My Review: Valspar vs Behr vs Olympic vs ColorPlace

doctordog

again the question wasnt answered.....is expensive better or not..i guess its a matter of opinion

DrHicks

That's a tough question to answer.

For the most part, the more expensive paints are better. The old maxim, "You get what you pay for," tends to hold true. It's pretty much a given that the $55 per gallon Sherwin Williams paint will be better than the $18 per gallon Glidden - as it should be.

The more appropriate question might be, "Is more expensive worth it?"

ccarlisle

From a chemical ingredients standpoint, the answer is an immediate and unqualified "yes"...just like anything else, there are cheap ingredients and there are expensive ingredients and the main reason why you use one or the other (apart from financial constraints) is quality of the finished product i.e the paint film - and therefore the lower the cost.

Research by the manufacturers of the ingredients (ie. people like Dow, BASF, Tioxide, R&H etc) aims at obtaining a "better" product i.e one that performs better, quicker or cheaper to give a specified performance. It is easy to make a $100/gallon (cost) paint given unlimited ressources, the challenge becomes how to make a paint that matches that performance at a suitable price for a given market...

It is also relatively easy - although more of a technical challenge - to make a cheap paint, using the minimum ingredients and technical ressources in manufacturing, but it is done and I qualify those paints as $8/gallon paints (for my own reasons). These budget paints have a place in the market, but come with their own set of limitations and lowering of quality.

Now what the consumer also sees is the cost of marketing. Home Depot can purchase a can of $8/gall paint and resell it for $32 in order to make a profit point for the whole store. B-M make a paint for $22/gall marks it up to pay for their stores and sells is at $44. Which is the better buy?

Most consumers think they can save by buying the $32/gall paint from H-D because they think they have "saved" $12/gall. They go off happy and apply a paint that they have to redo in half the time it would have taken the better paint to last - at comparable specifications. That's where the fly gets in the ointment.

What is "comparable specifications" to the average consumer? 'Looks "good"'? 'Goes on with a roller'? 'Matches the colour I want'? 'Saves me money'? 'Bought from one store'? Cleans up with water'? No VOCs?...

These are all valid reasons why the average paint consumer buys a paint; note that thickness of paint film (= longer wear life) or "rheology of paint" (= ease of application) are NOT criteria they would use (that's not their fault) but that these criteria affect the cost of a layer of paint.

It's the classic mismatch. There's nothing wrong with $8/gall paint, but what some of us put forward is that $8/gall paint COSTS more, even though it is cheaper in price. But since people can't see into the future and will never know how much their paint film actually costs, they ignore the very things research aims at.

But research does tell us that the more expensive the paint (not by consumers criteria), the better the film, and the lower the cost.

racebum

biggest thing i've noticed with SW or BM is every gallon is the same. with the big box stuff; sometimes it's wonderful, then others it isn't. valspar for example is just great in certain colors and horrible in others.

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renovator11

I like Valspar! I didn't know until recently, but they have paints that were inspired by historical places! My painters led me to pick out a paint inspired by the southwestern La Fonda hotel of Santa Fe, NM. Call me a history dork, but I think it's cool to have paint colors inspired from historical places! I definitely would vote Valspar for that reason!

Brushjockey

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but understand a great color palate is marketing, a great paint is chemistry.

ccarlisle

Got that right!

sheshechic

Simply paying more for better paint does necessarily result in a happy painter. If the painter doesn't have the ability/skills/knowledge then the paint job could be worse than any cheap paint that individual might use. Fore example take a look at the reviews of SW ProClassic. Over working a paint like that is going to be horrible.

I'm type A and don't know that I would have the restraint. I'd need to practice and I'm considering investing in doing just that. We're painting cabinets my DH built.

Gatorb8

I have used regional brands of paint, national brands of paint, and big box brands and honestly I have seen very little variation in comparable prices. For my money, time, and overall value I prefer using Glidden. After listening to a local sales guy, researching what I was told, and taking a free five to try I was honestly shocked. It sprayed well and rolled well for the money. Seems they have made some pretty good upgrades lately.

Ms B

What about Olympic?

Gatorb8

I have used Olympic. It seemed to spread well but shrunk as it dried leaving a lot of uncovered spots. However, I have run across some who like it.

hammerheart14

That is absolutely not true! Let's say my dad, who is a painter, uses Behr paint on an exterior house, he has a hunter green finish, and puts it over a universal grey primer. I believe in most cases, in an exterior paint job, you should use one coat primer, two coats finish. So, after putting on one coat of a grey primer, an dthen two coats of a hunter green finish, the green Behr paint hasn't covered completely even in two coats! THEN, you waste more material, time, money, ect. SO, in most cases you COULD make it work, but it costs you in the long run, and painters are in the biz like everyone else who has a job, to make money so they can live.

Brushjockey

A good painter could probably put on a halfway decent coat with a broom. He would also know not to waste his time.

Leah Frances

I think the value here for DIYers is learning there are different grades of paint; and that sometimes spending more money up-front saves you time and money later.

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Gatorb8

My opinion, for what it's worth, is it depends on the customer. Some customers repaint often depending upon fashion trends, season, and what not. If you are this type of customer why would you want to spend $40 - $50 a gallon. Longevity wouldn't seem to be an issue. Now, if you are customer like my parents the paint may be on the wall for 20 years before you paint again. I can see spending more for the paint; ironically they purchased Glidden Spred Satin in 1990, $9.97 a gallon, and it still looked beautiful before they repainted. The only reason they repainted was to change the color.

There are quite a few factors that come into play when setting prices. One being the cost of colorants which in my opinion factory paint stores have the best quality colorants. Home Depot does not charge customers for colorant as they make up for it in volume. Second, buying power plays a role. Home Depot and Lowe's turn quite a bit of paint in a week and the more you buy the better your pricing. Third, some paint manufacturers also refine their own raw materials such as Akzo Nobel (dba Glidden Paints) allowing them to sell a better paint at a better value. In this point spending more doesn't necessarily mean better quality.

I have been in the paint industry for a little over 12 years now as a painter, paint consultant, trainer, and analyst and can honestly say it really depends on the customer and the job. An apartment complex that turns apartments every six months or so would be nuts to spend an enormous amount on paint. However, a hospital would be nuts to buy cheap paint with the amount of scrubbing and cleaning. Again, it all depends on the customer, the job, and the function.

Yes, I am partial to Glidden as I have never had a problem with their paints and grew up using Glidden working on my cousins paint crew. But, I love BM products above any other.