Sherwin Williams at Lowes?

[LD1]

Let me preface by saying I am not a pro painter. But I have tried cheap paint ($80/5gal) and tried expensive paint ($175/5gal). My preference is for the cheap paint. I have yet to find something that covers good in 1 coat. And 2 coats of cheap paint look better than 1 coat of expensive paint, and just as good as 2 coats of expensive paint. So what is the reason to spend the extra money?

I wouldnt have a problem paying twice as much for paint that would actually cover well with 1 coat. But it just dont. Maybe something even more expensive would, but if I pay 3x's the cost and put on one coat, the job actually cost more than 2 coats of cheap stuff. If I was a pro and charging labor then it might make sense, but painting for myself, a second coat dont take long to put down. The time is in the prep work and taping off stuff.

I have done alot of painting recently with just moving last year, and then painting one of the apartments after a long-term tenant moved out. For the walls in the appt I used the same color I did in my living room. Kinda a tan color and I had a few gallons left over in the 5 gal bucket. This is $80/5gal at walmart. I needed some semi-gloss white for the ceiling. The wife got the paint. She was in a rush cause was waiting over 20 minutes for someone to assist her. Kinda our fault cause we didnt specify, but all she asked was for a 5 gallong bucket of semi-gloss white. What they gave her was $175 for 5 gallon. Valspar signature I think? But it still took two coats even though it cost twice as much.

 

[smstonypoint]

This is $80/5gal at walmart. I needed some semi-gloss white for the ceiling.

Just curious. Why do you use semi-gloss on a ceiling?

Steve

 

[LD1]

No particular reason, but it is what I use on walls and everything else. I didnt want a bunch of left-over paint that I could only use on the ceiling.

 

[Oaktree]

I must respectfully disagree about behr paint, I tried using it in my basement and it was junk, Shermin Williams is a little more money but covers 10x better, I will never use a big box store paint again.

Yeah, I'm not real crazy about Behr paint either (Consumer Reports always rates it highly though). Didn't cover worth squat. Used some to paint some shelves, 6 years later stuff still sticks to it. :thumbsdown: Nearest SW store is 45 min away, but we have a Benjamin Moore dealer next town over, so that's what we mostly use.

That having been said, Behr ceiling paint seems to be OK.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I used to paint houses when I was in college. Later, I worked in a research lab as an Electron Microscopist; and a substantial part of my duties was analysis on paint pigments for a company now known as Tronox, one of the producers of TiO2 Chlorine process white paint pigment. To make a long story short, I worked with a fellow who had previously worked for a large paint manufacturer. He said his company had done extensive studies on the quality and durability of commercial paints...and at that time, the best on the market was Sears Best. I have used it on my house for the last 30 years, and it easily covers white over white in one coat. The majority of the paint on my house right now is 15+ years old. Needing a bit of freshening up, but still presentable. I'm not even sure it's available any more.

 

[ray66v]

I used to paint houses when I was in college. Later, I worked in a research lab as an Electron Microscopist; and a substantial part of my duties was analysis on paint pigments for a company now known as Tronox, one of the producers of TiO2 Chlorine process white paint pigment. To make a long story short, I worked with a fellow who had previously worked for a large paint manufacturer. He said his company had done extensive studies on the quality and durability of commercial paints...and at that time, the best on the market was Sears Best. I have used it on my house for the last 30 years, and it easily covers white over white in one coat. The majority of the paint on my house right now is 15+ years old. Needing a bit of freshening up, but still presentable. I'm not even sure it's available any more.

Sears paint is Sherwin Williams.

Which is funny, because I have had people tell me they hate Sherwin Williams, but they love the Sears paint. :laughing:

Most of the time, when there is a problem, it's not the paint. But, the paint always gets the blame.

 

[ray66v]

How well most paint covers, has a lot to do with the color.

When you paint 6 or 7 different colors, of the same product, in the same house, you see that right away.

Most products will require 2 coats, for most colors. Depending also on the color you are covering.

Rolling out a second coat is no big deal, but if you have to cut in the edges twice, that paint does not cover. :thumbdown:

That being said, 85% of the time, when the average person paints, you can see through it everywhere when they are done. And, they think it looks fine. :confused3:

 

[EddieWalker]

A friends dad that I grew up with worked at a chemical plant in the SF Bay Area who said they made paint for just about all the different paint companies. It's just a formula that they use for each brand and company. This was back in the 80's, and he said the Sears used the very best materials in their paint. It wasn't even close to what anybody else used. For years, I used Sears paint all the time and never had a problem until Sears sort of lost their way in the 90's and everything went cheap. I no longer buy Craftsman for that same reason.

For another decade, I felt Behr, Valspar, Sherwin Williams and Kelly Moore where all the top brands and there wasn't much difference between one an the other. As long as a client picked one of those brands, I wasn't worried about how it would turn out. Then a few years ago, the government created a new law or regulation on paints. I forget what they took out, or didn't allow, but that's about when all the paint companies came out with that sales gimmick of primer in with the paint slogan. Silly idea, but people buy it thinking it's true and actually get upset when they find out it's just a sales gimmick.

Today, I only buy Zinsser Primer like the 123 for new sheetrock, or the BIN for oil and bad stains, or Sherwin Williams specialty primers. They have one for new sheetrock that's great, but really not worth the couple extra bucks over the 123, which is also great. Behr paint was taken over by Kilz, and that's pure junk. I feel they lowered the Behr quality down to the Kilz level in order to compete with the Walmart brand of paint. I just plain refuse to use it and I let my clients know it.

I'm not sure what the details or reasoning is for Sherwin Williams to sell in Lowes under the HGTV brand, except it will sell more paint for Sherwin Williams. I havent' tried it yet, and don't know if I will or not. It will depend on my clients and who wants to be the first.

Benjamin Moore doesn't exist in my area. I've been on their website looking for it because I get a lot of clients who want it based on what they see in magazines. Their website sends me to Ace Hardware stores, which sell Valspar paint and they will mix it to the Benjamin Moore colors when you ask them to. Lowes will do the same thing, just tell them you want a Benjamin color and they mix it up for you.

I make a living remodeling homes and I do a lot of painting. Getting it done right as quickly as possible is how I make money. Having to redo it or go over it multiple times means I'm spending too much time on the job and not making as much money.

Eddie

 

[rekees4300]

Behr paint was taken over by Kilz, and that's pure junk. I feel they lowered the Behr quality down to the Kilz level in order to compete with the Walmart brand of paint. I just plain refuse to use it and I let my clients know it.

Thanks for the info Eddie. I didn't know that about Behr. This explains why the differences of opinion on this thread. I used it on the interior 10 years ago and it still looks like the day it was applied but now I wont be using it again.

 

[downsizingnow48]

Used Behr for years, last time it was not good, I thought I had done something wrong. Helpful info. Right now I am using Benjamin Moore Aqua in the Sacramento place. It brushes and rolls fast with no marks and covers in one coat, even cutting in the ceiling and baseboard edges with a brush. Getting the job done fast and well is a big plus and makes the $57 per gallon price less painful.