Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Ext ( Ouch)

[vkumar]

I had to buy some Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Ext paint for painting some trim work.  I needed some paint. So go to my local Benjamin Moore dealer and they are out of stock.  Go to the next dealer and they have only one gallon available which is all I needed.  But the price!!! I ended up paying about $85 after taxes.

Does anyone know if there is any way to get a discount on these Benjamin Moore product short of being a contractor?  Our Kelly Moore offers a discount based on a AAA card, Sherwin Williams usually has a monthly 25 to 30 % discount.  Is Benjamin Moore such a great paint superior to all others that they operate in this  stratosphere?

 

[PeterJJames13]

Benjamin Moore dealer here - it’s all at the discretion of the retailer. The only item that truly has what they call MSP pricing (a set price you cannot sell below) is Aura. And if you thought they were expensive now, wait until the price increase hits in August. People complain about Festool’s annual price increase, but this is Benjamin Moore’s second since February. About 8% across the board. Plus in the Northeast (I’m in NY) we now have to charge our customers a paint disposal fee on every quart and gallon we sell.

Oh, and while I don’t stock Ultra Spec exterior (I do stock the interior), that price sounds crazy to me. I’m pretty sure I sell Regal Select for that price or less.

Next time I would ask your dealer for pricing on ultra spec vs regal select. Most dealers (here in NY anyway) know that regal select is the most popular and widely shopped line Benjamin Moore offers, so they’ll lower their margins to be more competitive and earn more business. Of course, this comes at a cost - other less shopped lines of paint have higher margins.

I hope this helps.

 

[vkumar]

[member=68391]PeterJJames13[/member] thanks for your input.  Could you please rank the various Benjamin Moore products that you cited.
BTW California is not shy in imposing fees. There is a "Paintcare Recycle fee".

 

[Packard]

There is almost certainly an Ace Hardware store in Sunnyvale.  They sell Benjamin Moore paint.  The on-line price is $47.00/gallon—four gallon minimum.  Smaller quantities are available from the store. 

Ultra Spec is not B-M’s best paint.  I think Aura is.  They also make an Aura-Grand Entrance for doors, but available in gloss and satin only.

I pay $50.00 for Advance.  They always give me a “contractors’ discount (about 12%—so I don’t know if it is their maximum discount).  Advance is rated exterior in gloss finish only.  I only spray it.  The white gloss dries exceptionally hard and tough.

 

[rmwarren]

[member=74278]Packard[/member] thanks for the tip on Ace. I'll need some paint soon and Ace is our "hometown" hardware store, easy biking distance.

FWIW they have a decent configurator that lets you choose color then BM brand/sheen/size. I ginned up a sample and, while I couldn't get it locally, it was available 28 miles away for pickup today. Pretty handy.

Gallon of Aura Exterior Flat Acrylic is $42, but luckily I can pay in 4 interest-free payments of $10.50...  [scratch chin]

Thanks again.

RMW

 

[jeh]

$85 is not bad. I used Muralo Ultra High-Gloss White on my trim and it is no longer sold. I used the Muralo website which was still working and used the "where to buy" section to call company on the list to find the ones who would ship and bought their remaining stock. Ended up with 5 gallons and was one happy camper. There is no comparison to it as it was a close to oil base finish as you could get. Two years ago or so it was $75 gallon so $85 is no surprise. They were bought by California Paints who discontinued the line (no more Ultra High-Gloss, but kept the Ultra Semi-Gloss with their name: Formerly Muralo. I may have to give the Benjamin Moore a go next time as it looks to be equivalent.

 

[vkumar]

The specific product I bought was Ultra Spec Ext Exterior Gloss. $85 was with tax and the fees.  So whats so great about this product compared to others? Please educate me.

 

[Packard]

My understanding that this a a mid-grade paint geared to contractors.  It is not the paint that B-M touts as its premium line.  I believe the premium line is Aura.  And the last I checked, Aura was going for about $80.00 per gallon.

Aura Grand Entrance is sold in quarts for about $36.00 (gloss and satin only). It was intended to compete with Fine Paints of Europe (the gold standard for gloss exterior paint).

 

[squall_line]

The specific product I bought was Ultra Spec Ext Exterior Gloss. $85 was with tax and the fees.  So whats so great about this product compared to others? Please educate me.

How much of that price is product, and how much is taxes and fees?

If people are saying that the top of the line paint is $85/gallon before taxes, and your complaint is that you paid $85/gallon AFTER taxes and fees, it's hard to say whether or not the price was "fair" without knowing how much of that price was the actual product.

Case in point: $85 after taxes in Iowa would be around $79.50/gal in product (assuming no fees).  In suburban Chicago, the product price would be $77/gal because their sales tax rate is 10+%.

 

[vkumar]

76.99 was for product, 0.75 Paintcare Recycle fee, 7.09 tax. Total 84.83

 

[Gargoo]

My understanding that this a a mid-grade paint geared to contractors.  It is not the paint that B-M touts as its premium line.  I believe the premium line is Aura.  And the last I checked, Aura was going for about $80.00 per gallon.

Aura Grand Entrance is sold in quarts for about $36.00 (gloss and satin only). It was intended to compete with Fine Paints of Europe (the gold standard for gloss exterior paint).

I was told that they discontinued Grand Entrance.

 

[PeterJJames13]

My understanding that this a a mid-grade paint geared to contractors.  It is not the paint that B-M touts as its premium line.  I believe the premium line is Aura.  And the last I checked, Aura was going for about $80.00 per gallon.

Aura Grand Entrance is sold in quarts for about $36.00 (gloss and satin only). It was intended to compete with Fine Paints of Europe (the gold standard for gloss exterior paint).

I was told that they discontinued Grand Entrance.

Aura Grand Entrance (and it's exclusive colors) have been discontinued (both satin & high gloss finishes). Dealers probably still have stock left on their shelves though.