Behr vs Sherwin Williams: Which Paint Brand Is Better

If you’re contemplating an interior or exterior home DIY painting project, you may already have begun puzzling over which brand of paint to choose. One of the brand comparisons you may be making is Behr vs Sherwin Williams, since both are well-known and respected brands.

Sherwin Williams’ history began in 1866, and seven years later, the company introduced the first ready-mix paint. Behr has been around since 1947, when it began producing oils and stains before entering the paint market in 1986.

Today, both companies produce high-quality interior and exterior paints for professionals as well as DIY painters. But there are differences in their products in terms of color selection, durability, coverage, and cost. Read on to learn more about both brands, and to find out which one we believe is the better paint.

Along the way, you may discover that one of these paint brands will, in fact, work better for your goals than the other brand.

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Behr vs Sherwin Williams Color Selection

Both Behr and Sherwin Williams offer a wide array of paint colors, although Behr does offer many more colors than Sherwin Williams. Both companies offer online assistance to help you choose the best color for your project.

As just one example, both companies offer free online video consultations with a color expert to assist you with color selection.

Read on to learn more about Behr vs Sherwin Williams in color selection options.

Behr

On its website, Behr conveniently organizes its paint selections into 10 color “families.” Selections are grouped as white, gray, neutral, black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Within those families, Behr offers nearly 4,000 colors.

Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams has a similar system for organizing its paint colors, with nearly the same color families as Behr. The only difference is that Sherwin Williams’ white and gray families are grouped as “white and pastel.” Sherwin Williams, however, offers only 1,700 colors.

Other Considerations

Before you make any final decisions on paint colors, be sure that the color you choose, whether Behr or Sherwin Williams, will work for your application. In some instances, exterior and interior color offerings from both Behr and Sherwin Williams will differ. Before buying, be sure your preferred paint is formulated for your planned use, whether you’re painting indoors or outside.

Finally, if you find a Behr color that you like, but ultimately decide you’d rather use Sherwin Williams paint, Sherwin Williams can match the Behr color. However, a word of caution is in order: the Sherwin Williams color may not quite exactly match the Behr color.

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Behr vs Sherwin Williams Durability

Because both Behr and Sherwin Williams are considered premium paint brands, each can make reasonable claims regarding durability. There are, however, some differences in the two brands in terms of durability that are worth further consideration.

Read on to learn more about the durability of Behr vs Sherwin Williams paints.

Behr

Behr offers four grades of interior and exterior paint for DIYers to consider for their projects. In ascending order of durability, the Behr grades are Premium Plus, Ultra Scuff Defense (just Ultra for exterior paint), Marquee, and Dynasty.

Sherwin Williams

Sherwin Williams offers five grades of interior paint — Emerald, Duration, SuperPaint, Cashmere, and Captivate. Its exterior grades also include Emerald, Duration, and SuperPaint, along with the Resilience and Latitude brands.

Behr vs Sherwin Williams

Painting professionals and other experts generally agree that Sherwin Williams paint outperforms Behr with regard to durability. Sherwin Williams is seen as holding up better than Behr against wear, in large part because of superior resistance to scuffing and chipping.

Also, professionals and other experts believe that Behr may have difficulty holding up to high heat in comparison with Sherwin Williams. That will definitely be of particular concern to anyone contemplating an exterior painting project in a warmer climate.

Finally, expert opinion holds that Behr isn’t particularly scrubbable in comparison with Sherwin Williams. Obviously, that could be a problem for interior paint in active households.

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Behr vs Sherwin Williams Paint Coverage

Both Behr and Sherwin Williams are thick paints, which means that neither will cover as much area per gallon as some thinner paints. However, that thickness also means that both paints can do a great job in covering older paint in one or two coats.

With Behr vs Sherwin Williams, both companies will contend their paints will cover somewhere around 400 square feet per gallon. But according to many painting professionals, both of those Behr vs Sherwin Williams estimates are likely to be somewhat off the mark.

Real-world experience has shown that Behr’s coverage may be closer to 250 square feet than 400 square feet. Sherwin Williams has just a slight advantage here, with its per-gallon coverage estimated at somewhere around 300 square feet.

Beyond the raw numbers, it’s important to know that a single coat of either paint may be enough to effectively cover older paint. But a prudent DIY painter will always plan on two coats of paint — regardless of manufacturer claims — particularly if covering a darker paint.

