matched instead!!
we just used the new MS paint in our bathroom and LOVED it. that said, we used a semi-gloss finish not matte, so that could have partially made a difference in our final satisfaction b/c we used paint from her old line for lowe’s in our hallway last year–in an eggshell finish–and it also scuffs. so perhaps it’s best to use her paints for shinier projects?
we about to starting painting the nursery for twin boys and are again using the new MS paint b/c i was able to exactly match the blue of an octopus wall decal i bought, so we’ll see if we’re equally happy with the results in that room.
Good to know. I’m going to be painting my bedroom and I was considering the Martha Stewart paint too. I appreciate your detailed description.
Have you tried restoration hardware paint? Hands down the BEST we have ever used- worth the few extra bucks and the colors and the richness of the finish is so amazing. I really love it. we have had no negatives–plus they now have a low VOC line for kids. Behr paint looks good but it always clumps on us because it is so think and the top starts to dry while it is still in the tray! Anyway- I love the color you chose- it looks good.
I actually had a MS paint color matched to another brand when I painted my bedroom. I really liked the color, but I wasn’t sure about the quality since I’d never used it before. Your review is really helpful!
Loving the color choice and thanks for the advice about the quality. I’ll be painting my living room soon and was considering going with a similar color but I just might have to switch to the “Zinc”.
i have been told to always choose flat paint because you can touch up without leaving evidence, unlike semi-gloss and gloss paints which show the difference.
You can’t beat the quality of Benjamin Moore paint and they can match anything!!! It’s hard not to buy the less expensive stuff at the home improvement store when on a tight budget though!
Love the wall color, can’t wait to see the finished room!
I am definitely a tried and true Benjamin Moore fan. The Aura paint is so amazing — low VOC, super thick, excellent coverage. It is pricey, but really worth it.
Love the color! We did a similar but much darker grey in the bedroom (Iron Mountain).
All you Ben Moore fans should check out BEHR’s new Ultra line of paint…it is simply the best paint I ever used. BEHR markets it as a paint and primer in one. I have personally talked to a BEHR rep and it is not just paint with primer in it. It is a completely reformulated line of paint that utilizes a patented technology that BEHR calls “nanoguard”. If you look at the consumer reports you will find that even 3rd party reviews have rated it #1 overall…very good paint and much less money than either Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams! :)
Damien, you sound alot like a Behr Rep, did you talk to yourself? Its amazing that a “new” category of products would out rank just regular old paint. Look deeper into the ratings and you will see several other “regular” brands within a few points but for more than $10 less.
This paint is pretty awesome. I just tweeted about it a few days ago. I had some left over from when I had someone paint my bedroom 2 months ago. I used the left overs a few days ago to paint a dresser. I loved it. However you are right, when I moved the dresser to a new place in the room, after completely drying, it scrapped up against a table and the paint totally peeled off in that spot. Today I was gonna touch up that area, but was kinda disappointed that I have to do it. And also when I moved another piece of furniture out of the room, it scrapped up against the wall and left those black scuff marks you’re talking about on my wall as well. Apparently after this paint is applied it is for looking at only, not touching :D
I have never used the Martha Stewart line of paints but I’m glad I read this first before considering them. Either way, that is the most gorgeous shade of gray I have seen! The hunt for the perfect gray is oddly difficult (I would know, I’m on the hunt!). Great job!
Hi Nicole! A friend sent me a link to your blog since I also just tried the Martha paint. I too had mixed feelings about it. I think Benjamin Moore is wonderful paint but usually go with Behr since it is so much cheaper and very good quality too! I thought the Martha paint was thin and runny…I had lots of drips that I actually had to go back and sand between coats. I’ve never had paint do that before and I am now at the stage where I am re-painting rooms in my house so I’ve been around the block a few times with a paint brush. As for the marks…I have two extra chairs in my dining room that were pushed up against the wall about a week after we painted and they left marks. I went with the eggshell finish. One of them actually stuck to the paint and pulled a chip off. However despite all this I have totally fallen in love with a color for my kitchen so might give it a second try. It is so tough because you hit the nail on the head…her colors are awesome!! You’ll have to let me know if you give good ol’ Martha a second chance.
Here is more about my experience if you are interested…
http://itsabaltimorelife.blogspot.com/2010/05/robins-egg-blue.html
Here is more about my experieince if you are interested…
Thanks for this post. I was considering using Martha’s new paint, too, but after reading this, I think I’ll just stick with my trusty Valspar Signature Colors paint. I’ve used it in several of my rooms and it seems to work the best for me. It’s also love VOC, etc. But, I do love some of Martha’s color options, so I’ll probably do color matching.
I was forced to test out the Martha Stewart paints when Home Depot stopped carrying Ralph Lauren… and my entire house is painted in RL. However, they did try to colour match, which turned out two shades darker than it should have, but is still a nice colour and had excellent coverage.
I’ll be painting my new desk in MS’s Seal in a semi-gloss and will see how that goes.
