Paint brands -- do they matter?

Nechie122

Hi all, I'm new to this board, but DH and I are closing on our first home this week and starting a somewhat extensive renovation. But first things first: are all paint brands the same? Which one would give us the most bang for our buck? Lowe's seemed to have mostly Valspar -- opinions?

Knitty

They matter a lot. My preferred brand is Benjamin Moore. I have tried Olympic, Valspar and Behr, and it's always a nightmare.

~NB~

Yes, it matters a lot. Valspar is streaky, watery, junk. Buy premium paint, such as Benjamin Moore or Behr Premium Plus Ultra.

vaohara

Benjamin Moore, always! And they have a great kitchen and bath paint too!

hippie4yahweh

Sherwin Williams is great, but I repaint too often to justify the price LOL so I've always stuck with Behr- the premium plus paint + primer is really great! Comparable to (but not quite as good as) SW IMO

calico77

I typically buy the Paint+Primer (even if we don't need color coverage or primer in general) and mostly I buy Behr (HD is closer than Lowes to me).  I have bought Olympic, Valspar, Behr, and the only one I have had to go more than 2 coats was the Olympic but it was a No-VOC b/c I was pregnant.  Most of the paint+primer stuff went on excellent and I was even able to get away with one heavy coat instead of two which tickled me to death (tannish over off-white) in one room.

dairygirl19

It matters...but it's all personal preference.

400 will respond to this post with 20 different paint brands and their loves/hates entirely opposite.

For example I love Ace Royal paint at Ace Hardware. It's affordable, goes on good, durable, no weird smell. Never had a problem with it. Nesties hate it however.

I don't do Valspar. I get discount on it and I still refuse to buy it. It's watery and I can't stand the smell.

Behr is fine. Never used SW or BMoore but I can't imagine that kind of price tag is worth it (at least to me).

I'd just go get a couple samples and ask around.

I had my kitchen and LR pro painted and I had to buy the paint. I asked the painter what to get and all he said was, "It doesn't need to be the high end just don't get the stuff at Walmart either, there's a lot of middle ground where paint is paint."

Susie Derkins

I use Sherwin Williams.  Behr doesn't hold up as well.  I haven't used most of the other brands, since I have an SW in town.

Bluesmoothy

I know people say they don't, but I think they do. However, I think it's a matter of personal preference. My decorator is a huge fan of the Behr Premium (the kind w/ the base included), so I've been painting with that. Then one day I bought a sample of Sherwin Williams and the consistency is soooooo much smoother than the Behr.

DANGERUSS & MITTENS

Another Benjamin Moore fan. I've never had luck with Behr or cheaper brands (Ralph Lauren, Martha Stewart, etc.). In a pinch, I will use Valspar's Signature line but most of the time I stick with Benjamin Moore. I like that it's not watery, has great coverage and durability. 

GnomeSweetGnome

I actually love Valspar.  It's the only paint we've used, and I've had no problems with wateriness, coverage, or smell.  It always goes on smoothly, covers evenly, and we haven't needed a second coat for any of the colors we've used thus far.

Like dairygirl said, everyone has different experiences with paint.  The two brands I see recommended most on this board are Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore.

adhdfashion

I use Behr paint and primer in one. I always do two coats, because thats how Dad taught me to paint. LOL Consumer Reports did a thing on paints a few months back. I would suggest getting Consumer Reports subscription. It saved H and I from some dumb purchases the first year in our house. 

TheBridesMom

I have used a lot of different paint brands, from every type of store imaginable.  I think it absolutely makes a difference... in overall quality, application, durability, and in the quality of the color.

I really love super pricey paints, but I don't have access here, so I use pricey (but not quite as pricey-lol) paints like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams...just wait for sales to buy the Sherwin Williams, since they have them pretty often.

As a general rule, I stay away from Lowes and Home Depot for paint, and buy paint from actual paint stores.   There are some hardware stores like Ace and local stores that carry pretty good paint.

I just think the big box stores get lesser quality stuff so that they can offer one stop shopping, and get people with super cheap stuff that you need to use more of to get the same coverage as better paint line elsewhere.  It winds up costing as much or more for lesser quality.

leolyns

I like Sherwin-Williams and Behr plus. I used Valspar signature in our hallway/living/dining room and in one of the bathrooms and didn't care for it.