Behr vs Sherwin Williams Paint

Which is Better Behr or Sherwin-Williams Paint?

Looking for the best house paint often starts with these two major companies: Sherwin-Williams and Behr. However, they are popular brands for entirely different reasons. 

For a long time, professional exterior and interior house painters have considered Behr a paint manufacturer for homeowners. Still, Behr continues to make monumental product enhancements that bring it much closer to other leading brands.

Sherwin-Williams vs. Behr

Sherwin-Williams has been around for a long time, offering a wide range of products that meet the needs of residential repaint professionals and others. While some paint contractors have criticized SW, stating there are too many paint options and deeming them confusing, others appreciate having a paint option that meets their exact price and performance demands. 

Sherwin-Williams began to gain market share in the early 2000s, and professionals recognized SW paints as a mid-to-high-end brand. After accelerated success, SW acquired other competing companies, which led to the advancement of higher-end and commercial paint products. 

Today, Sherwin-Williams remains a top-tier brand and is widely recognized as a leading national paint company. 

Behr’s story, on the other hand, is slightly different. Behr has been mainly regarded as mid-level house paint, mainly focusing on lower-priced homeowner sales. For a long time, local house painters would not use or recommend Behr because of its perceived lack of performance, but that opinion is starting to shift as Behr’s performance improves, which in turn results in higher prices.

Behr Marquee vs. Sherwin-Williams

Behr Marquee paint includes some of the most significant advancements Behr has ever made. While the paint-and-primer-in-one advertisement is more of a gimmick, Behr Marquee still offers a few significant improvements. 

The first notable improvement is adhesion. Over the years, we have experienced poor adhesion using Behr products to the point that we stopped recommending and warranting Behr paints altogether; it was that bad. So, in our opinion, this improvement is monumental. After all, what is the point of painting if it won’t stick to the surface? 

Secondly, Behr Marquee offers much-improved coverage. While we didn’t find Behr’s one-coat coverage claim accurate, Behr Marquee’s coverage is significantly better than lower-grade Behr offerings. So, with those improvements, how does it compare to Sherwin-Williams? 

The Marquee line is Behr’s best offering, hence the name. So, it would only be fitting to compare it to Sherwin-Williams’ best. When comparing Sherwin-Williams’ best paint, Emerald, to Behr Marquee, Emerald outperforms Marquee in nearly every category. 

Exterior Paint Comparison

Since the introduction of Sherwin-Williams Duration Exterior, SW has doubled down on the concept of thick exterior paint coating, with the newest rendition of Emerald Exterior following suit. These two products are considered among the best exterior paints available, but where does that leave Behr?

For a long time, Behr exterior house paint was considered hard to work with for many reasons. The first was its thin and slow-drying formulation. This formulation resulted in paint runs and limited the conditions under which the paint could be applied, causing major issues for exterior painters. We painted a home exterior in Charlotte as a weekend side job. The homeowner insisted on Behr exterior trim paint. The house was near a large creek, so humidity and early-morning moisture were elevated. We used Behr later in the day, and we still had to chase runs on the fascia boards. It was a disaster.

The second issue was the lack of coverage. We had another client in Cary who wanted us to paint a mailbox post to match the house we had just finished painting with SW exterior paints. She only had Behr Premium Plus Exterior Semi-Gloss paint, which took 3 coats to transition from cream to off-white. This instance is only one of many over the years. However, the article’s overall sentiment is that Behr has improved.

While we still wouldn’t recommend Behr exterior paints over Sherwin-Williams, Behr’s dry times and coverage improvements are noticeable and well-welcomed. 

Interior Paint Comparison

While wall paint is the most visible comparison for any interior paint, interior trim paint coverage and durability are often overlooked. Home interior trim takes the most time and skill, so all painters will want to limit the coats needed for full coverage. 

Sherwin-Williams and Behr’s interior trim paint falls short in coverage when painting white colors. Paint manufacturers have cut back on pigment (T02) use to mitigate rising raw material costs.

