Welle's Contracting
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Paint & Finishes

A painter's guide to paint brands

A straight look at the brands we use and how we pick the right paint for your project.

We're not loyal to any one label. We mostly reach for Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore because they've held up well for us over the years, but we're happy to work with whatever a customer prefers. What matters more than the name on the can is matching the right product to the job and to your budget.

In our experience, premium paint usually earns its price. It tends to cover in fewer coats, level out nicer, and hold its color and finish longer before it starts to fade or wear. That's especially true here in Minnesota, where a hot, humid summer and a hard winter are tough on exterior paint and on anything that takes daily use inside.

How we choose a paint for your job

When we pick a product for a job, we look at what we're painting and what it goes through. A bathroom ceiling, a set of kitchen cabinets, and a south-facing exterior wall all ask for different things. We weigh the surface, how much wear and moisture it sees, whether it's indoor or outdoor, and the sheen you want, then we match a product to that and to the budget you're comfortable with. If a mid-priced line is the right call for a job, we'll tell you that too.

At a glance

The major brands, side by side

BrandWhere to buyPriceKnown forWe reach for it when…
Sherwin-WilliamsIts own SW storesPremiumPro-grade range, consistent colorMost jobs — walls, exteriors, cabinets
Benjamin MooreLocal BM dealersPremiumDeep, true color with its own tintsColor-critical interiors, cabinets & trim
BehrThe Home DepotMid-rangeHome Depot's exclusive brandStraightforward repaints & DIY jobs
ValsparLowe'sValue–MidBudget-friendly, Lowe's onlyBudget jobs; its cabinet enamel
PPGPPG stores & Home DepotMid-rangeBig maker; Timeless at Home DepotOne-coat repaints; Break-Through trim
Brand by brand

Our honest take on the five brands you are most likely to run into, and where each one fits.

Sherwin-Williams

Premium Sherwin-Williams stores

Sherwin-Williams is a premium, pro-grade paint line that we reach for on most jobs, alongside Benjamin Moore. What sets it apart is where you buy it: the Sherwin-Williams brand isn't stocked at Home Depot or Lowe's — it's sold through the company's own paint stores, and with a few thousand of them around the country, most towns have one within reach. We pull most of our Sherwin-Williams paint straight from the store counter.

It sits at the premium end on price, but there are mid-range and value lines under the same roof, so we can match the paint to the job and to your budget. Buying from a dedicated store also keeps the color matching and stock consistent from one job to the next, which matters when we come back later to touch up or add on. The Emerald and Duration lines cover well and hold up on high-traffic interior walls, and the exterior lines take our Minnesota freeze-thaw winters in stride.

Lines we reach for

  • Emerald Interior Acrylic Latex — Their top interior line, for high-traffic walls that need to wash up clean
  • Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex — Top of the exterior range, built to handle Minnesota freeze-thaw winters
  • Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel — Lays down glass-smooth on cabinets, doors and trim
  • Cashmere Interior — Smooth, low-brushmark finish on interior walls
  • SuperPaint — Dependable mid-tier pick for interior or exterior work

Best for: High-traffic interiors, exteriors and cabinets

Popular colors

Agreeable GrayAlabasterSea SaltNavalTricorn BlackEvergreen FogUrbane BronzeIron OreRarified AirRhinestoneFirst StarRainwashed

A few well-known Sherwin-Williams colors — any brand can be color-matched.

Benjamin Moore

Premium Local Benjamin Moore dealers

Benjamin Moore & Co. is one of the two brands we reach for most, right alongside Sherwin-Williams. It's known for deep, true color and a dependable, high-end finish. One thing worth knowing up front: you can only buy it through dedicated, locally-owned Benjamin Moore dealers and paint stores, plus some independent hardware stores like Ace, so you won't find it at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Walmart.

It sits in the premium price tier, and where it really earns that is color accuracy and durability, so we lean on it for interiors where the color has to be exactly right and for cabinets and trim. A big reason the deep, saturated colors stay true is that Benjamin Moore mixes with its own Gennex colorant instead of the universal tints the big-box stores use, which keeps the color from weakening the paint. The honest trade-off is that you have to go to a dealer to get it.

Lines we reach for

  • Aura Interior — Their top-tier interior paint for rooms where color accuracy and durability matter most.
  • Regal Select — The excellent, more affordable step down from Aura that we use a lot on interiors and exteriors.
  • Aura Exterior — Holds its color well through Minnesota's sun, rain, and snow.
  • Advance — A waterborne alkyd for cabinets, doors, and trim that flows out smooth and dries hard and furniture-like, with easy water cleanup and no oil-based mess.
  • ben — Their budget-friendly, entry-level interior line for a simpler job.

Best for: Color-critical interiors, cabinets, and trim

Popular colors

White DoveRevere PewterHale NavyGray OwlEdgecomb GrayPalladian BlueKendall CharcoalCloud WhiteCoventry GrayStonington GrayChelsea GrayIron Mountain

A few well-known Benjamin Moore colors — any brand can be color-matched.

Behr

Mid-range The Home Depot

Behr is The Home Depot's exclusive paint brand — you'll find it mixed at the store's paint desk, but not at Lowe's or a dedicated paint store. It's best known as the easy-to-grab paint for homeowners doing their own projects. On price it sits comfortably in the mid-range, and you generally get more paint for your dollar than the paint-store names.

For straightforward interior repaints and DIY-minded jobs, Behr is a solid, no-fuss choice you can pick up without a trip to a specialty store, and lines like Dynasty and the cabinet enamel hold their own on higher-wear work too. The main trade-off is availability — it's sold only through The Home Depot, so it's mixed at the store counter rather than at a dedicated dealer. We're happy to work with Behr if that's what you prefer.

