# Straight answer please - Benjamin Moore vs Behr



## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

So Consumer's Reports makes a blanket statement about all Behr products ? Or just one particular Behr product ?

These are both big companies with huge product lines. Compare apples with apples. Compare Behr's top of the line with BM top of the line. Or Behr's cheapest with BM cheapest consumer crap.


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## Ronnie833 (Jan 9, 2021)

SPS-1 said:


> So Consumer's Reports makes a blanket statement about all Behr products ? Or just one particular Behr product ?
> 
> These are both big companies with huge product lines. Compare apples with apples. Compare Behr's top of the line with BM top of the line. Or Behr's cheapest with BM cheapest consumer crap.


Specific Behr products, not blanket statements. Nonetheless, my question is about Behr paint rather than Consumer Reports. It seems pros reach for either Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore rather than Behr, even though Behr has great ‘specs’. I was hoping to understand specifically the difference from someone who has lots of experience with both.


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## woodco (Jun 11, 2017)

Behr is made and marketed to DIY'ers, Benjamin moore is for pros. Ask yourself if pros would know what the better paint is..

The fact is though, either one of them will work for you. The reason I hate behr for walls is because it stinks, its "snotty," and it likes to run, because its made to simply be thicker so DIY'ers think they are getting better coverage. I would rather use contractor grade Ultra Spec from BM, than top of the line Marquee for those reasons. Once its dry and on the wall, if it looks good, it looks good. I always plan on two coats, so I dont buy a thicker paint hoping to just do it it one. Im not saying anyone NEEDS to do two coats, but thats how most pros do it. That way, you KNOW, it will have complete hide, you know there wont be holidays and skippers, and you know the sheen will be good and even. you can also move faster if you know its getting two coats, rather than spend more time trying to get the one coat done right. 

Behr tries to market itself as 'one coat' Well, Ive seen DIY's try to get one coat covereage, and they usually cant do it even with the best paint. IF theres a drastic color change, sometimes its best to step up the quality to make sure there wont need a third coat, but 9 out 10 times, even contractor grade Ultra Spec will cover just fine. 

But, like I said, once its on the wall and dry, it really doesnt matter what brand you use. Except for touch ups.... Benjamin moore will touch up better than Behr or SW. Personally, I think lower grade SW paints are the worst on the market for touch ups. Like I said, I mostly hate Behr for the way it is actually putting it on the wall.


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## Mordekyle (Dec 3, 2020)

I have used some Behr and less BM.

Cheap Behr is garbage, thin, needed multiple coats, etc.

Their Marquis line wasn’t bad. Not the greatest, but that is what homeowners had. It sufficed.

I bought some “mid grade” BM exterior paint for a repair. Wasn’t impressed, runny and thin.


I’m partial to Sherwin Williams. I used some “contractor grade” interior paint to paint a new wall in a garage. Absolute garbage, worse than Behr. Never again.


You get what you pay for. 

I used SW Emerald to paint the new siding on my house last year. Their premium paint. Great stuff. Even where I inadvertently sprayed way too much paint in the eaves, it sagged but didn’t run.

With as much time invested in prepping a house for paint, a few hundred dollars difference is a no brainer. 

Ironically, ameteur DIYers often choose the cheapest products, which are the hardest to use. 

If you want both a better finished product and an easier time in accomplishing it, get premium paint. Sherwin Williams, and others I suspect, have frequent 40% off sales.


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## Mordekyle (Dec 3, 2020)

Much less price difference in painting a basement. Prep properly and get premium paint. There is a world of difference between using cheap paint and great paint.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

What has been said above - it's more the quality of the actual paint than the company that makes it. Most of them make good paint and crappy paint.

For a zero VOC option, I've had good success with a very reasonably priced paint from Lowe's - Valspar Simplicity. I don't think I've used a better paint at this low of a price point.

When attempting to get a single coat, some of my best success has been with PPG Timeless, which I think is available at Home Depot. Surprisingly, I've also gotten Simplicity on in one coat a few times (obviously I'm talking about color changes here, not painting the same color over again.) Been meaning to try Marquee but haven't had an opportunity yet.

But I don't know the situation in your basement, so it's hard to say if you're asking for too much or not.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

I have tried Behr and hated it. It was like trying to paint with cold cream.

I have also used Benjamin Moore which in my experience is much better than Behr.

I then learned about Duron which I came to really like. Duron has since been acquired by Sherwin-Williams. The last few projects I did, I used Sherwin-Williams and was very pleased with the results. It is now my go-to paint.


