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Best Interior Paint: Sherwin Williams vs Benjamin Moore

Over the years, I’ve had the chance to live in, own, and remodel all kinds of homes. And with all that moving around, I’ve gained a ton of experience with paint! Honestly, I feel like I’ve tried just about every top brand out there. When it comes to color and convenience, Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore are definitely my go-to favorites. But when it’s time to pick the best interior paint, how do you decide between the two?

entryway with small ceiling light
Benjamin Moore: Chantilly Lace Walls and Sherwin Williams: Pure White Trim

Benjamin Moore vs. Sherwin Williams

I knew I wanted an all white interior but there were soooo many options.These two brands of paint really emerged with my favorite colors. I actually used BOTH Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore throughout the entire house.

This gave me a good side by side comparison I’ll share with you here. Ultimately, we ended up using a combination of these throughout our homes, giving us a little side by side comparison.

After painting the entire interior, wood trim, exterior, cabinets, and fireplace , I think we’ve learned a thing or two about house paint!

benjamin moore's chantilly lace for white walls, best interior wall paint

Benjamin Moore Wall Paint

We used Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace for the entire interior walls of both our new remodel home and our beach cottage. This is a crisp, bright, neutral white.

What I love about Benjamin Moore Paint:

  • Benjamin Moore offers dozens of rich, designer colors that are said to be unique and tricky to match with other brands
  • Compared with a lot of other brands, their paint goes on like butter – it’s so smooth and thick, we often needed only one coat
  • They have paint samples available online (*use cautiously, see below)
  • Their Paint Color App is interactive, helpful, and fun – lets you explore and keep track of colors

Downside to Benjamin Moore Paint:

  • Not as readily available: sold at their name brand shops and a few select stores, making it difficult to find (and purchase more if needed!)
  • Cannot be color-matched – at least successfully
  • More expensive than hardware store brands (but worth it!)
  • It doesn’t seem to be the top choice for painters—I spoke with three house painters, and they said they avoid it because it’s not always easy to find in stores.
spraying the room with one of the best wall paints, Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace
During our remodel, my husband used a sprayer to paint the entire interior with Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace

Sherwin Williams Wall Paint

During our home remodel, we used Sherwin Williams Pure White for our new trim work and doors. Its a beautiful neutral white with just a touch of warmth.

For the exterior, I opted to go bold with Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black. It’s a deep, neutral black that I’m now obsessed with.

sherwin williams pure white one of the best interior wall paints
Here’s our dining room right after our wood trim was installed and professionally painted with Sherwin William’s Pure White

What I love about Sherwin Williams Paint:

  • Hundreds of paint colors, many the top choices of designers so it’s easy to turn inspiration into an actual project
  • Easy to locate (available at Sherwin Williams stores which, at least in my area are pretty numerous and more recently, also at Lowe’s) 
  • First choice of many painters in my experience

Downside of Sherwin Williams Paint:

  • Sample paints come in large 1-quart sizes, but since they’re not actual paint (see below), you might end up with a lot of leftover sample paint.
  • Great quality, but not as smooth or with as much coverage as Benjamin Moore—we needed extra coats.
  • The satin finish was shinier than we expected based on the description and other satin finishes

Verdict:

Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams are fantastic, high-quality paints that I’d pick over store brands any day. I’m usually more drawn to Benjamin Moore’s colors, but I love how easy it is to find Sherwin-Williams.

who has the best interior wall paint?
I love how Benjamin Moore’s Chantilly Lace creates a neutral, bright backdrop

Event though I think both brands are one of the best interior wall paint brands, the biggest drawback for each of them is the price and size of their samples.

Considering that paint sample jars are not actually intended for projects (seriously! read here), it’s a costly and wasteful process weighing color options. For all paint projects, I suggest using peel and stick samples like Samplize.

Other Paint Brands

Looking beyond Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, I also really like Clare paint. They have a more minimal approach with fewer, more curated colors – which I actually love! A big bonus is that their paint can be purchased online though it is a bit spendy.

I used the Fresh Kicks – a neutral white for my family room and really love it. It’s very similar to SW Pure White.

two women looking at paint samples

Final Thoughts

After all my years of trying different paints and working on countless home projects, I can confidently say that if you’re looking for the best interior paint for your home, you can’t go wrong with either Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams. Both are high-quality, dependable options with beautiful colors that I’ve trusted time and time again!

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