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Behr vs Sherwin Williams Cost Comparison

Before looking at the cost of Behr vs Sherwin Williams paints, you should know that each is available only in somewhat limited locations. Behr is sold exclusively through Home Depot, although it can also be ordered online if there isn’t a Home Depot near you.

Similarly, Sherwin Williams is sold only at the company’s more than 4,000 company-owned and company-operated stores. And like Behr, Sherwin Williams paints can also be ordered online.

Regardless of whether you order online or visit a Home Depot or a Sherwin Williams store, Sherwin Williams will be the more expensive choice. That difference will hold true for both exterior and interior paint.

The following price comparisons are at the time of publication. Always check online and in-store for sales and promotions.

Exterior Paint

Behr’s exterior paints come in four grades, and can range in price from about $45 for Premium Plus, followed by the Ultra and Marquee, to about $80 for the Dynasty.

Sherwin Williams has five grades of exterior paint. At the low end is Super Paint at about $80 per gallon, followed by Resilience, Latitude, Duration, and finally Emerald, on the high end, at about $110 per gallon.

Interior Paint

Behr’s five interior paint brands range from a low of about $30 per gallon for its Premium Plus brand, followed by the Ultra-Scuff and Marquee, to about $60 for its Dynasty brand.

Meanwhile, Sherwin Williams has five brands of interior paint, starting with Captivate at about $50 per gallon, followed by Super Paint, Cashmere, and Duration. The Emerald is on the highest end at about $90 per gallon.

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Behr vs Sherwin Williams Frequently Asked Questions

Even with the background already included in this post comparing Behr vs Sherwin Williams paint, you may have more questions about each brand. Read on for answers to some questions not directly covered in our assessment thus far.

What warranties do Behr and Sherwin Williams offer for their paint?

Both Behr and Sherwin Williams offer warranties for their paint products. For many, if not all, of both manufacturer’s products, a lifetime limited warranty is in place. Behr advises customers to check the label of whatever paint or primer they purchase for specific details on that product’s warranty.

If your chosen Behr vs Sherwin Williams product does carry a lifetime limited warranty, it’s important to understand exactly what that means. In most, if not all, cases, a lifetime limited warranty will cover only defects in the product itself.

If you’ve applied your Behr or Sherwin Williams product incorrectly, such as using an interior-grade paint on an exterior painting project, you won’t be able to make a warranty claim.

And even if you do have an applicable warranty claim, you will only get enough paint to cover the area affected by the defective paint. For example, your warranty won’t cover the cost of having the problematic area repainted professionally.

Can you use a sprayer to apply Behr and/or Sherwin Williams paint?

If you’re thinking about repainting your home’s exterior or one or more interior rooms, you might be considering the use of a paint sprayer. In terms of Behr vs Sherwin Williams, both paints can be applied with a sprayer, but both manufacturers have recommendations for spray application.

Sherwin Williams paint is compatible with most sprayers, including airless, compressed air, and high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) equipment. Behr, on the other hand, is best used with an airless sprayer.

Regardless of which paint you choose, or which type of sprayer you use, you should check the sprayer manufacturer’s guidelines for using its particular spray equipment.

Which paint is easier to clean, Behr or Sherwin Williams?

When thinking about Behr vs Sherwin Williams over the long term, one thing you’ll want to consider is which one will be easiest to keep clean. Particularly for an interior DIY painting project, you’ll want a paint that can stand up to cleaning after the household accidents that will occur.

That is, of course, a critical factor for households with young children. So, if you’re concerned about how well your paint will stand up to cleaning, you should choose Sherwin Williams.

Painting professionals routinely cite Sherwin Williams as being easier to clean than Behr. One particular issue with Behr, according to many of those professionals, is that it doesn’t stand up well to scrubbing.

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Wrapping up Behr vs Sherwin Williams: Which Paint Brand Is Better?

As you’ve learned, many factors go into choosing paint, including color selection, durability, coverage, and, of course, cost. Within that range of factors in a Behr vs Sherwin Williams comparison, our recommendation is to use Sherwin Williams for both your interior and exterior DIY projects.

It’s true that Sherwin Williams will cost more than Behr. But if you catch a good Sherwin Williams sale, that difference can be cut significantly. Also, factoring in Sherwin Williams’ durability could mean you won’t be repainting as often as might be the case with Behr.

DIY Painting Tips has much more helpful information on a wide variety of paint brands, including more help with Behr and Sherwin-Williams. Also check out DIY Painting Tips for guidance on both interior painting and exterior painting tips and techniques.