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## SPS-1 (Oct 21, 2008)

My preferred paint is BM Aura. Pretty expensive though. High solids. Always goes on nice. Always covers well. Always looks great. However, I _always_ do 2 coats.

My one terrible painting experience was with Behr from a big box store. Had poor coverage and poor adhesion.


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## Boogityman (Oct 17, 2017)

I'll add my 2 cents. Full disclosure I am a DIYer because it is more cost effective and it pains me to pay for something I know I can do, not because I am a perfection based obsessive.

Use Behr Premium (not marquee, one step down), I have had zero issues. Tried Marquee once to test their one coat claim, and it's trash and went on uglier than Premium eggshell that I painted the rest of the house with. 

So yes, faced with repainting the entire house and new homeowner budget constraints, bought into Behr Premium and honestly it works very well. My experience with Behr Premium:

-Eggshell is a breeze, gives nice coverage and goes on nicely. 

- the semi gloss is a pain, I use it for trims and baseboard and such and it is a drip FIEND, constantly have to watch it.

- Ceiling matte is super nice, covers up normal defects, but does drip more than BM according to my painter (I draw the line at painting ceilings lol

- tried (tried!) Behr Marquee ceiling because the guy was talking it up about how it's actually wipeable so in case something splashes from, etc, it would be easy to clean. Didn't click them but was laughably glossy, and highlighted every single defect on the repaired ceiling (previous water leak and repair was less than perfect)... Covered it over with Premium Matte and no issue at all

- exterior opaque deck stain went in really nice and gave 3 years only parts that have come up are where my dog launches off the deck to run after a ball, so pretty pleased with that/has gotten me a few more years out of a very old deck. Was very easy to apply.

- Behr water borne alkyd for various furniture projects, nice durable finish, not a great self levelers though I find, so probably worth going higher end. Has tendency to form bubbles regardless of application method so a little annoying...

With BM: 
- Used BM matte bath and spa a couple years ago and found it super difficult to apply, not happy with the finish and will likely repaint when I have the time. Seemed to dry super quickly and so to me, not 'diy friendly' unless you are a really good painter (I am not, although improving)

- Have since used BM Aura eggshell for a couple smaller projects (impact walls, etc), it goes on lovely that is for sure, but still needed 3 coats to cover up previous yellow with a dark blue. 

So all this to say, I suppose money was no issue, would probably go with BM just because I like buying top end when I can...but have stuck with with Behr for several years now so I guess that shows where I lean.

B

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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Drachenfire said:


> I have tried Behr and hated it. It was like trying to paint with cold cream.
> 
> I have also used Benjamin Moore which in my experience is much better than Behr.
> 
> I then learned about Duron which I came to really like. Duron has since been acquired by Sherwin-Williams. The last few projects I did, I used Sherwin-Williams and was very pleased with the results. It is now my go-to paint.


As has been repeated in this forum many times, there is no such thing as "Behr" paint, "Benjamin Moore" paint, "Duron" paint, or "Sherwin Williams" paint.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Boogityman said:


> Use Behr Premium (not marquee, one step down), I have had zero issues.


Behr makes a paint called Premium Plus, which would be considered 2 steps down from Marquee (although it's not really clear - Marquee's only real claim to fame as far as I can tell is one coat coverage within their specified range of color choices.) Behr's Ultra would be considered a step up from Premium Plus. I have never had any issues with Ultra on walls. I sometimes use Premium Plus for paint matching and repaints out of convenience when doing wall repairs, never had any issues with it in that context.



Boogityman said:


> - the semi gloss is a pain, I use it for trims and baseboard and such and it is a drip FIEND, constantly have to watch it.


That has been my disappointing experience as well, and I don't use Behr's Premium or Ultra paints for trim work. My basic go-to is SW SuperPaint. There are finer paints for finer work, but that's my workhorse.


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## Boogityman (Oct 17, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> Behr makes a paint called Premium Plus, which would be considered 2 steps down from Marquee (although it's not really clear - Marquee's only real claim to fame as far as I can tell is one coat coverage within their specified range of color choices.) Behr's Ultra would be considered a step up from Premium Plus. I have never had any issues with Ultra on walls. I sometimes use Premium Plus for paint matching and repaints out of convenience when doing wall repairs, never had any issues with it in that context.
> 
> 
> 
> That has been my disappointing experience as well, and I don't use Behr's Premium or Ultra paints for trim work. My basic go-to is SW SuperPaint. There are finer paints for finer work, but that's my workhorse.


