The Best Paint Brands to Update Your Home in 2022
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Painting is a very time-consuming job, but it can become unnecessarily overwhelming if you use inferior products. Paints that don’t provide excellent coverage and hiding capability, leave a clumpy finish, or have an overall poor quality can cost you lots of time and money when you have to do the job over again. When it comes to painting your home, look to purchase the best interior paints or exterior paints on the market. Read on to discover the best paint brands for your next interior or exterior paint project.
1. Sherwin-Williams
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About the brand: Sherwin-Williams specializes in interior, exterior, and marine paints and stains that are sold through its chain of more than 4,400 stores. Price range: $$ to $$$
Founded in 1866, this Cleveland, Ohio–based company offers a wide variety of paints and coatings to individuals and companies all around the globe. It even provides paints for boats and cars. For 150 years, this trusted brand has developed a portfolio of quality household name brands, such as Valspar, Minwax, Krylon, and Thompson’s Water Seal, to name a few.
Some of Sherwin-Williams’ most popular paint colors include Alabaster, Pure White, Agreeable Gray, Sea Salt, and Drift of Mist. Their product lineup includes interior and exterior paints, interior stains and sealers, concrete coatings, primers, and wallpapers. Its Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex Paint doesn’t require a primer before use.
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2. Benjamin Moore
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About the Brand: Benjamin Moore produces some of the highest-quality paint finishes in the industry and sells them through its independent retail locations. Price Range: $$ to $$$
Owned by Berkshire Hathaway and based in Montvale, New Jersey, Benjamin Moore has been in business since 1883. Benjamin Moore was the first to introduce a computerized color matching system, allowing retailers to closely match any paint sample. The company manufactures its own resins and proprietary Gennex colorants, which supplies this paint with superior performance and application.
Some popular paint colors include Revere Pewter, White Dove, Chantilly Lace, Swiss Coffee, and Gray Owl. Its Regal Select Interior Paint works exceptionally well at covering dark colors with one coat. Also, oil and water stains don’t penetrate it. A few challenges with this paint are that it can dry too quickly, leave streaks, and they have a higher price tag.
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3. Behr
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About the Brand: Behr is one of the largest paint manufacturers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico and is sold exclusively at The Home Depot. Price Range: $ to $$
Founded in 1947, this Santa Ana, California–based paint company supplies architectural paint and exterior wood care products throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Its products also include interior and exterior house paints, primers, stains, and surface preparation products. Behr’s products are exclusively sold at The Home Depot.
Colors trending this year include Broadway, Almond Wisp, Kalahari Sunset, Modern Mocha, Smokey White, and Dayflower, to name a few. One top feature about its Marquee Exterior Paint and Primer is its resistance to cracking. This product also repels dirt and mildew and is easy to apply. However, like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams paints, a drawback is the higher cost.
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4. Kilz
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About the Brand: KILZ is a provider of stain-blocking paint primers popular for covering medium stains, blocking odors, and providing excellent adhesion for paints. Price Range: $ to $$$
Kilz, founded in 1974, is a decorative architectural product owned by the Masco Corporation. Its parent company manufactures products for the home improvement and new construction industries. While Masco is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, Kilz is based in Kirkwood, Missouri. Kilz products include primers, house paints, wood stains, and concrete coatings.
Popular colors include Cameo Coral, Walnut Cream, Blue Lustre, Historic Rose, Khaki Taupe, and Regency White. Kilz Interior/Exterior Enamel Porch and Patio Latex Floor Paint is an exceptionally stain-resistant paint for high-traffic areas like porches and decks. It is also easy to apply, inexpensive, and dries in about an hour. The one downside is the approximate 6-hour wait time necessary before applying another coat.
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5. Rust-Oleum
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About the Brand: Rust-Oleum is a paint company that manufacturers a variety of popular specialty and rust-preventive paints. Price Range: $ to $$$
Rust-Oleum was founded by sea captain Robert Fergusson in 1921. He discovered that a secret ingredient, whale oil, could slow corrosion on rusty metal decks. This ingredient became a significant component of Rust-Oleum’s protective paints and coatings. In more recent years, alkyds, polyurethanes, epoxies, and latex have replaced whale oil.
Located in Vernon Hills, Illinois, this company still specializes in rust-preventive products. Some of its popular paint colors include Flat White, Semi Gloss White, Eggshell Over the Moon, and Flat Black. It also offers a variety of spray paints. Other popular Rust-Oleum products include specialty paints and protective sprays for vehicles. Its Ultra Matte Interior Chalked Paint is exceptionally durable, affordable, and doesn’t require a primer before use. However, buyers who don’t like vintage styles probably won’t like the look of this paint.
