Interior Paint Differences

[VW1.8Tsunami]

I've seen buckets of paint as cheap as $10/bucket all the up to $40/bucket. What's really the difference and how can a company warranty paint?

I've done the Valspar from Lowes as well as the $10 cheapo stuff from Walmart and can't really tell a difference.

[GeoffD]

If you don't have dogs or rug rats putting nose/paw/hand prints all over the paint, I doubt there's all that much difference. If you have to wash walls and trim all the time, you'll find the premium paints last a lot longer and are much easier to clean.

Europe still uses oil-based paint where they expect the surface coat to last 15 years. In the US with latex paint, people repaint much more frequently.

I use Benjamin-Moore Aura. It wears well for a latex paint. Easy to clean. Mildew resistant.

[Tornado2dr]

I agree with geoffD. If you are single, live alone, and don't have four legged or two-legged beasts tearing your house up all the time - the only difference you might notice would be sun-fade...but you'll NEVER notice because the room will likely all fade at the same rate, and by that time you'll have either moved or want a change!

For trim (doorframes, crown, baseboard, chair rails), I WOULD spend the money on higher-end paint. Those are the places you will clean on a more regular basis from your own grubby hands, and the higher-end oil based will last a long time and clean up easier.

[Mk1Racer]

The reason you can't tell the difference between Valspar and Walmart paint, is because Valspar is no better than Walmart paint (and neither is Behr from HD). Buy Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams (or some other comparable brand). Last year, my g/f painted her son's room NY Jets green. She went to Lowe's, and got Valspar paint. Because of the color, they recommended a tintable primer. She got that as well. Took 3 coats on top of two coats of the tintable primer to get it to cover. This year she painted her other son's room. He picked some crazy color. Lowe's said the same thing, tintable primer. I talked her into going to the Benjamin Moore store. She spent <$20 more for the paint (2 gallons total). Put one coat of standard primer and 2 coats of color, and it looks great. Saved herself a lot of extra work. She said she'd wished she had listened to me when I said to get Benjamin Moore for the first room!

[moonstation 2000]

I ran out of Sherwin Williams trim paint and got some replacement paint at Lowes. The difference was huge: I could cover easily in one coat with the SW, but the lowes required two coats and was still thinner. SW is def more expensive though.

[VW1.8Tsunami]

I have a dog but she's pretty laid back. Good call on the trim paint though. I never even thought about that.

[NYCgolf]

I have always used benj moore regal. Its pricey and i hate painting so i guess drop the extra coin figuring it will last longer. However i realize my choice to use this line of paint is really not bassed on any facts.

The egg shell is usally like 30+ a gallon.

I hope to not paint for quite some time.

[Markos]

If you are using different paints at the time of painting, you will be able to tell the difference. However, if you just buy a can of the nicer paint a few years after your last paint job, you won't be able to tell. The nicer paints help with the actual painting process, but the end result may appear the same. Nicer paints go on "fuller", with less need for subsequent painting. The paint is creamier and easier to work with.

I painted several thousand SF in 2010, mostly with Sherwin Williams "Super Paint". It's a nice middle quality paint from their store, but nicer than the top-of-the-line Valspar/Behr. Another great benefit to the nice paint shops is that they store your color palatte in their system indefinitely.

I did purchase Valspar/Behr along side the nicer SW paint, and the difference in the painting process was noticeable. The Lowes/HD stuff isn't holding up as nice as the Sherwin williams. I also have a toddler, so the paint is taking hits. As mentioned, buy very nice paint for trim/railings, baseboards, etc. You will want a lacquer. You can purchase waterbourne or latex based lacquers from the good paint stores.

My best advice is to keep the remaining paint on hand and just touch it up on a regular basis. I touch up my paint about every three months.

[FlyBy]

The only paint I will ever use from HD or Lowes is Valspar Flat finishes for ceilings. For 5 gallons @ $80 its a great deal.

But for everything else I use Sherwin Williams, including brushes. I can't stand when people paint with crappy brushes and rollers, it's just making your life more difficult. My favorite brush was $28 back in 2001 and it still paints like new today.

[VW1.8Tsunami]

I've painted everything using the 11/gallon colorplace walmart paint. I found out that Sherwin Williams actually makes it lol. It served it's purpose. No real issues so far.