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Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are two of the best paint brands in the US. They both produce some of the best paints for exterior and interior house decorations.
The two brands produce high-quality products and are rated high by professional painters around the globe. If you’re about to purchase paints for your home and is wondering which of the two brands produce the best quality, this article is for you.
I’ve used each of these two brands of paints many times, so I’ve got a good deal of experience to share. Nonetheless, I tend to use more of Sherwin Williams products because of its quality performance, convenience, and proximity to the shop.
With my first-hand experience of using products from these two brands, I wouldn’t say neither of the brands wins over the other in terms of quality.
Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore products come in higher grades and lower grades of paint. These are designed for different levels of performance and budget. So, which brand wins among the two brands boils down to the buyer’s personal preference.
The best way to compare and contrast paints from either of these brands is to check which one among them has products that match your project’s needs. The information I have provided in this article will help you to easily determine which of these two brands of paint suits your needs.
I have provided a general comparison of these two popular paint brands and equally compared similar products from the two brands. Hopefully, this guide will make it easy for you to make your purchase decisions. Eager to know what each of these two paint brands offers and how to choose a suitable match? Don’t go away!
Let’s start with a quick look at how they compare and contrast with each other.
Even though both brands are very popular and offer great quality, we ultimately chose Benjamin Moore to be the better brand of the two as it features greater durability, fewer coats, and it's generally easier to spread and all that at a better, lower price.
The Main Difference Between Benjamin Moore vs Sherwin Williams
The Main Differences between Benjamin Moore vs Sherwin Williams are:
- Benjamin Moore paint stores are owned and managed by locals, whereas Sherwin Williams’ stores are owned by corporate bodies.
- Benjamin Moore offers cheaper and more durable paints with shine and easily spreadable capacity, whereas Sherwin Willam paints are not that durable and require more time spreading and applying more coats.
- Benjamin Moore products are best for trim, cabinets, and related tasks, whereas Sherwin Williams paints are better for the exterior.
- Benjamin Moore’s colors are difficult to wipe clean, whereas Sherwin Wiliams’s paints are easily cleaned even if the walls are dirtied by messy kids.
Benjamin Moore vs Sherwin Williams paints Comparison
Level of Coverage and Durability
You’ll normally get what you pay for as regards the quality and coverage. The high-quality paints from the Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore brands are a little pricier than the basic ones out there.
However, they come with extra benefits which means that you get better coverage of paint as you brush or roll. Besides, you also get improved durability.
Pricing
Cheap paint commonly comes with less coverage and with a lower quality compared to the more costly ones. Also, the mark of the brush rarely evens out to give a smoother finish.
This low quality paints equally create banding effects in corners, particularly, along the edges of the ceiling. The banding gets more perceptible when you choose a darker color. However, it’s much more uniform when you opt for higher quality paint.
While some people are better fans of Benjamin Moore and vice versa the two companies make equivalent paint quality. It tends to use Ben Moore aura product more frequently because of its smooth finish and coverage.
I’ve equally used Regal Select with the all in one paint and primer. I discovered that Regal select comes with better coverage than the standard model of Regal paint.
I frequently use the Sherwin Williams paints to paint the walls for their durability particularly the Duration Home. The Emerald urethane enamel model is a better option for trim and cabinets.
The two products are highly durable. A few options to check out include SuperPaint, Cashmere, and ProClassic. Emerald latex paint from Sherwin Williams, which the company markets as having an equivalent equally share similar price tag with Aura.
Less pricey paints and the more affordable options to review include the Duration Home and SuperPaint, both by Sherwin Williams, and Benjamin Moore’s Regal and Ben.
Affordability
The two brands, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are nearly equivalent in price. Related gallons of paint of the two brands come with nearly the same price tag. However, the price of Sherwin Williams is a bit higher.
Also occasionally, these price tags go up and down if you’re buying the same paints in special colors. To save a bit, you want to watch out for coupons and deals in your local adverts. Some stores that make bulk purchases may be eligible for discounts when they order a specific volume of paints.
Ease of access
You’ll regularly find Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint brands in your local paint stores. Nonetheless, they differ slightly in terms of management and ownership.
While Sherwin Williams has their corporate stores, Benjamin Moore paints are sold by authorized dealers. You can easily find the nearest store location in your locality by conducting a Google search for any of these brands.
Performance
In terms of performance, you need to look at the coverage and cover-ups of these two paint brands. Coverage means the number of coats you will need to cover a surface.
