SHERWIN WILLIAMS PAINT VS BEHR PAINT
An internal comparison paint survey was conducted by the United Home Experts team. We provide siding, roofing, window, painting, and door replacement services throughout eastern New England. Unbiased opinions were retrieved based on our individual experience using the products.
The ratings provided are opinion based and not the result of lab testing or product specification examination.
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A lot of people dismiss paint as a mere cosmetic enhancement. But the truth is that the paint on a home is the home’s first line of defense against the harsh weather conditions in the Northeast, and against damage by insects, rot, and algae. And yes, of course, a great deal of a home’s curb appeal and pride of home ownership is determined by the paint that a homeowner chooses.
There are many choices when it comes to exterior paint for a home. Two leading paint brands are Sherwin Williams and Behr. In this post, we dig into each brand to see which provides more value and is inherently a better choice to withstand the extreme temperature and humidity variations in the Northeast?
Coverage
Coverage is important in a paint. This factor determines how many coats of paint will be required to produce an acceptable result. The fewer coats needed for a job, the better, from a standpoint of time as well as cost.
Let’s start with a recent J.D. Powers paint rating which rated the Sherwin Williams paint products significantly better overall than the Behr brand. According to several of our team members, Sherwin Williams paint goes on much thicker than Behr paint – often, a single coat of the Sherwin Williams product covered as well as three coats of Behr. Some reviewers claim that Behr’s coverage on sheet metal is so poor that a coating of Sherwin Williams’ product was required in order to cover the job completely.
Colors
Getting just the right color is of vital importance for many homeowners. Here is another area in which the Sherwin Williams brand takes the prize. Sherwin Williams colors are factory-mixed. This ensures the highest quality time after time and can after can with absolute consistency. With Sherwin Williams colors, the homeowner purchases peace of mind.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Behr brand. Behr products are generally mixed at the store where the paint is purchased. Sometimes this is not an issue, but the problem inherent to this system is that some of the store workers who mix paints and colors may not be adequately trained.
Sherwin Williams workers specialize in just paint and in our experience are more adequately trained to mix paint and consult homeowners and contractors.
Value
Sherwin Williams products generally cost more than Behr. For some people, this ends the discussion of value – but this is really just the start of the conversation.
Value is determined by a number of factors; for example, coverage. How many coats of Behr does it take to equal the coverage of the Sherwin Williams product? Even if the initial cost of the Behr product is lower, the increased coverage of the Sherwin Williams product means that Sherwin Williams can provide the better value in many situations.
The next component of value is durability. How long will it be until the Behr product needs repainting compared to how long the Sherwin Williams product lasts? According to the latest J.D. Powers report, the Sherwin Williams brands last longer and look better over time than the Behr products.
Conclusions
Overall, when comparing Sherwin Williams products and Behr products, Sherwin Williams comes out ahead on coverage, color consistency, in-store assistance, and long-term value. If you are still unsure about what paint would suit your project, please feel free to sign up for our well-known, no-pressure, free estimate to have the peace of mind of having a professional paint your home.
Behr abvertises as beng the best overall, i have used both and yes sherwin is more expensive hiwever i did get better results over behr.
Thank you for the information. We used SW on the exterior of our home and just love it. Every time we pull up to our home, we both just are awed at how beautiful it looks. Inside, we used Behr, and had to use several coats of paint, though we purchased primer & paint in one.