Favorite Paint Brand? Poll.

[sassenach]

We have a lot of painting coming up. Which is better, Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore? Or other (but not Behr).

[gaillardia]

My favorite is much disputed, but I always prefer Olympic. When I've used Valspar, my arms break out in little red slightly raised rashes. KILZ we like to use as a base coat sometimes.

I have used Sherwin Williams and like it okay. Haven't used Benjamin Moore.

[DawnM]

We have used Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams, Dunn Edwards, and Valspar.  I think I like Benjamin Moore best, but it really depends, indoors seems to hold up with whatever better than outdoors does.

[FriedClams]

The high end line of gold label at Lowe's. It's FABULOUS and cheaper than SW and BM. I painted a TON before putting our house on the market I used all three brands, and the Lowe's had the best coverage, ease of painting, etc. BW was insanely expensive and not impressive. If you can get the Lowe's on sale, even better.

[Caroline]

We use Porter. It is more expensive, but it covers like a dream.

[Guest]

We painted the entire interior of our house (two houses ago) with Sherwin Williams. It ended up costing more, but it was definitely worth the cost. It looked incredible, and it was so easy to paint on. Plus, it wiped clean so wonderfully, which was my main criteria when I had six boys and a large dog in the house.

[Night Elf]

Just curious, why not Behr? I've used that and had no problems.

[Guest]

We painted the entire interior of our house (two houses ago) with Sherwin Williams. It ended up costing more, but it was definitely worth the cost. It looked incredible, and it was so easy to paint on. Plus, it wiped clean so wonderfully, which was my main criteria when I had six boys and a large dog in the house.

I echo this. I've painted four full houses (sometimes multiple times) in the last 8 years and SW is hands down my favorite. It doesn't run like some paints, so I don't need to tape. A drop cloth and nice brush work well instead of hours of taping and it rarely needs two full coats. I am one of the crazy people that love to paint inside my houses and the more I've done, the pickier I've gotten. I will say avoid the HGTV line at SW simply because the paint is much thinner and splatters much more. Go with the mid or high level you mention to avoid that. Thin paint is just so much messier- it honestly covered fine, but it made splatter everywhere which meant more prep and more clean up.

[LuvToRead]

We use Porter. It is more expensive, but it covers like a dream.

 

Our bathroom was a dark turquoise, and we used Porter and painted it a light yellow.  We used Kilz as a primer.  This was almost 10 years ago, and it still looks nice.  It is very wipe-able, and we have yet to chip any of the paint off.  

[TheReader]

We used and loved Valspar when we did our living room, and son's bedroom. We worked with the mid level one, one coat coverage, and it truly was even with dark colors. My son did a very dark green (I think it's called Vegas Green, and is the color of a pool table felt or card table felt), and even that went on in one coat, no streaking, etc. We were using the Valspar Signature Satin Finish. 

 

I think more important than brand, though, is to choose which "level" of paint within each brand, so whatever brand you go with, make sure you find the appropriate level of coverage, cleanability, etc. 

[MaeFlowers]

I don't remember ever using Benjamin Moore paints but I do like Sherwin Williams. Good coverage, easy to clean.

 

My current favorite is Clark + Kensington from Ace hardware. I would say it is comparable in coverage and durability to Sherwin Williams. Ace runs some good specials on it every once in a while.

[Seasider]

With over 10 homes through the years, seems like we've tried them all! I truly believe that SW is the best and now we use that almost exclusively. Especially if you are painting wood trim, it's the best, their top of the line is a self-leveling paint that will eliminate brush strokes as it dries.

 

The only other product I use from time to time is the Kilz with color. This product is good if you need a job done quickly with great one-coat coverage. I like it for kids' rooms that are going to take a beating and may need to be repainted more often than other rooms in the house.

[magnificent_baby]

Have only used Sherwin Williams; have had professional painters in the past and this is their go to as well. It holds up very well. There was one particular line that did not turn out well (did not wash very well and the color was streaky); the clerk told me I wasn't the only one with problems. I'm not sure if they still have that kind, but next time I would spend the extra for the higher line.

[Shellydon]

We just did a huge amount of painting and used a few different paint brands.  Sherwin Williams was SO much better than any of the others.  We won't use anything else now.

[zoobie]

Mid-priced, I would go with Sherwin Williams when they have one of their great sales. It's really nice paint for the price. Benjamin Moore I don't think has sales, and it's not worth double the price of SW. I often have gotten SW to color match BM colors.

[Guest]

I use and like Benjamin Moore interior.

