SW paint shortage questions

[Susie]

Sherwin Williams is having a paint shortage that is really disrupting my somewhat time sensitive painting plans.  We bought our house two weeks ago, and I planned to paint as much of it as possible, with emphasis on rooms with the largest/heaviest furniture, in the month before move-in.  My normal products, Duration or Emerald in matte, are particularly difficult to get.  Matte Duration/Emerald is not available in 1 gal cans anywhere remotely near me (or near my dad... or near my brother...). I called my nearest SW store this morning to ask about today's delivery, and they said not only did they not get any, but they don't expect to for a month.  So, I need Plan B.

Two weeks ago I managed to track down two 5 gal buckets of Emerald an hour away, that I had tinted SW Worldly Gray.  That's our main house color, for family room, kitchen, laundry room, hall/foyer, stairs, upstairs hall, and probably half bath.  So far I've done the family room, and it took about 2 of the 10 gal that I had.  So I have roughly 8 gal more to keep going.  Most of the rest of the rooms that are that color though, aren't heavy furniture rooms.  So they're not the ones I'm really trying to paint before move-in.  

The rooms that I'd rather paint include master bedroom (before the king size bed and heavy dressers go in), living room (before our heavy desks go in), and dining room (before the piano, table, and sideboard go in).  DS's room would be nice too.  DD's room is already done in a glossier sheen.

The SW employee today suggested a couple options for me.

1.  Buy the SW HGTV line from Lowe's, which comes in a matte finish.  It's not as nice of a product, but it would get the job done.  I would bet it is not as washable though, and I'm not sure I want a matte paint if it isn't washable.

2.  They have 4 gals of High Reflective White matte Duration in the store, which can be mixed to a limited list of colors.  At least some of the bedroom/office type colors that I'm looking for would work.  They warned me that coverage isn't quite as good with HRW as regular extra white base, but it would be the washable matte product that I am used to.  (I never knew HRW was a thing, but:  www.kylieminteriors.ca/paint-colour-review-sherwin-williams-high-reflective-white-sw-7757/)

3.  Buy some other product from some other brand?  I always buy SW though so I don't know what to seek out for a washable matte product (that wouldn't have the same availability problems?).

4.  Wait on painting for the product I usually use.

WWYD?  And, if there are only 4 gals to be had, which rooms would you prioritize?  Master (king)?  DS's bedroom (crib)?  Office?  Dining room?  I can probably only choose 2.

[RockNVoll]

I would look into other high-quality brands first and understand if they're more available. Probably not, but that seems like the most logical first step. Benjamin Moore, California Paints, and Farrow & Ball are the only additional brands I know.

[TBM]

I would wait for the SW paint before buying the HGTV line at lowes. We tried a gallon (oops paint-figured it was cheap enough to try), and it is definately not the same quality.

[origami]

BM matches SW colors so I’d do that, if they have the right types available

[libbygrl109]

I would look into Benjamin Moore. We have had really good luck with it, and they match SW colors. The store I use is phenomenal. The guys there are so helpful and stand by their product.

[Susie]

Jun 7, 2021 20:29:25 GMT -5 origami said:

BM matches SW colors so I’d do that, if they have the right types available

I know they do it, and that they are an equally beloved brand as SW, but any more specific recs on comparable products to what I'm used to (matte Duration/Emerald)?  

I don't even know where the nearest BM retailer is.  Obviously I can figure that out and call to see if they have certain products in stock, but that's how behind I am on buying BM paint instead of SW.  I don't know what to ask them for.

[wildrice]

I think BM Aura is probably what you are looking for. There is a good description on their site, but it sounds similar. That's what i use and I am very happy with it so far.

[origami]

Jun 7, 2021 20:38:58 GMT -5 Susie said:

Jun 7, 2021 20:29:25 GMT -5 origami said:

BM matches SW colors so I’d do that, if they have the right types available

I know they do it, and that they are an equally beloved brand as SW, but any more specific recs on comparable products to what I'm used to (matte Duration/Emerald)?  

I don't even know where the nearest BM retailer is.  Obviously I can figure that out and call to see if they have certain products in stock, but that's how behind I am on buying BM paint instead of SW.  I don't know what to ask them for.

I don’t know what Duration or Emerald are, sorry. But BM has a range of options and the store clerks will explain them. I buy eggshell, not matte but they do have matte versions. BM ScuffX is their most washable/durable type, if that’s what you’re looking for.

[statgirl]

I’ve painted two houses in the highest level of Behr that they had at the time (Marquee is the highest now—did the bathrooms in it). I went satin rather than matte, but I’ve cleaned all sorts of stuff off the wall (two boys and a dog, plus had friends with three kids stay with us after a hurricane for a month with no power/water for most of that). They still look good three years later (and the prior house lasted over 6 years from painting before we moved. We only repainted rooms that we had not painted previously and the kid room that did not match the others).

I would go either Ben Moore or highest grade home store if you want to get it done.

If you want to do the HRW route, prioritize the master and dining room. If you want to paint kid rooms, go with another source and figure that they will get updated later to reflect their changing desires in colors.

[SusanBAnthony]

If you have a PPG store near you they make very high quality paint. It isn't as well known of a household name because it mostly gets sold B2B/OEM but I'd definitely use it if I couldn't get SW (I use SW as a first choice because it is high quality and convenient).

[redheadk]

Do not use non-washable matte under any circumstances. The previous owners of our house did and the walls look awful.

Are you painting or are you having it done? I buy similar paints as you bc I need that higher quality to counterbalance my amateur painting abilities (I’m pretty good but no pro) but if you are using pros, ask them what else they like.

