# SW vs BM help please



## thepainterr4you (Feb 8, 2008)

Ok so I am new the pro painting game

I looking to have a set paint company for most jobs as I am sure most of you do

Here is my question SW or BM and why

SW store is nicer than the ones that carry BM

SW gallon that is comparable to BM regal 
SW gallon compared to Aurora
SW primer compared to BM primer
SW ceiling compared to BM ceiling

Average gallon who is cheaper SW or BM on all above products

I do see on other threads most people seem to use BM but not any real reasons why.

Any help is greatly appreciated.
doug


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

I think you will find differing opinions based on what the local store does for the individual. 
That said, one of my favorite paints is Ben Moore Regal.

But from a business standpoint I like dealing with Sherwin Williams better. They give me better pricing across the board. My pricing is the same wherever I go. They have many locations which makes it easy to get product wherever you go, and they have a broad enough line that there is something in every pricepoint. Plus I like the fact that they have sales reps just for residential repaint companies. 

Ben Moore dealers are independantly owned. So what service and price you get at one store, is different than that at another store. Not saying there are not good ones, just that they are not consistant.

As far as paints here is where the opinions will differ greatly because one pricepoint/product will have it fans and detractors. Since I am full of wealth of useless information (just ask my wife) here is my opinion.

BM Aura = SW Duration
BM Regal = SW Cashmere
Primers, I have never used BM primers, I like what I use and get better pricing than BM has ever even offered. 
Ceiling: Similar to primer, either use something cheap that the BM dealers can't touch or another product that is not made by either.

What works best for me or anybody else may not work best for you. You may like the way one product brushes on, while I hate the way it dries and will not use it. From a business standpoint, use the brand or dealer who gives you the best VALUE. ( Value = Total of price, support, service and products YOU like)


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

That's tough as there aren't necessarily direct comparable products
I'd say the best source for comparisons would be the SW store, but they could be biased....also they don't all use the products in the field so the company line may differ from the painter's perspective

I'm more familiar with the BM products, but have had chance to use many of the SW products over the last few years

I would like to state that in many ways it's like the Ford/Chevy thing
Some like Fords, some like Chevys, and they don't like the other one
So you will get painters loving/hating BM or SW
In reality, they both provide quality coatings
And that's where the quality of service from the retailer comes into play
I'd rather deal with the better quality service myself



thepainterr4you said:


> SW gallon that is comparable to BM regal


Hmmmm....Duration Home or Cashmere
probably Cashmere


thepainterr4you said:


> SW gallon compared to Aurora


There's nothing out there like Aura
I say that from a technical standpoint
If you had to pick the closest, I'd say Duration Home
But in reality there would be a case for Harmony
But it's not really a good direct comparison


thepainterr4you said:


> SW primer compared to BM primer


I can think of 6...no 8 BM primers off-hand
You'll have to be more specific
I can tell you the SW PrepRite is the best latex blocking primer I've ever used


thepainterr4you said:


> SW ceiling compared to BM ceiling


...I don't recall ever using a SW ceiling paint


thepainterr4you said:


> Average gallon who is cheaper SW or BM on all above products


That depends
The SW company owned stores tend to go for the "charge what you can get" pricing strategies, whereas the BM is nearly always carried by independent retailers
As a result, the BM RETAIL can be more competitively priced
As a general rule around here, SW RETAIL is really expensive
However, SW CONTRACTOR pricing isn't too bad
BM retailers, being independent, CONTRACTOR pricing can vary greatly from not too bad to great
Again, I've heard from other parts of the country that BM is more expensive than SW
It's just not always the case
It's not the case here

No matter how you slice it, it's just not that big of a difference when using comparable paint products...it's the service
However, you may want to check the sundry and tool pricing



thepainterr4you said:


> I do see on other threads most people seem to use BM but not any real reasons why.


I think that many of the more zealous contributers are mostly BM users, but I don't think most painters, or most members here are


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## Rich (Apr 26, 2007)

Hi Doug
Either paint brand will get you paid and produce professional results, so don't get caught in the brand wars, just pick the one you trust and is most practical for where you live :thumbsup: 

My take on it is that SW Superpaint is similar to regal (both probably between $25-35/gal). 

Nothing is comparable to Aura because it's a different beast all together, but Duration is SW's most durable and expensive product (both are over $40/gal). 

Not so sure about primers, although SW's preprite line is absolutely amazing (a good primer will run $25-30/gal). 

Ceiling paints are all fairly similar IMO (I don't pay more than $10-15/gal.)

Just trying to give you a somewhat similar comparison here, your discount price really depends on how much paint you buy at each particular store.


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## thepainterr4you (Feb 8, 2008)

*thanks*

thanks guys those are the kind of opinions i am looking for I Know everyone is differnt 

my local BM store is charging about regal 36 gallon aurura 49 contractor price have not priced the SW brands yet I am planning doing this weekend

Some of the supplies I have always order in buk online seing you can not beat the price...example purdy pro extra glide 3" for 15.00 how can you go wrong... 

leaning towards SW for "average repaints"

I am going to test in my house aurura vs SW??? Cashmere or harmony which is a better high end paint.. I have 2 rooms so only can test 2

aura vs what would you guys test

thanks again


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Rich said:


> My take on it is that SW Superpaint is similar to regal (both probably between $25-35/gal).


