1. Color is really based on personal preference. However there are environmental aspects which affects your choice of color such as UV. Synthetic coloronts such as red, blue, green, orange or magenta have a higher fade factor due to UV. Colors in the oxide family use natural colorants and have less of a fade factor. Your Ben Moore dealer will have a binder with oxide yellow colors, which are the earth tone colors, and have less of a fade factor.
Go to
www.benjaminmoore.com, click on "for your home", then click on "personal color viewer". It's a great tool where you choose your colors and change them to what you like so you can get a better visual concept of your selection. When you find a combination you like, purchase a color sample of the actual paint and put it on the house to make sure thats the one you want.
2. Although Moorgard is an excellent product, the newer Gennex based systems such as AURA or BEN, are far superior in resin quality, color retention and coverage. The Gennex system allows the resin and colorant in AURA to become one entity, which results in a much more durable end result.
3. The finishes for Benjamin Moore exteriors are Flat, Low Lustre, Satin and Semi Gloss. A flat finish will tend to trap moisture and promote mildew, while a low lustre or satin will have a light sheen. That sheen will be more durable, easier to clean and prevent dirt from getting embedded in the film. My vote would be for the Low Lustre.
It is worth spending the extra few dollars for AURA because the value will greatly exceed the cost. The product code is the 634 series.
Regards,
Vandi.