Paints with good coverage only require a maximum of two coats, whereas paints with bad coverage need additional coats to cover a surface. Although they may look less expensive, when you add the overall coats they require to cover a surface they become more costly overall.
A thinner paint performs lower than a thicker one. Another factor to consider is touch-ups. This factor is equally important. Most painting services offer service warranty to their customers.
What this means is that they would revisit their customers to touch up the house if the paint chips away. It is essential to use high-quality paint for touch-ups.
Paints that are good for touch-ups will easily blend with other parts of the wall. However, if you work with paint that has a bad touch-up quality, any touch-up you make would be easily recognizable. This would necessitate painting the entire house. So, you see why you need to get paint with good touch-up quality.
The two paint brands, Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams come with good performance quality. They are both regarded as the best in the market. Nonetheless, in terms of performance, Benjamin Moore paints wins. They are easier to spread, last longer, and are a lot easier to clean compared to Sherwin Williams.
Color Fan Deck
The two paint brands feature a large selection of colors. I use fan decks from both brands, however, I’ve observed that most users prefer to use Sherwin Williams fan deck colors. They have a more recent fan deck with a broad color selection.
Nonetheless, if you want to buy gray, which is popularly used by homeowners for painting their interior, each of these two brands has a great selection you can choose from. I prefer the Sherwin Williams fan deck grey color options. It’s less of an issue to match the color of the two brands.
Comparing a few types of paints of Sherwin Williams vs Benjamin Moore
Having provided you with a quick overview of how Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore paints compare and contrast with each other, we will get specific by comparing a few popular products from these two brands. We want to make it very easy for you to select a suitable type of paint for your needs.
Now, let’s start:
1. Benjamin Moore Advance vs. Sherwin Williams ProClassic
Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint quality is better than Sherwin Williams’ ProClassic because it spreads easier on surfaces compared to Sherwin Williams ProClassic. Besides Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint as well last longer than Williams. ProClassic can easily chip compared to Advance.
The Advance paint is equally thicker and needs fewer coats for a smooth finish. If you apply it on a surface with the use of a sprayer, it as well comes in a better shine.
Another point to note is that Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint doesn’t smell like Sherwin Williams’s ProClassic does. This can make your work experience more enjoyable. Nonetheless, the ProClassic paint odor isn’t very bad, but compared to Advance paint, it’s odorless.
Even though both brands are very popular and offer great quality, we ultimately chose Benjamin Moore to be the better brand of the two as it features greater durability, fewer coats, and it's generally easier to spread and all that at a better, lower price.
Overall, Benjamin Moore’s Advance paint is a better quality paint compared to Sherwin Williams ProClassic paint. On top of that, it’s also less pricey in comparison. This doesn’t make Sherwin Williams ProClassic a bad paint either.
2. Sherwin Williams Alabaster vs Benjamin Moore White Dove
These two models of paints from these two popular paint brands come in high-quality whites which you may wish to consider if you’re looking for white-colored paint. While they look related to each other in terms of appearance, they’re equally a bit different in specific ways.
The Alabaster paint dries quickly and produces a shiner coat compared to the White Dove paint which is easily spreadable and can readily clean when dried. It also comes with better durability compared to the Alabaster paint.
The Alabaster and the White Dove paint both come in an equivalent price tag if you’re looking for a 2-gallon bucket, but the White Dove makes a better purchase option.
High hiding formula for excellent coverage with smooth application. 100% Acrylic latex paint for easy soap and water clean-up.
3. Benjamin Moore Regal Select vs. Sherwin Williams Cashmere
The Regal Select paint is a better pick compared to Cashmere although their difference is not much. Sherwin Williams Cashmere paint also comes in premium quality. However, compared to Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select, it’s a cheaper model. While the quality of Cashmere paint is not as high as that of the Regal Select, it commonly cost more making the Regal Select a better option.
Also, the Cashmere paint is a high-quality interior paint while the Regal Select is more easily spreadable, more durable, and easier to clean. The problem with Regal Select is availability. You get the paint only from selected retailers and hardware stores.
A premium-quality, 100% acrylic paint and primer that delivers a durable, uniform finish that stands up to the abuse of everyday life.
4. Benjamin Moore Ben vs Sherwin Williams Opulence
Benjamin Moore Ben cost more than Opulence. It comes with a better cover while the touch-up feature of Opulence is better.