Fair enough, you're right that's it's not clear lol. But yes it's Premium Plus I use

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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Mordekyle said:


> I’m partial to Sherwin Williams. I used some “contractor grade” interior paint to paint a new wall in a garage. Absolute garbage, worse than Behr. Never again.


What I consider SW's "contractor" line is the ProMar series. ProMar 700 is absolute junk. It splatters so much, is so transparent, and is so low in solids that I won't use it for any application at all. Even for the most basic, cheap rental repaints, it's not worth getting paint all over the place, including my arms and face and hair. ProMar 400 is OK, maybe for repaints and when you know you're doing two coats. Probably roughly on par with Behr Premium Plus. ProMar 200 is better.


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## Drachenfire (Jun 6, 2017)

jeffnc said:


> As has been repeated in this forum many times, there is no such thing as "Behr" paint, "Benjamin Moore" paint, "Duron" paint, or "Sherwin Williams" paint.


Perhaps I should have clarified. I do not use bottom shelf paint at all. So my experiences with these paints have all been with mid to high grade, and I stand by my opinion.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Jeff is correct that all paint mfr's make good, better, and best paint products. I know people who have great luck using Behr. As I've said so many times on here, if it works for you and you like the results, use it. If Behr Marquee works on your walls, by all means, use it. If you have better luck with SW's SuperPaint, well, then use that. It's all about finding the right product for YOU.

Having said all of that, I will now contradict myself. I used Behr (can't remember the version) on the insistence of a customer. It was just basic semi-gloss white for doors. I never had doors turn out so poorly. I primed and applied THREE coats. The finish could best be described as 80 grit sandpaper. The customer was so angry we almost got into a shoving match. I vowed then and there to NEVER, EVER use Behr again. I did use their trim paint on some cabinets once after all of that and it actually covered well and had a decent finish.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

The gritty finish on Behr semi-gloss kind of confuses me. When I've used it, it was smooth and shiny, but runny and transparent. I'll use Behr on walls again in eggshell, matte or flat on walls, but I won't use the semi-gloss on trim any more. It was the Ultra I used.

Generally good paint is good paint, but I suppose it's possible that someone's unique technique or tools might do better with one over another. I will say in general, most homeowner's spread wall paint too thinly.


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## Mordekyle (Dec 3, 2020)

jeffnc said:


> What I consider SW's "contractor" line is the ProMar series. ProMar 700 is absolute junk. It splatters so much, is so transparent, and is so low in solids that I won't use it for any application at all. Even for the most basic, cheap rental repaints, it's not worth getting paint all over the place, including my arms and face and hair. ProMar 400 is OK, maybe for repaints and when you know you're doing two coats. Probably roughly on par with Behr Premium Plus. ProMar 200 is better.


I had never seen the “contractor grade,” (actual label) but found it in a client’s garage. Had a couple more gallons mixed, I had never used it and was willing to try. Garbage.

For interior, which I don’t do a lot of, I’m satisfied with PM200.

For exterior repairs, I’ve had more success with A100 than Superpaint. I do like Resilience, seems to cover well for me. I painted an exterior with Emerald about 4 years ago, and it still looks great, so that’s what I painted my house with.


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## Mordekyle (Dec 3, 2020)

jeffnc said:


> I will say in general, most homeowner's spread wall paint too thinly.


... and they sometimes brag about how little paint it took to paint their house!


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Mordekyle said:


> ... and they sometimes brag about how little paint it took to paint their house!


Yeah. You can hear that "sizzling bacon" sound from across the room when their roller is going, and you know they're proudly on their 4th column of paint with the same roller load.


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## Ronnie833 (Jan 9, 2021)

jeffnc said:


> As has been repeated in this forum many times, there is no such thing as "Behr" paint, "Benjamin Moore" paint, "Duron" paint, or "Sherwin Williams" paint.


Because each brand has several lines which are vastly different formulations? If so, I agree.


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## jeffnc (Apr 1, 2011)

Saying Sherwin Williams is better than Benjamin Moore is like saying Ford is better than Chevy. It makes no sense, because no car exists that just says "Ford" on it. There is no such thing. It's like saying there's something roaming around out there that is an animal, but isn't a dog or cat or squirrel or anything else specific. You can pit a Ford Escort against a Corvette and see how you do. Or you can pit a Shelby GT500 against a Chevette and see how you do. So the comparisons are pointless unless you're talking about real cars, not just company names.


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