Sherwin Williams paint vs others?

[Andrea Tapp]

Can anyone speak for the difference in paint quality and coverage between Sherwin Williams and Lowes or Home Depot paint? This is for a rental.

[Brock Y.]

Andrea Tapp I will definitely be in the minority here but I only use Sherwin Williams SuperPaint. It is a lot more expensive but with 30-40% discounts all the time at SW it is not that much more. Usually it works out even cheaper due to less paint needed. Reason is I paint my units instead of contracting it out and I truly can get 1 coat coverage (quick second just for spots I didn't get that well) vs. 2-3 coats with other brands. Time is money.

[Glenn Banks]

Andrea Tapp Sherwin Williams is a contractor grade professional paint. Home Depot sells consumer grade products that have less quality. I use Sherwin Williams 400 or 200 for interiors and and Super Paint or Duration for exteriors. I tailor the product to the project, but always use professional grade products.

[Doug W.]

I am also a big fan of Sherwin Williams' paints.

Remember this: you get what you pay for. Cheap paint = poor end product.

[Chase Funke]

My house hack I did with SW cashmere. It's been phenomenal and held up very well to my kids who beat the crap out of stuff. Fwiw I think it feels nicer and cleans well. I hate cheap crap that you try to clean the walls and it just scrubs the paint off.

[Josh Caldwell]

SW all the way, there is a huge quality difference between them and anyone else in the market 

[Lynn McGeein]

In your own home, the better paints are great because you take care of them.  In rentals, you are likely repainting every year to three years no matter what, and charging tenants for any painting after 2-3 years is not allowed, at least in the states where I rent, so cost is a factor.   I mostly use Behr Premium Satin on walls, Semi-Gloss on trim, usually buy when it's on sale.  I have used Sherwin Williams when sale price is close.  Both last about the same in my experience, so whatever is cheaper when I'm turning over.   Buy in 5-gallon buckets at sale price, same paint color in all rentals, and it saves on cost immensely, no matter the brand. 

[Manolo D.]

I use Dunn Edwards and Glidden (now PPG Paints), with glidden I get more than 50% discount, putting the HD Glidden and Behr out of range, same product, deeper discount. I get real single coat when I apply because I use higher grade even at glidden, I don't use any of their "speed"hide paints, pretty useless, you use 2-3 coats for single coat on higher grade, my labor and material costs are higher if I use lower or rental grades. With glidden and behr, at HD, you can only get 25% max discount. If I want durability, I use lower (not lowest) of their grade paint from Dunn Edwards, that is the equivalent of highest grade paint for PPG/Behr. there lies the difference.

[Joe Splitrock]

@Andrea Tapp it partly depends on which Sherwin Williams paint versus which consumer paint you get from a local home improvement store. I use Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 Zero VOC. I do my own painting and I have tried probably 15 different paints over the years. Sherwin Williams paint I use is more expensive, but here are the advantages for me:

- The ProMar 200 is really thick paint. That means it goes on in one coat so I spend less time painting. I cannot expense my time, but I can expense paint. Thicker paint also means less drips.

- Sherwin Williams set me up with a contractor discount so I don't need to shop around for the sale price of the week. I always get the same discount.

- I have an account setup with Sherwin Williams so they can bill me for paint. More importantly they track paint colors by house. They keep it in their computer.

- I can easily call ahead and have paint waiting for me to pickup. Since they keep my colors in the computer, I can just give them my business name, property name and gallons I need. Saves me time. They will also deliver to the job site, but I usually pickup because they are close.

- The Zero VOC paint has very little odor and no toxic fumes. I just see no reason to subject myself to dangerous fumes, even if I can save a few dollars.

- I have a paint wheel with every color on it that they gave me, so I can easily select colors. I can select the color, call in the order and pickup.

- Good paint is more durable. I used to think I had to repaint every few years, but I learned that good paint can be cleaned and touched up. Touch up matches better with good paint. Buy cheap paint and you are painting more often.

At the end of the day, time is money and I learned that chasing the best deal on paint was costing me more in the long run. Whatever you choose, my best recommendation is selecting one paint and sticking with it. 

[Justin Fox]

@Joe Splitrock

You can also have paint delivered to the residence by SW if you've run out, save you a trip in to town.  Their paint color matching is superior.  If you're painting a house and need another gallon, guarantee that new gallon will match 100% with the existing on the wall.  Can't say that for Wal-Mart, Lowes or Home Depot.

[Andrea Tapp]

Thank you all so much for your expertise opinions and sharing your experiences.  It sounds like SW is the way to go.

[Tom Valichka]

From a homebuilders perspective, definitely suggest using the SW Superpaint. Like someone stated above it's the best on the market right now. Yes, it may be a little more, but it will hold up better than the HD or Lowes brands! More money now may prevent adding more coats in the future.

[William Tharp]

Love the Sherwins Williams super paint but I changed it up and used their contractor 400 on my last job. I really liked the coverage and results.

[Robert Nason]

I just bought this discount paint from Lowe's to paint a couple of my units. What a mistake! My time is valuable, so to have to throwdown two coats when Sherman Williams will cover it in one.

[Charlie DiLisio]

How do you get the big discounts from them? I am going to give SW a try and compare. I have been using the BEHR because of the discounts REIA has gotten for us. Thanks for any tips or ways to get their discounts.