Lines we reach for

  • Behr Dynasty (Interior) — Their top interior paint and primer, built for one-coat coverage, stain blocking, and scuff resistance in high-wear rooms.
  • Behr Dynasty (Exterior) — Their best exterior line, sold on fade resistance and holding its color outdoors.
  • Behr Premium Cabinet, Door & Trim Enamel — Flows and levels out well and dries hard, so it stands up on cabinets, doors, and trim (satin or semi-gloss).
  • Behr Marquee — A one-coat interior and exterior line that sits a step below Dynasty, including as a slightly cheaper exterior option.
  • Behr Premium Plus — Their everyday, budget-friendly interior paint for simple repaints.

Best for: Straightforward interior repaints, cabinets, and DIY jobs

Popular colors

Swiss CoffeeSilver DropCracked PepperBack To NaturePolar BearNocturne BlueSculptor ClayCathedral GrayGraceful GrayAmbience WhiteFading FogRiver Veil

A few well-known Behr colors — any brand can be color-matched.

Valspar

Value–Mid Lowe's

Valspar is Lowe's exclusive paint brand — a value to mid-range line you can only buy at Lowe's, either in-store or on Lowes.com. It's known as budget-friendly, DIY-friendly paint, the kind a homeowner grabs for a weekend project. Worth knowing: Sherwin-Williams has owned Valspar since 2017, but it's still sold as its own separate brand almost entirely through Lowe's.

Valspar has its place — homeowner DIY projects and smaller jobs where keeping the cost down is the priority. The one line we'd genuinely consider ourselves is their Cabinet & Furniture Enamel, which is well-regarded for repainting kitchen cabinets and furniture on a tighter budget. The main trade-off is that it's Lowe's-only, so there's no standalone paint store behind it the way there is with Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.

Lines we reach for

  • Valspar Signature (Interior Paint + Primer with Scuff Shield) — Everyday interior walls that need a paint-and-primer in one with a mildew-resistant finish
  • Valspar Duramax Exterior Paint + Primer — Exteriors that have to ride out Minnesota freeze-thaw; a 100% acrylic that can go on in temps as low as 35°F
  • Valspar Cabinet & Furniture Oil-Enriched Enamel — Cabinets, doors, trim and furniture — levels out with few brush marks and dries hard and wipeable
  • Valspar Ultra (Interior Paint + Primer with Scrub Shield) — Interior walls in busier rooms where you want a more scrubbable finish
  • Valspar 2000 — Budget contractor-grade interior for larger, cost-driven jobs

Best for: DIY interiors and budget cabinet jobs

Popular colors

Filtered ShadeBistro WhiteEverglade DeckBlue ArrowPolar StarWhite SashSilver DustFrosted CloverWinter in ParisGarden FlowerVoyageGranite Dust

A few well-known Valspar colors — any brand can be color-matched.

PPG

Mid-range PPG stores & Home Depot

PPG is PPG Paints, the coatings brand from PPG Industries out of Pittsburgh and one of the largest paint and coatings makers in the world. Most homeowners run into it as the Timeless line at Home Depot. PPG also owns Glidden and Olympic, so several brands you see on those same shelves trace back to the same company.

It's a mid-range paint that's easy to source, and where you buy it matters: dedicated PPG Paints stores and independent dealers carry the pro-grade lines, while Home Depot stocks the consumer side like Timeless and Diamond. If you'd prefer PPG or already have it picked out, we're glad to work with it. For cabinet and trim work we like their Break-Through enamel, which levels out well and sets up hard so painted doors resist that sticky blocking against the jamb.

Lines we reach for

  • PPG Timeless Interior — Paint-and-primer for interior wall repaints where you want solid coverage without paying top dollar.
  • PPG Timeless Exterior — One-coat exterior paint-and-primer with UV, mold, and mildew resistance.
  • Break-Through — Waterborne acrylic enamel for doors, trim, and cabinets that get handled daily.
  • PPG Diamond — Home Depot value line a step below Timeless for budget-minded jobs.
  • Speedhide — Contractor and production line for high-volume work.

Best for: One-coat repaints, plus cabinets and trim with Break-Through

Popular colors

Chalky BlueGale ForceAntique WhiteDelicate WhiteNight WatchSilver FeatherGray StoneMoth GrayCool ConcreteStone HarborArctic DawnWayward Winds

A few well-known PPG colors — any brand can be color-matched.

Don't see your brand? We can also work with Dunn-Edwards, Farrow & Ball, Glidden and others — if you have something specific in mind, just ask.

FAQ

Paint brand questions, answered

There isn't a single best one for everything. Different brands and product lines do different jobs better, so the honest answer is that it depends on what you're painting and where. We pick based on the job in front of us, not a favorite label.
No. We reach for Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore most often because they've been reliable for us, but we're not tied to them. If you'd rather use a different brand, we'll work with it.
Usually, yes. Better paint tends to cover in fewer coats and hold up longer, so it often costs less in labor and lasts longer before it needs redoing. On some lower-wear jobs a mid-priced paint is plenty, and we'll say so rather than talk you into the priciest can.
Both are solid, and we use both. Each has product lines that shine in certain spots, so we choose by the specific job rather than declaring an overall winner. If you have a preference between the two, that's an easy thing for us to honor.
Yes. If you'd like us to use a paint sold at Home Depot or Lowe's, or you've already bought one you like, we're glad to work with it. We'll give you our honest take on how it should hold up for your project before we start.
Keep Reading

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Flat, eggshell, satin or gloss — where each belongs.

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Choosing colors

How to pick colors you'll still love in a year.

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Cabinet painting

A factory-smooth finish without new cabinets.

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Not sure which paint is right? We will help.

Tell us about your project and we will recommend the right product — and give you a free, no-obligation estimate.

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