Exterior Paint Comparison

Exterior Paints: Sherwin Williams vs Behr

by Leslie Wilson on August 30th, 2012

I personally like Sherwin Williams’ paints, a lot. If I am asked by my clients to pick ‘all white’, then I, more than likely, will look into Pratt & Lamberts endless off-white charts, but SW is usually my go-to paint manufacturer. Naturally all the colors we selected for our house were from SW, of course. BUT, as our painting lags, we got a coupon for Home Depot’s Behr paint! We took our SW paint to Home Depot and got a gallon of their paint with the color match. How different could it be? The difference was shocking. SW paint goes on thick and smooth on the first coat. I did not even have to worry about uneven distribution of paint on the rollers. The wall looked fantastic after the first coat. But as a creature of habit, I put on another coat. Behr paint is noticeably thinner. The first coat looked like a watercolor when it started drying. The subtle yellowish tone of Hardie panels was showing through. I ended up painting three coats. The difference was even more severe when put on sheet metal. I could not get Behr paint to smooth out on sheet metal and in the end had to go over it with SW paint. I have used Behr paint for interior projects before and had no issues. I do not think their exterior products are up to competing with SW. Once you experience how smooth, thick and evenly SW paint goes on, you will become a believer like me.

PRICE COMPARISON

1. Sherwin Williams: $35.69 + tax Super Pint Exterior Acrylic Latex Exterior Paint - 1 Gal. http://www.sherwin-williams.com/architects-specifiers-designers/products/catalog/superpaint-exterior-acrylic-latex/ 2. Behr: $28.87 + tax Premium Plus Semi-Gloss Enamel Exterior Paint - 1 Gal. http://www.behr.com/Behr/home#vgnextoid=cbf4f11390a59110VgnVCM1000006b0910acRCRD;view=13;channel=HEADER_NAV

COMPARISON BETWEEN ACRYLIC LATEX AND ENAMEL PAINTS

1. Advantages of Latex Paint Latex paint is much easier to clean. Most marks will come right off with soap and water or a basic household cleaner.

 2. Advantages of Enamel Paint Enamel paint is able to withstand much more damage than latex paint.



COATS REQUIRED

Used on same day, at the same time with same rollers and pans, on the same surfaces (Hardie panels and sheet metal). 1. Sherwin Williams: 2 coats 2. Behr: 3 coats