Ultra Spec 500 Review

Ultra Spec® 500 Review — The Perfect Paint for Facility Services?

Is Ultraspec 500 the perfect paint for facility services and maintenance painting?
Benjamin Moore first introduced the Gennex waterborne Colorant system for their top line paints. Aura and Natura paints benefited immensely from this new technology. Contractors were hoping that the Gennex technology would trickle down to many more Benjamin Moore paints. When Ultraspec 500 was introduced as a commercial line with the Gennex system, the commercial painting community welcomed it. This was to be a paint made specifically for us. It was also inexpensive, good quality and had zero VOC in all colours.

Benjamin Moore says “ Zero-VOC Ultra Spec 500 is a professional-quality interior coating designed to meet the needs of professional painting contractors, facility managers, and property managers. Professionals will appreciate its excellent hiding and touchup properties, good flow and leveling, easy application, and soap-and-water cleanup.”

The Review of Ultra Spec 500.

It’s been a few years since it was introduced, why review Ultraspec 500 now? We used thousands of gallons of this product, so why not share our experiences with it. This is still our “go to” interior commercial paint. We use it for offices, medical and care facilities, schools and other institutions. 

Quick Drying Time and Recoat.

When a paint dries fast, the painters can apply multiple coats of paint in the same day. This feature alone opened many scheduling opportunities for us. Occupied spaces don’t have to be painted at night or during the weekend. Like most employees, painters prefer not to work weekends and evenings. Facility managers don’t have to arrange night and weekend access and security clearance. Rooms and areas can be prepared, coated and put back in service in the same day. When heavy furniture is moved away from walls, these walls can be painted twice within 2-4 hours. Less furniture moving results in lower expenses to the customer and of course less work for the painters.

Durability of the Paint.

Ultra Spec 500 uses patent pending cross-linking resin technology that strengthens the dry paint film and significantly extends the life of the coating. As a result, Ultra Spec 500 is more washable than most comparable commercial coatings.

It is available in a wide range of convenient sheen levels. There is a low sheen version of eggshell which makes for a more durable alternative of a flat finish. The low sheen still compensates  for less than ideal surface conditions. When the walls are in better condition, their eggshell with it’s higher sheen will provide a very durable coating.

In washrooms and utility rooms where the eggshell is not durable enough, the semi-gloss can be used. The semi-gloss has a softer than usual sheen for a semi-gloss paint. Along with the shinier eggshell the semi compensates for the lack of Pearl or Satin sheens.
The semigloss sheen is sufficient for most doors and woodwork. If additional durability is needed there is a Gloss sheen available.

Ultra Spec 500 Hiding Properties.

The ability of dried paint film to conceal (hide) the previous colour is called hiding. Good hiding can be determined mainly by the thickness of the paint film we are able to apply. Different paints contain varying grades and quality of resins in them. Volume solids is the volume of paint after it has dried. The percentage of solids content per volume is a primary factor of how well a paint film hides the previous colour.

Ultraspec 500 lists Volume Solids of 42 ± 2% in their technical data sheet (eggshell). This is a very high percentage for any paint, especially a commercial line.

This accurately matches our own experience when usint this paint. Two coats are sufficient for most colours with the exception of some  bright whites (OC-65 Chantilly Lace comes to mind). Hiding red with two coats works most of the time when a gray primes is used. Certain reds, oranges and yellows will require a third coat. While multiple coats for red is expected with most paints, Benjamin Moore spoiled us with Aura’s performance. To be fair, Aura costs twice as much as Ultraspec 500.

The Flat is not 100% dead flat. Because of it’s good hiding qualities painters use it for new construction and for real estate purposes. As expected, the flat sheen is not at all washable and we don’t recommend it where washing is expected. We use a lot of the flat as a ceiling paint because it dries fast and often allows a second coat within one hour. When painting a ceiling in a room with large windows Ultraspec 500 may not be the right paint. A dead flat is a better choice for these ceilings.

In Conclusion.

Ultraspec is a very good line of paint for facility managers. It features Zero VOC, good hiding and durability and quick drying. The relatively low price and availability makes it a popular choice for painting contractors as well.

Ecopainting is an experienced painting contractor in the Greater Toronto Area. We have painted for many facility managers and will be happy to discuss your facility paint requirements.

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