Most Durable Interior Paint: Benjamin Moore Scuff-X vs. Benjamin Moore Aura Paint
The search for a quality interior paint
Trying to find a durable interior paint that will stand up to everyday wear and tear can be a challenge. With the wide variety of paints out there, it can be difficult to determine which one will stand the test of time and offer you the ultimate in durability. Good news – we’ve taken care of the work of finding the most durable interior paint for you. So what is the most durable interior paint on the market? Toronto painters Court-Hampton Painting Inc take a look!
Check out this video looking at the difference between the new Benjamin Moore Scuff-X paint vs Benjamin Moore Aura paint to determine the most durable interior paint!
Benjamin Moore Scuff-X Paint vs Benjamin Moore Aura Paint
We put Benjamin Moore Aura eggshell on the wall to the left and Benjamin Moore Scuff-X eggshell on the wall to the right. Then we started scratching and scuffing the walls using boots, hockey pucks and metal tools to test paint durability in this video:
As you can see in the video the Scuff-X is the most durable interior paint between the two. Both sheens on the paints tested were eggshell. We would probably use the Scuff-X Matt finish for most residential wall applications as the eggshell finish on the Scuff-X was a little shiny compared to the Aura paint, but not by much.
Take a closer look at this photo where we rubbed rubber on the painted wall to test the durability of the paints:
Benjamin Moore Scuff-X paint comes out on top for durability
After cleaning the scuffed walls with a damp white rag the scuff remained on the Aura. This means the customer would have to touch up or repaint entirely. The Scuff-X paint washed off perfectly with no evidence a scuff ever existed. The Scuff-X comes in Matte, Eggshell and Pearl finishes. It is also about $20.00 cheaper than Benjamin Moore Aura. We know we’re paint nerds but this is exciting news! Potentially changing the way we do interior painting. Imagine how durable your painted walls could be. Our painters are excited to test the flow and durability of the Benjamin Moore Scuff-X Pearl on baseboards and doors.
Stay tuned for further testing of Benjamin Moore’s Scuff-X paint
Benjamin Moore’s Scuff-X paint has proven to be a great choice if you’re looking for a durable interior paint. Court-Hampton Painting will continue to test this new paint in the field to see if it stacks up in other ways besides durability. Does it adhere well to glossy surfaces such as aged oil paint? Does Scuff-X cover well in lighter colours? We will find out the answers to those questions and more and post them to this blog post as an update. In the meantime, our painters are impressed, Benny Moore! The winner of the most durable interior paint goes to Benjamin Moore Scuff-X!
Hi, just a quick question on scrubbing durability… I’m a tad OCD when it comes to cleaning my bathrooms, especially around the toilet areas. What is the “ultimate best” paint for scrubable durability with a disinfectant type cleaner, even possibly a cleaner w/ bleach?? Years ago in my first home we had painted the bathrooms with Duron Duraclad. That was the most most AWESOME paint EVER!!! I could clean the bathroom walls with a teaspoon of bleach & a bit of liquid soap to 1-1.5 gallons on water & va va voom clean & disinfected walls! The paint nor the color ever faded. I haven’t been able to find that durable of paint since… WHY??? Any helpful advice you can share will be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
Hello Terri,
I haven’t tested cleaning Benjamin Moore Scuff-X with a bleach solution, just removing scuff marks.
I believe Duron Duraclad is now owned by Sherwin Williams and the paint you used in the past might have been a solvent based alkyd
(oil based paint). They might have turned this product into a hybrid oil paint by now (cleans up with water) but I’m not familiar with the product. Benjamin Moore still makes Collection Satin oil paint. The satin finish is a higher gloss than the norm for walls aesthetically but would be durable. Oil based paint does smell. My advice is to always test and see which product is best for you! For more information on old school oil based paint check out our post:
https://courthamptonpainting.com/when-to-use-oil-paint/
Thanks Terri
Thank you for comparing Scuff-X and Aura!
I went by my Benjamin Moore dealer this week, and I noticed that they had painted their walls with Scuff-X in the matte sheen. It seemed much shinier than Regal Select in matte. Have you had any experience with Scuff-X in matte? If so, how do you find the sheen level compared to Regal Select matte and eggshell? Thanks!
Hello Felicia,
I’ve used the Matte Scuff-X sheen on a couple of condo units for residential painting. Very durable. The difference between gloss and sheen is measured by different angles to the wall. Gloss is measured at 60 degrees off a surface and Sheen is measured at 85 degrees off a surface. Benjamin Moore has Scuff-X Matte at Gloss: 8-13@85 degrees and Sheen: 9.5@60 degrees. For Regal Eggshell it only has Gloss: 15-22@85 degrees with no noted sheen level. I find the sheen level of Scuff-X Matte when looking at it from a 60 degree angle to look shiny. My standard paint for interior residential is Regal eggshell. Complicated I Know! Hope this helps! Michael
Do you still find the Scuff-X the most durable almost 4 years after you wrote this article? Or has it changed? Thank you so much!
Hello Monica,
I haven’t found anything better than Scuff-X for durability but I haven’t been actively looking either. If it isn’t broken don’t fix it!
I should update this post by adding that this product sprays beautifully! Remember the gloss level is higher than normal paints.
Hi there! Have you compared the Scuff X to Beth’s Ultra Scuff Defence? Wanting white walls in new house wjth two wild kids and massive dog! Thank you!!!!
Hello Sarah,
No I haven’t used or tested any Behr products. I tend to stick to the Benjamin Moore line of paints.
Can you comment on the durability and ease in using metallic paint for metal railings in a loft. From what I have seen in pictures, the metallic paint (say in a copper color) can look beautiful in a loft. Are there trade offs in using metallic paint that the consumer should be aware of? I am hiring a professional to do the work but I want to understand any material issues before moving forward with metallic copper paint.
Hello Kent, metallic paint isn’t something we usually use so I don’t have any insight for you.
Hi Mike,
Plan on painting all of the common areas in our house and were planning on using scuff X matte. You mentioned it was a little shiny. What do you compare the sheen to? Like a Regal satin? Eggshell? Just don’t want anything too shiny but love the idea of scuff x!
As far as sheens go I prefer Regal Eggshell as I think it suits a residential painting project better. Hope this helps!
Hi,
What sheen of scuffix do you recommend for baseboards and trim? I hear there sheens are shiner. So would a satin scuffix be more like a semi gloss in regal? Thank you!
Hi Marie,
I always like a pearl or satin on wood trim for aesthetic purposes. The Scuff-X Pearl would be shinier than some other pearls but I haven’t compared it to Regal Semi Gloss. Hope this helps!