Thanks for this post! I am in the process of repainting several rooms in my home, and was tempted to go with the new MS line. However, I think I will stick with my trusty Valspar Signature Colors paint from Lowe’s. I’ve had no troubles with it and it’s love VOC as well.
You can see one of my latest home painting jobs here:
http://www.bakerlanegang.com/2010/05/bathroom-first-redo.html
Thanks for this review. I’m preparing to paint my kitchen and was really thinking about getting the MS paint, but Benjamin Moore is my favorite and now I’m thinking I’ll do the color match as well.
Love the color! I had a few of her test colors mixed this weekend and was not impressed with the quality. It seemed really thin like you mentioned.
@Meghan – I think Ben Moore actually makes the Restoration Hardware Line :)
Paint actually takes about a month to “cure” and it will be more susceptible to marks during that time, even though it’s dry.
Benjamin Moore paint is my favourite too and I’ve had good success with the computer-colour-matching using paint chips from another brand.
Thanks for the review. I was so excited about her line (before it came out), then I was pretty disappointed. There hasn’t been any colors I have liked from the line so I have yet to use the paint. I most likely won’t be using it in the future.
I do know that you can ask for her color to be mixed in their BEHR premium plus ultra which I love!
I fell in love with a martha stewart color (rainwater) for my dining room/kitchen and was going to go with her paint but chickened out at the last min. and had my local paint store mix up with color with ben moore paint. I’ve been really happy with the results and after hearing your story, I’m glad I went that way.
I just painted my hallway in the MS paint and had the same reaction as you, very thin (esp compared to the Behr ultra I was using in the other rooms). I like some of the colors a lot but would have it color matched next time.
Thanks for the honest review– I think I’ll stick to Benjamin Moore. Love the color, though! Also, I’m happy to know I’m not the only one who enjoys the smell of paint…
I used the paint. I painted my dining room “dolphin”. I thought it would be a dove grey, which is what I wanted. The color has come off very very very blue. So much so that I am repainting this weekend. I experienced the same thing with the “no spattering”. I think the paint has a great consistency. I think the colors change a lot from day to night more than Ralph Lauren, which is my go to paint. I recommend trying a sample and painting a patch in multiple places in the room and looking at it during the day, night, evening, dusk, etc to make sure it is the color you want. I also have found the colors to be not be entirely true to the paint chip. I would use it again but only after testing.
Thanks for the honest review! I was considering using Martha’s paint for our dining room, but now I may have the color I want matched with the Behr paint.
Sooo funny that you posted this the day after I tried to have MS color matched at Home Depot (Canada) and they told me no! They said that the MS colors are exclusive to MS paint. I wanted “Sharkey Grey” for my kids rooms but I went with Behr Wheat Bread which looks almost identical and I LOVE it…. I really appreciate your review, very helpful :)
I haven’t used the Martha Stewart brand of paint. However, I’ve noticed that with any flat paint – it will scuff easily. I’ve never had any luck with it and ended up having all of my walls repainted because of it.
Our bedroom ceiling is painted the same color as the walls too. It’s wonderful the way the light makes it seem so different–I think that shows a bit in your photo. In fact people don’t believe that it is the same color. (We have a dormer ceiling and it’s so hard to tell where to stop, so we didn’t!)
I do like the Martha colors, but I think they are a teensy bit limited. I just painted my living room with the new Behr paint and primer in one and I loved it! There was no need to do a second coat and even my non-handy husband didn’t mess it up :) Mild Mint was the color, it is beautiful.
Last month I painted my kitchen cabinets with Valspar and it was just awful. Very thick and almost goopy. Maybe because it was a glossy finish vs the eggshell I always use on walls? Aspen Grey was a great color choice but I will not use that brand again. Thanks for the write up!
As a professional interior designer, I’ve learned that it is especially important to use a satin or eggshell when specifying medium to darker colors. In addition to regular scuffs, flat paint in darker colors will also show more marks from the oil on your hands etc. You wouldn’t think it’s a big issue, but just touch the wall once and quickly it becomes one.
As an interior designer I’ve learned the hard way to specify an eggshell or satin finish with darker colors. In addition to regular scuffs, a medium to darker paint color with a flat finish will show marks just from the oils on your hands. You wouldn’t think this is such an issue, but touch the wall once and quickly it becomes one.
Thank you for this info! I recently painted our bathroom mirror using Martha Stewart’s Egg Yolk yellow. I have to say that I was a bit surprised at how thin it was, but it did cover nicely.
I was planning to try it to paint some furniture, but given your experience, I’ll just stick with Olympic Low-VOC, which is my go-to paint. It’s also about half the price of Martha Stewart, but I really love the MS colors. I’ll see if I can have it color matched.
I had only ever used Valspar paints before trying MS paint, and the MS paint went onto the wall so much more smoothly than Valspar. It also smelled delicious—like sugar cookies and permanent markers! Mmm.
