Is there a quality difference in appearance between cheap paint (Walmart) versus expensive paint (Lowes)?

Answer 1

HUGE!!!
Wal Mart will sell you stuff that you will have to buy 3 or 4 cans to cover a single room for 10 bucks a can, and you will have to recoat at least 3 times. A lot of work for the milky-consistancy white-wash.
Buy "Baer" paints at 25 to 35 dollars a can, and paint one time.
You want to use 10 rollers, 5 brushes, and gosh only knows how many pans and cleaning and dripping to clean up, and all over your clothes and your cats?
Buy expensive. Paint once, and let dry. Your cats will appreciate it, and so will your arms, your windows, your clothes, and your wallet.
It also lasts longer, trims better, stays on the brush and roller, and doesn't splatter all over the world.
Go to Lowes or elsewhere, and buy smart. You won't regret it.

Nad

Answer 2

We're re-doing a 200 year old house. In my dining room, we used high end Sherwin Williams paint. It was great and even using a red color only had to put on two coats. In another room, we tried paint from Walmart. This paint was almost half the price of S.W. However, the Walmart paint was a new line of paint put out by Kilz. I swear by their primer and their paint is proving to be equally as wonderful. I agree with the other answers about not wasting time on cheap equiptment. A good paintbrush, well cleaned and maintained will last you for years, and just give you a better paint job.

Answer 3

Yes, yes, yes.....but Lowes also carries cheap paint!!! Truly, do not buy American Tradition at Lowes. I would also suggest that you try some higher dollar paint, but if you have the time and money and you only want to paint once, I would absolutely spend the bucks and go to Sherwin Williams or an actual paint store.
Also, on new construction/walls paint will look different than it does on older walls. If you are repainting an older house, my opinion is to go with a flat paint. It covers bad spots well, it focuses on the color and not the shine. Just a suggestion. Good luck!

Answer 4

DO you want the paint job to last several years and wash up easily? Or do you plan on repainting in a couple of years?
Walmart paint will be fine if you plan on painting every couple of years. If you want it to last buy good paint. Sherwin Williams, Benjamin Moore, Valspar or Behr are all quality paints and will last for several years. No matter what paint you buy, get high quality brushes and rollers. They will save you a LOT of time and aggravation. Cheap brushes and rollers will take a LOT more work to get good results.

Answer 5

You're better off investing in a better quality paint This isn't where you want to skimp. With better quality paint you only need one coat. Thus less work. It looks better and lasts longer. In the long run, you'll be using less paint.

Don't forget about investing in better brushes. Otherwise you will be picking bristles off the walls which can really drive you nutty. Same goes for rollers. Do it right the first time or you will be painting again sooner.

Good Luck .... if you don't have a decent latter you might want to think about that too. Wouldn't want you falling on your ?

Answer 6

Usually price will tell you something about the paint you are buying, however Wal-Mart deals in so much volume that their paint may be somewhat cheaper just because of the volume of product that they sell and the power they wield when negotiating purchases from the paint manufacturers. There are two major components in paint that will determine quality. The better paints have a greater amount of bonder and less pigment. Consequently better quality paints do not cover as well as cheaper paints but will hold up to much more abuse. Good paints are very scrubbable and usually have scrub tests to back up their quality. Cheaper paints have a higher volume of calcium carbonate (chalk) and as a result they tend to cover well while having a weaker constitution, so they don't hold up very well. In a child's room you will want a better paint because there is more likelihood that there will be abuse, while a living room is less likely to have kids writing on the walls and so on, so cheaper paint will do just fine.

Answer 7

With no offense to you or any others who answer, I'd like to add my two cents.

After applying multiple thousands of gallons of paint, and having worked in a pigment manufacturing facility I have one observation,,,at least.

First of all in the strict sense QUALITY has no degrees. It is or it isn't.

Second...Like so many other products sold...Tools/Appliances/clothing/ and paint; they might be multipley BRANDED from the same manufacturer.

Third... In the case of paint; it isn't QUALITY exactly, but FORMULATION,,,no matter Flat/ Satin/Semi/ or Gloss. The amount of pigment to "vehicle" ratio is what gives paint its properties and substance. That can be very evident in Primers, or Ceiling paints. Low cost anything, is likely just formulated differently.

I'll analogize it. At the paint factory, obviously there are various labels to be MIXED for. There doesn't seem to be any legal standards in place, so Sherwin Williams might get the largest percentage of pigment to vehicle, but/and/ because, it will sell for $35 per gallon. Home Depot Brand; Lowes Brands; Walmart brands; and other OFF brands are formulated in similar ways but with less pigment to vehicle proportions. Obviously some of those sell for $7.99 per gallon.

Who monitors or actually controls the regulations in the various brands procesed, I have no idea. I just know the "qualities" (properties) of paint.

Steven Wolf

Answer 8

I have always bought the least expensive paint because it was all I could afford, I never ever, had any problems with it.
I feel the only difference in expensive paint is they have to up the price to pay for their advertisements, and it is guaranteed for 15 years; I have never had to do 3 or 4 cans to cover any room; one always did it. I get mine at Wal Mart.
If you paint every year or two why do you care if it is good for 15 years? I get bored with the same thing after a couple of years.

Answer 9

I was surprized to read in the Consumer Reports that The Kilz casual living brand was rated as a consumer best buy. Lowes surprizingly was very low on the list. I am getting ready to repaint in the fall, I will be trying the Kilz brand and it is sold at Wal-Mart. Good Luck.....

Answer 10

Wal-mart paint has been highly rated in consumer reports magazine in past years, and Valspar used to make some of the store brand paint for Wal-mart in years past.