Sherwin Williams vs Olympic Paint

An internal comparison paint survey was conducted by the United Home Experts team. We provide siding, roofing, window and door replacement services throughout eastern New England. Unbiased opinions were retrieved based on our individual experience using the products.

Two paint brands that offer paint products with low volatile organic compound (VOC) content are Sherwin Williams Paint and Olympic Paint. Although VOC is not immediately toxic, it may result in health problems over time. This makes paint that contains fewer grams of it per liter desirable. Between these two paint brands, Sherwin Williams scores higher with 92 compared to Olympic with 82. This is based on a 0 to 100 scale with 100 being the highest score possible.

Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content

Sherwin Williams and Olympic offer several paint products that have either very little or no VOC content. Between the two, however, Sherwin Williams offers more product lines with zero or very low VOC. Excellent examples of this are the Emerald, Harmony, and the newer HGTV paint lines. These lines have both interior and exterior varieties for those aiming for a greener, safer home inside and out. Sherwin Williams thus provides the health conscious among their customers with a wider array of this type of paint. This allows the customer to select the best paint color and variety to fit their needs. Only select Olympic products have zero VOC. These are their premium interior paints. For exterior paint, they offer the low VOC variety.

Self–Priming

Generally, before applying paint over a surface, it has to be primed. The primer helps the paint adhere better to the surface and helps bring out its color. It unfortunately adds to the cost of painting a house. Sherwin Williams offer several paint lines that are self priming. These may be more expensive than comparable Olympic products. But because a primer is no longer needed, the overall cost of the paint job may be significantly reduced.

Moisture Resistance

It is important to keep an eye on the weather forecast when painting a house. When one expects rain or a decrease in temperature below what is indicated for applying the paint, the job has to be postponed or hurriedly completed. Sherwin Williams has developed its Resilience paint with this specifically in mind. This paint product resists moisture up to 50% and dries within two hours of touch application. There is as yet no Olympic Paint product with comparable ability.

Warranty

Both paint brands have products with lifetime warranties. What sets Sherwin Williams apart is the one-coat lifetime warranty it offers for certain products such as the Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex paint. It is at least 50% to 70% thicker than comparable Olympic products, so one coat may be all that is needed, or in certain cases, at least fewer coatings.

In Summary

Sherwin Williams Paint provides a wider, more comprehensive selection of low and zero VOC paint products than Olympic Paint. They also have products with superlative moisture resistance suited for places with shorter dry periods. Those on a limited budget will like their self-priming paints and their one-coat lifetime warranty covered products. These may cost more per gallon compared to paint offered by Olympic. This, however, is offset by being able to forgo the use of a separate primer and the need for several coats in order to finish project.