You only require two coats of each of these paints to get the job done. Our experience with Sherwin Williams Opulence in the last couple of years shows it spreads more readily to roll faster and feel smooth on walls particularly if utilized to cover builders’ flat paint.
The smoothness makes it less tiring on the arms and shoulders and allows you to roll walls longer. This saves time and makes completing a job faster. It makes a great option for both professionals and DIYers. DIYers will, especially appreciate the smoothness of the paint.
Benjamin Moore Regal vs Sherwin Williams Duration
These two paint models from these two brands come with similar price tags. They have good coverage, touch-ups and can help you achieve your aim with just two coats.
Sherwin Williams Duration comes with integrated moisture and mold resistance feature and can easily wash with Matt finish. They are thus, better for painting bathroom walls.
Other Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paint
Besides the products already discussed, the chart below compares more Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams paints products.
| Paint’s Name | Coverage quality after the first Coat |
| Benjamin Moore’s Coronado | One of the worse |
| Benjamin Moore’s Super Hide | Average coverage |
| Sherwin Williams Super Paint | Great coverage and among the best products |
| Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 | Average coverage |
| Benjamin Moore’s Ben | Great coverage and one of the best products |
| Benjamin Moore’s Ultra Spec 500 | Average coverage |
| Sherwin Williams ProMar 100 | The poorest coverage on the list |
You can see from the chart that the best paints after the first coats are Sherwin Williams Super Paint and Benjamin Moore’s Ben paint. These two paints come with equivalent quality. However, Benjamin Moore paint costs a bit less.
Also, the chart shows that the paints with the worst coverage are the Sherwin Williams ProMar 100 and the next worst coverage paint in descending order is Benjamin Moore’s Coronado.
The rest paints, Benjamin Moore’s Super Hide, Ultra Spec 500, and Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 are medium quality. They are not the best and also not the worst.
Another factor to consider is the number of coats it would take each of these paints to completely cover a surface. It is essential since 2 or more coats are more time-consuming than just one coat. It is equally more costly overall. So, put all these factors into consideration before determining which one makes the best buy.
| Paint Name | Number of Coats to Fully Cover a Surface |
| Benjamin Moore’s Coronado | Two Coats |
| Benjamin Moore’s Super Hide | Two Coats |
| Sherwin Williams Super Paint | One Coat |
| Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 | Two Coats |
| Benjamin Moore’s Ben | One Coat |
| Benjamin Moore’s Ultra Spec 500 | One Coat |
| Sherwin Williams ProMar 400 | Two to three Coats |
Overall, to figure out the best option, don’t forget to compare the costs with the number of coasts required to complete a surface. Besides consuming more time, additional coats add to the overall cost. Remember also other features like durability, shine, and cleanability.
FAQs
Benjamin Moore paints are more durable, easily spreadable, uses fewer coats, and are cheaper compared to Sherwin William paints. They equally come with better shine.
I would say Benjamin Moore Paint for a lot of reasons including durability, resistance to splatters, spreadable feature, and quick drying. They are equally affordable besides the Regal luxury paint which definitely worth’s the price.
You can find out from the nearest Sherwin-Williams paint expert in your locality. However, the Latex model gives you a durable finish and best gloss retention. They are easily spreadable and also dry quicker.
Final Verdict
Both brands of paints are high quality and very effective, however, they have minor differences. Benjamin Moore paints are sold by locally-owned stores, whereas Sherwin Williams’ stores are corporate-owned.
It may be more worthwhile to support the locally owned, Benjamin Moore brand better than a big corporation. However, the quality produced by a corporate organization tends to be more stable.
The two brands are good, feature both costly and cheap products to suit different needs and budgets. Your choice comes down to your project needs and individual preference. It’s more about the paint quality you need than the manufacturer.
While Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams manufacture equivalent paint quality, I would use Benjamin Moore much more frequently for the following reasons: Durability, easily spreadable, fewer coats, and cost-effectiveness. Now, that doesn’t mean that Sherwin Moore paints aren’t of good quality. Far from that!
The most essential factor to consider if you’re left with two options from these two brands is to choose a product with higher quality. That will minimize the number of coats you need, it would be more durable and also dries easily. It will equally be easier to clean and give you a better shine.
Even though both brands are very popular and offer great quality, we ultimately chose Benjamin Moore to be the better brand of the two as it features greater durability, fewer coats, and it's generally easier to spread and all that at a better, lower price.
