After Trying Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select Paint, It’s the Only One I’ll Use as the Mom of a 4-Year-Old

This deserves to be shouted from the rooftops: It took two coats to turn patchy, dark-blue-bordering-on-navy walls a delightfully crisp, Balboa Mist OC-27. Two coats! Two!

In fact, after the first coat I questioned whether I’d need a second, and it was largely just for touch-up areas where my roller breezed by a bit too lightly.  

Halfway through the first coat, I found some small holes in the wall I’d missed—remnants of the former owner’s love of playing darts. Once the paint dried, I spackled the holes and painted another coat, paranoid I just cursed myself to repainting the entire wall. But no—it dried evenly and cleanly.

My biggest gripe about my navy walls? If they got scuffed, you’d have to scrub them…and your sponge (or paper towel) could come back tinted blue. Over time, the walls looked like a worn pair of jeans, and not in a good way. It was more like a sad patchwork that made you want to keep the lights dimmed at all times, enhancing the cave-like feel of the basement.

That became another perk of using Regal Select: Not only does it contain a mildew-resistant coating (ideal for occasionally damp basements), it features stain-release technology so the walls wipe clean easily.

Much to my husband’s chagrin, I immediately put that tech to the test, smudging the wall with crayons and letting spaghetti splatters dry on it. (Hey, this is a review, isn’t it? I had to!) With just a few swipes of a damp sponge, both were gone. Other scuffs buffed away easily too.

The Bottom Line

My only regret, honestly, is that this project has started a snowball effect: Suddenly, the walls look so good that I want to repaint the master bedroom, and the chipped plaster by my radiator in the dining room. And well, now that the basement walls are so crisp and bright, how can I live with that brown and beige wall-to-wall carpet I’d inherited? Like I said, a home editor’s house is a perpetual work in progress.

You can use Benjamin Moore’s store locator to find a paint or hardware store near you that carries Regal Select. The company works with independently owned authorized retailers—not big box shops—so you’ll be supporting a small business, and you’ll reap the benefits of being able to ask a pro any questions you may have before placing an order.