Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
A couple of years ago we decided to change color on an accent wall. I stopped by a Sherwin Williams store, looked at colors, and asked about the price. It was almost $50/gallon for interior flat latex.
I took the color chips to Lowes and had them mix what I needed to that color. It went on just fine, and the cost was less than 1/2 of Sherwin Williams quoted price.
I'm sure the Sherwin Williams product is a very good product. And, having worked for Pittsburgh Paints many years ago, I understand that paint stores have a different pricing structures for different clients. For example, the paint a contractor would purchase for $3/gallon was the same paint a homeowner would purchase for $7/gallon-only the label was different. I'm sure that the Sherwin Williams store that I visited also has a similar pricing structure. Unfortunately for them, their store is just outside the entrance to Lowes, who offers me a price closer to their contractor price for a product that works just as well. Obviously I'm not their target customer-their bread and butter customer is the high volume contractor.
Even with contractor pricing for top of the line SW products, Behr's top of the line will usually be less, very often a lot less.
I do like SW's caulking their Power House 60 year caulking is great, and the price is very reasonable. That's about the only thing I buy from them now.