Sherwin-Williams’ higher-end interior paints are still easier to apply overall. Depending on the product comparison, SW interior paints will usually dry faster, require less paint, and offer a broader range of solutions. 

Coverage, Dry Time, & Usability

When comparing Sherwin-Williams to Behr paints for coverage, dry time, and ease of application, Sherwin-Williams wins despite Behr’s improvements; here is how.

Sherwin-Williams’ dark colors, such as black, typically cover better than Behr’s. The coverage advantages of lighter colors, such as white, remain critical for interior and exterior house painting applications.

Some Sherwin-Williams paints can be recoated within 1-4 hours, and SW’s quickest cure times range from 4-10 days under normal conditions. On the other hand, Behr is a little slower in each department, and if you recoat with Behr too soon, paint adhesion is lost, leading to bubbles and paint failure.

Paint dry times also affect coverage. Waiting longer between coats when multiple coats are needed for adequate coverage slows the process. 

Longterm Durability

Behr’s premium exterior paints are on par with those of leading brands in terms of long-term durability. However, Sherwin-Williams does take the edge in UV resistance and fading. Sherwin-Williams exterior paints also take the edge in blistering and peeling resistance. Expansion and contraction also belong to Sherwin-Williams primarily due to their thicker coverage. 

Often, Behr paints are tested for abrasion, which is mainly conducted in a lab by leading researchers and testers.

Behr Consumer Reports Reviews

While we respect tests and other reviewers, lab tests and controlled environments offer limited results. While our findings are in no way scientific, field results in the Triangle over 20 years have enabled us to conduct a long-term evaluation of performance under a wide range of circumstances, from our average 85% humidity in the summer to a love for bright white finishes. 

When there is consensus among paint professionals, the justifications don’t always translate into writing. Still, our experiences are unbiased and firsthand, which, in many cases, are a better reflection of actual performance. 

Behr’s History & Target Market

Like the histories of many paint companies, Behr’s origin stems from the hustle of one idea and the flourishing and growth of evolving business relations. In 1942, Behr was born and has become a leading brand among the DIY community, primarily sold at Home Depot and other big-box stores where DIY shoppers are often found. Let’s face it, we have all been to the local Home Depot on Capital or Strickland Road.

Everyone has heard the seasonal Home Depot commercials that offer a special paint price for a limited time. Behr has always been a DIY’s price-conscious dream, so in many ways, Behr is not comparable to brands like Sherwin-Williams, which offer advanced pro-level paints.

While Behr’s target market is primarily homeowners, make no mistake: that gap is shrinking, and Sherwin-Williams and other pros know it!

Behr vs. Sherwin-Williams Price Comparison

Introductory low prices are often offered for low-grade interior and exterior paints. These prices are used to entice shoppers, get their attention, or direct them to a specific location where the seller can promote more items.

Bait pricing can increase sales, but often the lowest-priced paint shouldn’t be used when looking for quality. When paints are labeled as the best and priced the lowest, you are targeted and should refrain from purchasing them.

All paint prices have increased substantially in recent years. A quality can of paint costs $50-$100, and prices continue to rise. In the process, paint pricing between companies is beginning to overlap. 

A few years back, Behr was one of the leaders in lower-priced interior paints. Now, that gap is also diminishing, making it harder for homeowners to discern the best paint.

Conclusion

If you have read this article, you are already ahead of everyone else in understanding the value of quality house paint beyond the price tag. When paint companies have a knowledgeable audience, they are forced to change, and those changes often result in improvements both financially and in the paint’s overall performance. 

As increasingly competitive as the paint industry is, improvements will follow once your purchases shift from one brand to another. The market has always followed consumer spending habits, and if we continue to support quality over the illusion of price, we will get closer to acquiring both. 

When comparing Sherwin-Williams to Behr, which brand you should purchase and which is best depends on what you prioritize most. Is it quality, convenience, price, or do you want it all?