Anonymous wrote:I know that SW is preferred by most of the painters I use (Gen Contractor) but it is not easy to use if you are the casual painter. BM is much thinner paint and easier for a home owner to apply. SW is thicker and probably a better lasting paint but unless you are a professional painter, you will have some troubles with it. I like the bold colors of BM but if I want colors that shift in the light I prefer SW. That is probably a byproduct of the viscosity of the two paints.

They only prefer it because SW offers a substantial discount to contractors. BM is actually a better paint brand if you're looking for a better white and neutral color selection, it has more depth. And Aura performs better than Emerald if you're looking at top of the line for both brands, but anything outside of that, BM and SW are basically equal.

I know that SW is preferred by most of the painters I use (Gen Contractor) but it is not easy to use if you are the casual painter. BM is much thinner paint and easier for a home owner to apply. SW is thicker and probably a better lasting paint but unless you are a professional painter, you will have some troubles with it. I like the bold colors of BM but if I want colors that shift in the light I prefer SW. That is probably a byproduct of the viscosity of the two paints.

Anonymous wrote:Just pick SW colors that are similar, don’t try to do a custom color match. Those can be unreliable

+1
I didn’t realize that my painter would go with another brand matched to the Sherwin Williams color I wanted. It’s just ever so slightly off but it drives me bonkers (and it was the exterior, so I’m not redoing it soon).

Just pick SW colors that are similar, don’t try to do a custom color match. Those can be unreliable

If by color matching you mean finding an equivalent Sherwin Williams color, yes, that would work. If you mean trying to color match the Ben Moore colors by just having swatches mixed at the SW store, then no it won’t. There’s really no need to do that either, SW carries an excellent color selection.

https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/paint-color-matching-263322

Anonymous wrote:Personally I paid the extra to get real BM paint.

+1.

Personally I paid the extra to get real BM paint.

Sure! It’s fine as long as you’re not trying to match an adjacent wall, but you should still get a sample pot and paint a swatch, even if you already did it with BM paint. Probably you won’t be able to tell any difference.

Anonymous wrote:I did it and it was fine. SW has a book with the formulas. When I’m painting myself I use BM because I think it’s and easier paint and requires fewer coats, but if your contractor is doing it, that’s up to him.

A painter once advised me that it was worthwhile to pay for Benjamin Moor for trim, because it has better coverage, but any paint is fine for walls.

When I need to color match paint, I go to my local Sherwin-Williams store, because they’re much better at it than the big box stores. YMMV.

I did it and it was fine. SW has a book with the formulas. When I’m painting myself I use BM because I think it’s and easier paint and requires fewer coats, but if your contractor is doing it, that’s up to him.

I have a new house and picked colors I like that are Benjamin Moore. My painter advised that he gets a better deal on Sherwin Williams so the price he quoted me will go up significantly if I use Benjamin Moore, but that he would suggest color matching. Any experience? I'm a little anxious that 1. it will look different than the color I am matching and 2. it will be trickier for touch ups down the road. I suppose I could also be worried about quality, but that seems ok, no? Any experience or wisdom?

[I'm already locked in with the contractor, so there's nothing to do there.]