[penguingrrl]

I always use Benjamin Moore Regal Matte and am very happy with it. I know BM and SW are able to color match to each other’s colors as well, so I would do that if you can.

[Susie]

Jun 7, 2021 22:47:34 GMT -5 redheadk said:

Do not use non-washable matte under any circumstances. The previous owners of our house did and the walls look awful.

Are you painting or are you having it done? I buy similar paints as you bc I need that higher quality to counterbalance my amateur painting abilities (I’m pretty good but no pro) but if you are using pros, ask them what else they like.

Ha that was what I was thinking.  It seemed like a bad idea to me too.  I am using the SW HGTV ceiling paint, but the ceilings don't generally get touched, and I am emphatic about getting them done before the furniture goes in.  The walls in non-washable matte are a bridge too far though.

I'm DIYing all the painting.  Whee!  It's been super fun.  



I tasked H with determining what BM availability looks like this morning so we can decide whether to scoop up those 4 gals of SW Duration in High Reflective White or just go straight to BM.  

In the grand scheme of delays and materials shortages that people are facing I know this is small potatoes, but it is for sure annoying.

[thejackpot]

Ugh, sorry you are having issues with paint. I was just in SW on Sat buying emerald and saw signage about the delay. I hadn't even thought about it. We always use SW so I don't have any recs but I would not do any paint that couldn't be washed off with kids. In terms of priority- dining room and owner's bedroom before kids.

[Susie]

Interestingly, BM near us is not having shortage issues.  H found an Ace Hardware that carries BM, and called and talked to a guy there.  They have no shortages, get deliveries on Thursdays, and have two local stores that they can balance product between.  Winner!  It is not quite as conveniently located as SW, but they're coming through for us.  I'm interested to try the product and see what I think.

They recommended Regal for our purposes, which seems fine.  I might spring for Aura (which seems a lot more $$$) for super high traffic areas, but I already have the Emerald product from SW for those spaces.  For bedrooms and our office I think Regal is probably fine.  

[deadwing]

You should be happy with BM. Your update has erased the concern your original post gave me about getting the paint I want for my bathroom project!

[rocklake]

We strictly used SW but they had supply issues when we were painting a few rooms, so we tried BM. We will never go back to SW! BM (aura and regal select) go on like silk! They are so smooth and provide great coverage. My kids have put lots of fingerprints on the walls and they come off easily with the wall looking great. We used up some SW we had and found it so sticky and hard to fill our rollers compared to BM. We were so glad SW shortage forced us to look elsewhere!

[hbomdiggity]

We mostly switched from SW to BM with our last house because BM is typically sold at independent retailers and the one near us was happy to match existing paint and stain chips from our house (for free and by hand). The quality was comparable.

[lessel]

I just wanted to say you’re badass for the DIY! Anything beyond a basic bedroom or small bathroom, we’ve hired painters for. I’m always way too intimidated by high ceilings, etc.

[TBM]

Our house painter uses Sherwin Williams paint almost exclusively, and he mentioned the paint shortage when we were chatting yesterday. He said that it is because an entire plant in Texas was affected by the big freeze earlier this year.

He asked about our colors, even though he has a ton of prep to do first, because he needs the extra time to locate the right paint.

He said that he had to take over an hour out of his day the other day, just to get a gallon of white paint. Even though there are at least four Sherwin Williams stores nearby, and a few more between our area and where he had to go, he couldn't find what he needed any nearer.

[Susie]

Just yesterday I had H call SW to ask if they had matte Duration/Emerald in stock yet, because we need paint for our LR & DR, and it's been 1.5 month since I was last trying to buy SW paint.  I was hoping things had changed.  Our local store was still a no, although they said a couple of stores in the area (20-50 mins away) had it, but call first because stock is low.  

Thanks but no thanks, we'll just keep buying BM paint in SW colors like we've done for the last 6-7 weeks.  The SW store is much more convenient, but not if we have to chase around still for product.

I wonder how many SW buyers are going to permanently shift after this.  At some point we'll stop calling SW.

[sb]

I have always been pretty loyal to SW, but we tried Clare paint in our new house and I'm VERY impressed. We've tried both the wall and trim paint and they were both excellent quality with insanely good coverage. Plus it's a black owned business. Much smaller color range than a typical paint line but that worked for us.

[TBM]

The painter just called to tell me that his guy is having a hard time locating the paint we want, but he's working on it.

He wanted to give me a heads-up, just in case he has to delay our job.

I sure hope his guy can find it. We need this job done before the paver guys come. We don't have a date for them yet, but I am afraid if it gets put off it will be one of those things where everyone decides that they need to come at the same time, and it won't work if they do.

[munkii]

This will be be an unpopular opinion, but...

Because we couldn't get Duration at SW, we decided to go with SW Infinity at Lowes, and it went on very nicely. It wasn't runny, it had great coverage, and the color was perfectly saturated. I would use it again.

[TBM]

We wound up having to get regular Emerald, instead of the specialty paint we wanted.

No big deal...we'll save a little money and if the parts that DH painted before are any indication, it will hold up well and won't get dirty like whatever crappy paint the flipper/seller used. That stuff attracted dirt/pollen/gunk, and didn't want to let it go.

munkii , I tried one of the SW paints from Lowes in our bathroom, (in matte, because we have done that with Duration and Emerald with no problems), and I hated it. It smelled weird and I thought it went on okay, but just okay. The color is was an oops and is a boring neutral, so there isn't much to say about it.

It doesn't seem to clean as easily as I remember with the others, and we've had mildew problems, which we never did with Duration or Emerald, but we haven't ever used them in that bathroom, so it's hard to compare.