I use(d) Kelly Moore exterior based in our painter's recommendation because it is formulated for our climate. I used to use Devine because the colors were formulated based on the light of our region and in great paint (Miller) but Devine sold their brand name but not the paint gormulas so boo. I love Miller paint but it's harder to get than others so I just stick with the others. I may try SW based on the raves here

[Spryte]

I like Aura. Low VOCs are a must for us. Easy to use, low splatter, great coverage, durable.

 

Expensive though.

 

It's by Benjamin Moore.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Spryte

[sassenach]

Just curious, why not Behr? I've used that and had no problems.

I used it in our last house and I didn't like the way it wore.

[sassenach]

This feedback is SUPER helpful.

[sassenach]

I will add that one of the reasons I've honed in on BM or SW is because I can find so much online about their colors. There are a million blogs that break down specific colors and how they look in different rooms from those 2 brands. I've painted to rooms with BM at our current house and both of them turned out different than I was expecting, but still really great. And they've worn well. But SW gets a lot of press, too. 

[Suzanne in ABQ]

I love looking at color samples from Benjamin Moore.  They're beautiful and unique, but I'm not either.  

 

My house was all painted with Sherwin Williams 12 years ago, and it's done very well.  It's showing some signs of abuse, though (mostly from rambunctious boys) so I'm ready to start repainting.  It will be Sherwin Williams again, but I'm not sure of the color.  Biscuit again?  Or something else.   hmmmmm

[Katy]

In the last year I've used the cheap stuff at Walmart, Benjamin Moore, and Sherwin Williams.  The BM & SW lines were mostly equivalent to me, though we got one weird thin can from SW that didn't seem even as high quality as the cheapie Walmart stuff, so I voted BM.

 

Surprisingly, the Walmart cheap stuff seemed MUCH higher quality than it did the last time I tried it, which was probably more than 10 years ago.  It's definitely equivalent to the lower grade lines of pricey brands.

 

ETA:  I suggest you find a color you like and go with that.  I especially love BM's Revere Pewter and SW's Sea Salt.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Katy

[trulycrabby]

I will only use Benjamin Moore Aura. I might use another brand for a specialty paint such as chalk paint, but otherwise it's only Aura.

 

Aura because I never have to prime, and often one coat is enough to finish the job. The colours last and wear well, and the fumes after painting don't make me sick.

Edited March 29, 2017 by trulycrabby

[sassenach]

The high end line of gold label at Lowe's. It's FABULOUS and cheaper than SW and BM. I painted a TON before putting our house on the market I used all three brands, and the Lowe's had the best coverage, ease of painting, etc. BW was insanely expensive and not impressive. If you can get the Lowe's on sale, even better.

Would you mind postin a link? I'm seeing valspar and olympic on their website, but I'm not sure I know which pain you are referencing. Thanks!

[solascriptura]

SW goes on sale frequently so I prefer that brand.

Edited March 30, 2017 by solascriptura

[Lady Marmalade]

With over 10 homes through the years, seems like we've tried them all! I truly believe that SW is the best and now we use that almost exclusively. Especially if you are painting wood trim, it's the best, their top of the line is a self-leveling paint that will eliminate brush strokes as it dries.

 

The only other product I use from time to time is the Kilz with color. This product is good if you need a job done quickly with great one-coat coverage. I like it for kids' rooms that are going to take a beating and may need to be repainted more often than other rooms in the house.

 

I didn't know you could get Kilz with color!!  I have a bathroom that needs a coat of Kilz, but I've been putting it off because the thought of painting it with the Kilz and then painting again with a cover coat is not appealing. I have to look for that!

 

This whole thread is wonderful and timely.  We've been in our current home for almost 3 years now.  It's  rental, but we had permission to paint when we moved in and we haven't done any.  The paint they used before we moved in was clearly cheap because the bedrooms look like they have significantly more wear than just three years. We may lay down some color once it's nice out and I can open up the windows. 

[Alessandra]

I have used Pratt & Lambert interior paints. It is very forgiving if you miss a spot and have to go back as paint is drying -- blends right in. And I love that the colors are subtle.

 

Following this thread, because I will be painting again soon and love hearing the opinions.

[4Kiddos]

We just finished painting our entire house. We matched a white in the basement that was painted with Valspar paint and matched a color in the laundry room that was painted with Sherwin Williams paint. We used Benjamin Moore Ben paint for the rest of the house with the colors I picked out.