I have an entire apartment to paint, and being a Martha devotee, I started with her “Natural Twine” in gloss for my bathroom. I’ve been extremely displeased with the results! Like you, I noted that it was very thin. It dripped in several areas, and three coats later I’m still seeing streaks. The color wasn’t what I’d hoped it would be, so I’ll be applying a glaze on top to tone it down a bit.
When I was selecting paint for my kitchen I went with Behr paint + primer instead. I’m thrilled with the quality. I went with a deep neutral, and the paint is so thick it’s only needed one coat. It’s amazing stuff!
My verdict? Martha’s color selections were impeccable (as always), but the paint doesn’t live up to her name (or the price).
i don’t have a lot of experience painting, but i chose martha because i loved the colors and i was painting my daughter’s room so i wanted low VOC. i have used benjamin moore in the past, but what they color matched was not truly a match, so i decided to try martha.
the other discouraging thing about benjamin moore, is that they don’t have many samples. for my last project, i went through 4 quarts before i found the right color. that’s a lot of money! i’ve heard they are starting to do samples now….
anyway, i don’t know much about paint, so i didn’t notice it was thin, but since reading your review and the comments, i definitely have an explanation of why it took me 3 freakin’ coats to get it to look good!
I’ve been tempted to try the MS paint, but I haven’t had a chance yet. We’re moving to a new place in the fall so I might try it then… or just have it color matched.
Thanks for the review! Been hearing lots of good things about low VOC paints lately.
GREAT COLOR! Is it my impression or this gray has brown undertone?
After your review I won’t be buying MS paint, but I’ll color match them on mypefectcolor.com. I love that they send samples and that they do any color w/BM base.
i’ve only used BM’s Natura line in our house (two young kiddos so went with the zero voc), but i fell in love with MS’s Wrought Iron. I went to the BM retailer and because I didn’t have the sample card, they couldn’t do an exact match for me (i guess the MS line at home depot is still too new??). So instead of doing multiple trips, i just went back to home depot and bought the MS paint (it only went on an accent wall so i didn’t get too picky about the level of voc). anyway, the color is drop dead gorgeous, especially since the rest of the room is BM white dove. BUT, i’ve noticed that with only two coats, there are lighter patches on the wall that are only visible in certain light. if i were really picky i’d go back and paint another coat, but i really can’t be bothered. i didn’t do the painting myself. next time, if i use MS, i’d ask the painters to do 3 coats, or i’ll bring in the paint card and ask for a BM color match.
Guess I’m just reiterating what some have suggested about the nature of flat paint: that it tends to scuff and mark more easily than the other finishes. I was a decorative painter before I started Daisy Janie, and flat paints have always marked like a chalkboard in my experience. Looks beautiful nonetheless!!!
It looks beautiful . . . I love it. Maybe you will need to do a lot of touch-ups along the way, but I think it will be worth it . . . Besides which, American Express can pick up the tab! ;-)
I am looking forwarding to the completed bedroom project.
I never paint with matte because the scuff marks would drive me insane. Have always had great experience with Sherman Williams paints used their Harmony (low voc & low odor) in our present home;I’ve never painted without getting headaches from fumes before. I have also used SW Cashmere and would switch back to it in a heartbeat they made it low VOC because self-leveling paint cuts down on the bare spots that always seem to pop up.
Yay SW:) I used Behr almost all my life before I started working for Sherwin, and I love their paint. Harmony is in my bedroom, and I love it, glad you do as well!
Love the color! You have fantastic taste!
This color looks great! I thought I’d found the perfect gray at Sherwin-Williams but by the time I got two coats on and lived with it for awhile I realized it had way too much blue in it. In “real life” is this a pretty true gray?
Which gray did you choose? I’m on the hunt for the perfect gray as well, and I’m a Sherwin Williams employee…would love to know which paint color/kind you used?
It was called Wall Street.
It’s always interesting to read reviews about the new MS paint. We painted our living room Wrought Iron & Sultana and it is simply beautiful. After using thick paint, I gladly welcomed the thin consistency. My husband and I were just impressed with how well it covered. It only took one coat for the living room. I wasn’t sold on the paint colors themselves, but now I have every swatch and love almost all of them. And besides, after her Valspar line at Lowes, anything is better than that mud-like paint. Love the Home Depot line!
Thanks for the review of the Martha Stewart paint. I have only used Behr interior flat, matched to my Ralph Lauren swatches and Benjamin Moore. Based on your descriptions, I think I’ll stick with the Behr. I was really sad to see Home Depot replace the Ralph Lauren paint line; however, I purchased my own swatch of RL paint chips online so can continue to choose the colors that I love.
As soon as you announced that HD was carrying the Martha paints I went out and grabbed the entire swatch collection. This weekend my husband and I painted three rooms and a hallway using the colors and so far so good. Some things I noticed, the smell was stronger with the darkest color. Also, I had let the paint dry in our master for more than two days, and a vacuum was pushed up against it… When I pulled the vacuum away from the wall it made a noise like it was stuck, and now there is a small indentation. I love the colors, I like the low smell, I’d use them again… blah blah blah. BTW we used the eggshell finish, I wish they did a satin.