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6. Valspar
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About the Brand: Valspar is a well-known industry leader now owned by Sherwin-Williams. Price Range: $ to $$
Valspar originated in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1806 as a varnish manufacturer. The company got its name from its first clear varnish. For many years, this remained its primary product. Now based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Valspar was officially acquired by Sherwin-Williams in 2017.
Over the years, Valspar’s portfolio of products has grown to include interior and exterior paints, primers, wood stains, and concrete coatings. Popular colors this year include Blissful Blue, Soft Candlelight, Unforgettable, Granite Dust, and Lucy Blue. Its Ultra High-Gloss Enamel Interior/Exterior Tintable Paint is scuff resistant, durable, and easy to clean with soap and water. The primary disadvantage is that it is a thin paint that takes several coats for thorough coverage.
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7. Diamond Brite
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About the Brand: Diamond Brite is a front-runner in quality latex and oil-based paints that are mildew resistant. Price Range: $ to $$
Diamond Brite is a recent addition to paint manufacturers in the United States. Founded in 1990 by Robert Lebovitz, RDL Marketing Inc. produces the brand. The main office is located in Chicago, and the factory is based in Ohio.
Diamond Brite paints are ISO9002 certified, and the company prides itself on quality formulas, stellar customer service, and affordable prices. Some of its popular colors include Antique White, Off White, and Dove Gray. Diamond Brite Oil Base All-Purpose Enamel Paint is less costly than most exterior paints. In addition, this paint is exceptionally durable. The disadvantage is that drying time can take up to 12 hours.
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8. Glidden
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About the Brand: Glidden is a provider of 100 percent acrylic paint that is fade resistant and durable. Price Range: $ to $$$
Initially founded in 1875 in Cleveland, Ohio, by Francis Glidden, this paint company was officially acquired by PPG in 2013. Now headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, its parent company, PPG, has become the second-largest paint company in North America. Glidden originally began as a varnish company for furniture, pianos, and wagons. However, it has grown to include a variety of interior and exterior house paints.
Some of Glidden’s hottest paint colors this year include Aqua Fiesta, Transcend, Big Cypress, and Canyon Blue. Its One Coat Exterior Paint and Primer is easy to apply in one coat, as the name implies. It is also durable. Some drawbacks are that the paint is thin, and the locking rings are challenging to open.
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9. PPG
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About the Brand: PPG is a Fortune 500 company that is a global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. Price Range: $ to $$
PPG (Pennsylvania Plate Glass Company) was founded in Creighton, Pennsylvania, in 1883 by Captain John Baptiste Ford and John Pitcairn Jr. and is popular for making thick plate glass. Over the years, PPG has grown to include paint products and is now the second-largest paint producer after acquiring Glidden in 2013. While glass is still a staple product, the company also sells fiberglass products, interior and exterior paints, and other protective coatings.
Similar to Glidden, paint color trends this year include Aqua Fiesta, Transcend, and Big Cypress. Its Timeless Interior One Coat Ready to Use Paint with Primer has excellent hiding capability, is stain resistant, and applies smoothly.
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10. Clare
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About the Brand: Clare is a direct-to-consumer online paint supplier designed to make paint buying easier. Price Range: $ to $$$
A newcomer to the paint industry, Clare was launched in 2018 by interior designer Nicole Gibbons, who has appeared on media outlets like HGTV, The Oprah Winfrey Network, and Good Morning America. Based in New York, Clare paints have zero VOCs and are Greenguard Gold certified.
Popular colors include Fresh Kicks, Timeless, Seize the Gray, Classic, and On Point. Clare’s Perfect Eggshell Finish Wall Paint is odor-free, durable, and dirt- and mildew-resistant. Clare provides peel-and-stick color swatches to help buyers pick out the perfect color. The drawback is that buyers can experience inconsistent matches with the color swatches.
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How We Chose the Best Paint Brands
The selection of best paint brands was chosen based on a number of criteria, including performance, product range, and product availability. While performing well is the most important feature determining a paint brand’s ranking as one of the best paint brands, being easily available to the paint buyer is essential, too.
We carefully curated the list of best paint brands to include those delivering paint products at various price points, a range of types of paint products, and inclusion of specialty paints. As not every paint job requires the same type of paint, paint brands that offer paints that adhere to challenging surfaces like brick and stone are important. Plus, those that deliver low or no VOCs and other eco-friendly features ranked high among the selection of paint brands and their top product picks.
