Regal Select Drying Time

Recently I received a question regarding the drying time of Benjamin Moore's Regal Select. Why does Regal Select dry quicker than the original Regal products? To answer this, let me explain some of the advancements in paint products by Benjamin Moore.

Regal Select is one of several new products developed by Benjamin Moore in response to the current and impending requirements of all paint manufacturers to provide only low VOC paint products.  The term VOC is an acronym for Volatile Organic Compounds and in a nutshell are the solvents you smell when you paint.  The older Regal products you mentioned contain ethylene glycol both in the coating and in the tints used to determine the color.  Because of these ingredients, primarily, these paints will stay "wet" longer and provide a longer open time. They do not meet the criteria for low VOC compliant paints.  The VOC rating for the older Regal products is 300 - 400 grams per liter where the new Regal Select and like products (i.e. "Aura", "ben" and other Gennex paints) have a VOC rating of less than 50 grams per liter.  One of the reasons the newer Gennex products dry faster is that without the glycol in the paint, there is an absence of any substantial ingredient to extend the drying time. These new paints actually "push" the water in the paint to the surface of the coating film which makes it dry much faster.  Drying faster is in most cases an advantage.  Most contractors and homeowners alike prefer the faster drying time because if recoating, a second coat can be applied in the same day.  Also, because the paint does not stay wet on the surface and have more time to soak into dried out or insufficeintly primed drywall, the likelihood of "hat banding" or lap marks is virtually eliminated.  These products will generally provide a significantly better hiding and more uniform paint job. 

The newer products are beneficial for several reasons.

First, the low VOC (or zero VOC in the Natura line) provides a paint that has very low odor or in fact does not smell at all. It has very little or zero VOC solvents to present themselves in the room being painted.  This results in a healthier environment.  Benjamin Moore is leading the way in these "Next Generation" (hence "Gennex") products as they strive to remain industry leaders in paint technology.  The new resins they have developed are providing benefits in film durability and performance that are exceptional.

Secondly, Benjamin Moore is the only manufacturer that has developed and uses waterborne pigments to tint their new low VOC paints.  Other brands have paints that they tout as low VOC, but they still use glycol based colorants which greatly increase the VOC's in the paint and in many cases exceed the acceptable ranges when tinted.  The waterborne Benjmain Moore pigments are superior in holding the color and desired finish far longer than regular paints.  In fact, in some cases they can provide twice the duration of fade resistance.

Third, the waterborne pigments are chemically designed to become part of the paint rather than simply tint the paint.  The best performing of the Gennex paints, Aura, actually includes a technology that Benjamin Moore calls "Color Lock", where each molecule of paint actually bonds itself to the colorant that is dispensed into the base paint.  This results in a finish that is highly impervious to burnishing (color rubout when cleaning) or any color distortion.  These paints provide significant hiding capabilities and thus are covered by Benjamin Moore's "two coat coverage" guarantee.  The "Regal Select" and "ben" labels of paint utilize similar technology but do not include the resins that provide the Color Lock designation.  These products, because of their similar advanced resin technology, perform extremely well and enable any user to find a price range of product that suits their budget.       

I hope this information is helpful in understanding the new paints available by Benjamin Moore.  If you have any other questions, please come by one of our stores and we'll be happy to answer them.  Thanks for your question!