I'd have to argue that one
It's similar on price point only
That's one of the reasons I say SW is more expensive than SW
(Like Cashmere is more expensive than Regal)

Not going by price, but going by the product line-up, Superpaint is closer to SuperSpec
I'd have to say thats true in actual application too

...not a Ford/Chevy thing, but Mid-Size/Full-Size thing


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## Rich (Apr 26, 2007)

I painted all the trim in my own house with cashmere and love the stuff. I think it's a 'better' product than harmony, but then again I haven't used a lot of harmony. 

Aura is it's own beast...ie, no paint is similar to it on the market. You should definitely test it to see if you like it. A Duration test is a must, as it is a great paint.


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## NEPS.US (Feb 6, 2008)

thepainterr4you said:


> Ok so I am new the pro painting game
> 
> I looking to have a set paint company for most jobs as I am sure most of you do
> 
> ...


It also depends on the customer. Some people are really hung up on names. I try to give them what they want. On exterior repaints I am pretty much strictly a Duration or Woodscapes guy... If I had a choice for interior products I like SW ...just used 120 gallons of the Low Sheen 200 (which is comparable to BM Super Spec for sheen and workability) for an office build out.....works nice and touches up better that most flats. SW gives me unbelievable service and pricing. I have several BM retailers close to me and.....they all kinda suck... mom and pop stores that run out of product....and tend to cater to retail customers better and over contractors. It is however a pain in the ass for me to get to a SW dealer.....they will deliver anything for me. One site is close to 30 miles away from my account store and they will bring me 1 gallon if I need it.


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

I was not present, but the local chapter of the PDCA had a demonstration of Duration this week. They rolled two coats of red on a new piece of drywall and two coats of Aura on the same drywall. Colors matched as close as possible. I understand that the Duration covered as well as the Aura. For me that is a big thing because I use Aura anytime I paint a red color, never more than two coats.


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## Rich (Apr 26, 2007)

slickshift said:


> Superpaint is closer to SuperSpec


I was always under the impression that superspec was a lower end BM product..correct me if I'm wrong though. The only reason I say that is because Superpaint is definitely considered a higher end product, putting itself right under Duration....(and exterior superpaint for trim is a force to be reckoned with IMO!)


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## slickshift (Apr 8, 2007)

Rich said:


> I was always under the impression that superspec was a lower end BM product..correct me if I'm wrong though. The only reason I say that is because Superpaint is definitely considered a higher end product, putting itself right under Duration....


You might be thinking of Super Hide
It goes
Regal
SuperSpec
SuperHide

Super Hide is pretty good for a "contractor/builder" paint

SuperSpec is an odd one, some BM dealers don't even carry it
It's like a de-spec'd Regal for H/Os that want the "one below the top of the line", or builders/contractor that want to use "the better stuff" (than Super Hide), but can't bite the price bullet for the Regal

You could certainly argue SuperPaint is a slightly better second tier paint than SuperSpec...I couldn't disagree
But SuperSpec is also cheaper...

But I would have to argue that in their respective line-ups, it's apples to apples
Empire vs. Red Delicious


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## Rich (Apr 26, 2007)

ahhh...apples.....now we're talking
see, I'm more of a macintosh/fuji guy

I think I was getting super hide and super spec mixed up, thanks


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## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

Super Spec does not hold a candle to Superpaint. IMHO.


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## DeanV (Apr 18, 2007)

From what I understand, pro-mar 200 and super spec are most similar. I would put superpaint between promar/super spec and the next category up. I would place duration, graham ceramic flat, BM matte in the same general category, cashmere would probably fall in this category as well. Aura was not to try to catch up to duration, but something else altogether. 
I only used duration once, but did not care for its application or appearance.


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## T200 (Nov 11, 2007)

Both SW and BM have good products.
A primary consideration for me is price.
I've got 3 different BM dealers and one gives me excellent pricing, so I buy the majority of my paints from them.

I agree with what others have said about the best products.
BM: Regal (interior)
SW: Super, Cashmere, Duration Home (interior)
BM: Mooregard, Mooreglow (exterior)
SW: Super or Duration (exterior)
Primers: BM Fresh Start (general priming)
SW: A100 (exterior), ProBlock 
Ceiling paints: Both SW Vinylflex and BM Muresco are good.
Caulk: SW Shermax

Sometimes my choice is determined by job site. My best-price BM dealer may be much father away than SW, so I may go with SW because of job location, and SW has more stores located in more areas.

After you've been in bus. for awhile and know what your purchasing level will be for a year, you can talk to reps. and see about getting better pricing.

Another consideration may be customer perception.
I've noticed many of my customers tend to view Ben Moore as a more "upscale" paint than SW.
Many decorators and designers spec. BM paint.
But many customers aren't brand-conscious--they just want assurance they're getting a good quality paint.


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