Painting house with Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore

[Jonathan]

I've had several bids from reputable painting firms to paint my house exterior. Each provides the choice of either Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore paint. My house has wood shingles and the existing paint is in fair to good condition, except for the color! The type of paint will be flat Latex, with satin being used for wood trim and window frames. A prime coat will also be used.

I haven't seen a comparison recently between these two paint companies. Which would be better for my house? I notice that there are several lines of paint for each company, for example Sherwin has Duration, SuperPaint, A-100, WeatherPerfect, etc. How do these compare? I see that Duration is a heavier paint which might require special application techniques, but what about the others? Are all colors available for all lines of paint?

Similarily, Ben Moore has Moorlife House Paint 105, Moorlife House Paint N105, Moorcraft 183, etc.

If anyone with knowledge can help me choose, I'd sure really appreciate it!

Jon.

[jeffc]

There you go - at least you're asking the right question. It doesn't matter much if you use SW or BM. What matters is which line they use. Check out the respective web sites to find out more about the lines.

[crackerjack]

Jonathan, It doesn't really matter what brand you use as long as the painter knows what they are doing, and the substrate is prepared properly. As for paint, you get what you pay for. All reputable brands have a decent line, generally their top of the line paint will give you top of the line results as long as prep is done properly. If you're going to stay in the home you're painting, pay the premium for the top line paint and you won't regret it. It won't be that much because to a painting contractor, material costs are a small part of operating expenses, labour probably being the highest, so the difference between a job lasting 5 years and 15 years could be $500. Just do the math. As for paint brands, don't buy paint from big box stores, they generally carry "consumer" grade paints that are 80% marketing and 20% paint. I don't personally use Benny Moore due to their treatment of pro painters (neglegible product discount) but their MooreGlo and MooreGuard line I've used in the past are of excellent quality. Again, you get what you pay for, don't expect a $20/gal paint to last more than a couple of seasons.

My 2cents

J> I've had several bids from reputable painting firms to paint my house

[Jonathan]

Yes, I've been up and down the websites, which is where I got the information for Sherwin Duration, Superpaint, etc. mentioned earlier. However I haven't found a decent comparision (except Duration is a thicker paint used for 1 coat instead of 2) between the paints. Instead each section says that each paint is a great paint, which is nice but not helpful. So how do the different lines compare? Thanks!

[chance]

Jonathon. I am the owner of a large commercial painting company.

I happened to run across your posting while doing research for something else and I felt compelled to answer your question.

First, there is not much of a difference between Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore. I spend over 100k a year with each of them. Both companies have great products.

The Sherwin-Williams Duration paint is an excellent paint that I would strongly recommend as long as you don't mind paying for it. I would suggest still applying two coats even though it is not required.

***CAUTION*** Many painting house painters will not use the paint that they tell you they are going to. Make sure to look for a reputable contractor at Also, insist that the painting contractor show you the unopened can of paint that they will be using. Also, insist that they leave any extra paint so that you may use it for touching up areas in the future.

Also, insist that you see proof of workman's compensation insurance and general liability insurance. If you do not and a worker is hurt at your home, you WILL be held liable and you could lose your home.

***CAUTION***

I hope this post helped.

Brian C. Albey Albey Commercial Painting

[The Duke of Prunes]

That might be an accurate statement and it might not. Like it or not, Home Depot's Behr paint and Gliddon are top-rated paints.

I don't like Behr because it does not flow out the way that I want it to. It's still a great paint.

Most important is the preparation of the surface rather than the great lines of paint.

-- Ken Buddha

[jeffc]

Actually that's nonsense. There is no such thing as "Behr" paint or "Glidden" paint or "Sherwin Williams paint". There are only specific paints from each manufacturer. Next time you're in Sherwin Williams, look at their paint charts. Each paint is rated 1 star to 5 stars in different categories, 1 being pretty much junk, and 5 being excellent. They give 1 star to their Style Perfect for categories such as hiding or lack of splatter, and 5 stars to their Super Paint, which is pretty much on the money. Buy Style Perfect and you'll think Sherwin Williams is crap. Buy Super Paint and you'll realize that people who say you can't cover new colors with only 1 coat don't really know what they're talking about, they're just used to using cheap paint.

So don't even bother talking about paint by brand, it's a complete waste of time. Most paint manufacturers make good paint and bad paint. Take the time to figure it out and stop this "he said she said" stuff about Benjamin Moore is great, Sherwin Williams sucks, etc.

Glidden is not a "top rated" paint by the way. They sell good paint (if you count ICI Dulux) and they sell crap paint.