 

Valspar- this was smelly but seemed to work ok

 

Sherwin Williams- this was overwhelmingly smelly- my husband was painting a bathroom with this and just felt like he was going to be overwhelmed with the VOCs, it did not stick well at all to the walls and it really looks like he just rolled plastic onto the walls, plus it took way more paint to cover the area than the BM Ben paint- we will not be using this paint again

 

Benjamin Moore- we used the Ben paint line which was very similar in price to Sherwin Williams- we love, love, love this paint. It is paint and primer and a gallon of this paint goes a really long way. It does smell a little but much less than the other two paints. It has been super durable in my kids bedrooms which we paint first about four months ago. It cleans well and I just love it. I have also noticed that the BM paint seems to have more saturated colors and better pigments and the colors change with the light more. I love that fact. Finally, the finish on the BM paint is really, really nice. It looks like you have painted with a much more expensive paint like in expensive hotels or fancy European homes. The Eggshell finish looks more matte and it makes the color appear nicer in the room. It is hard to describe but when I saw the difference between the SW plastic-like look and the BM look I was sold on BM paint. Also, the BM Satin paint for trim and doors really covers well- much more than the SW. My daughter had colored on the walls in our home and the BM covered it all with one coat while the SW took three coats. In terms of cost, BM has several lines of paint. Their pricer options include the Aura and the Regal Select. We used Ben paint as it was a much cheaper option but still a really high quality paint. We even used one gallon of their cheaper paint (Super Spec I think- I purchased it to try making homemade chalk paint but we ended up painting a bathroom with it) and it was still much nicer than the SW and it was cheaper. The Ben line was our favorite.

 

Pratt and Lambert- We used their ceiling paint and it was really nice. It was less likely to drip than the other paints but it still would if you weren't careful.

 

Anyway, my vote is BM all the way.

Edited March 30, 2017 by 4Kiddos

[Seasider]

I didn't know you could get Kilz with color!! I have a bathroom that needs a coat of Kilz, but I've been putting it off because the thought of painting it with the Kilz and then painting again with a cover coat is not appealing. I have to look for that!

 

This whole thread is wonderful and timely. We've been in our current home for almost 3 years now. It's rental, but we had permission to paint when we moved in and we haven't done any. The paint they used before we moved in was clearly cheap because the bedrooms look like they have significantly more wear than just three years. We may lay down some color once it's nice out and I can open up the windows.

Yup, I'm pretty sure the kilz is available at WalMart.

[Seasider]

Sassenach, keep in mind that even within manufacturers, there are different lines. Make sure you're comparing apples to apples, kwim? The best BM may be better than the least expensive SW, and vice versa. Whatever paint line you decide upon, don't use the cheapest base in the line. You'll be happier with the higher quality choice.

[prairiewindmomma]

Hmmmm......

 

I prefer Benjamin Moore for exterior paint.

I prefer Behr (Home Depot) for interior satin finish except that there are certain colors which I buy name brand because the pigments are different---namely Sherwin Williams Sea Salt and Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter. The Home Depot isn't always perfect at color matching, so I highly recommend the $3 test pots of paint. 

 

The cost difference between Behr's basic paint $26ish and Benjamin Moore's Aura (which is a truly lovely paint) at $70 when I find little difference in paint performance swings me to Behr nearly every time.  I had problems with SW--color coverage in deeper pigments, scrubbability afterwards, that I really avoid SW.  

 

Here's JD Power and Associates 2016 rankings: http://www.jdpower.com/press-releases/2016-paint-satisfaction-study

[sassenach]

All you Sherwin-Williams voters, what line did you use?

[kroe1]

My grandmother, on her deathbed, reminded us all to never use anything but Benjamin Moore paint. So be it. I have never had a problem with that brand, but, I sure would never try anything else to compare. Lol.

[Seasider]

Superpaint for walls and ceilings, I love it! Sorry others haven't. There are variables - color and finish of what you're covering, color and finish you're applying. I've had superpaint give excellent coverage. I should probably add that I use almost exclusively flat paint. It's not as wipeable, but I no longer have littles putting hands on the walls. With flat paint, a touch up even much later blends right in.

 

ProClassic in semigloss finish is what we use for trim.

[gaillardia]

Oh, the biggest concern I have is the VOCs, the paint fumes. I thought Valspar's fumes lasted way too long and made me feel bad, especially for using in children's bedrooms. Yes, I ventilated the room the entire time of painting, windows and fans. 

I'm surprised nobody else is mentioning Olympic! I really liked it, the VOCs were barely noticeable. 

[Guest]

All you Sherwin-Williams voters, what line did you use?

We used Duration for the walls and ProClassic for the trim, if I recall correctly.

 

And I'm really surprised at someone above who said SW has bad fumes. Our paint was fume-free. We didn't have to ventilate the house at all, no problems whatsoever.

Edited April 1, 2017 by Kinsa