Best Interior Wall Paint: Sherwin Williams vs Benjamin Moore

Paint is the definition of the paradox of choice for me. You know, when there are just so many options it makes it even more difficult to make a decision? Well, even when I knew what I wanted for our home remodel, it was excruciating choosing the best interior wall paint.

Leading up to our remodel, I had saved many photos for paint inspiration, imagining crisp white walls and a black exterior.

Benjamin Moore vs. Sherwin Williams

As I collected more information, two brands of paint really emerged with my favorite colors; Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore. Ultimately, we ended up using a combination of these throughout our homes, giving us a little side by side comparison.

best interior wall paint inspiration
some of my wall paint inspiration on pinterest

Now, After painting our entire interior, the wood trim, the exterior, the cabinets, and fireplace in our previous home and even the interior bead board in our beach cottage, 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. I love the crisp, bright, neutral white. They also make one of my favorite blues, Hale Navy, which is what we used to paint the front door and storage cabinets at our beach house.

What I love about Benjamin Moore Paint:

  • Benjamin Moore’s line includes dozens of rich, designer colors (rumor is they are proprietary in some complicated way and can’t be easily matched) 
  • According to my husband who painted in college and does a lot of the paint around here, BM paints go on like butter – it’s so smooth and thick, we often needed only one coat
  • They have paint samples available for order online 
  • I love their color trends projections, they are always spot on

Downside to Benjamin Moore Paint:

  • Benjamin Moore paints are available at their name brand shops and a few select stores, making it difficult to find (and purchase more if needed!)
  • They only offer 16 oz paint samples which ring in at $10.99 – making it expensive to try out a color
  • Cannot be color-matched
  • More expensive than hardware store brands (but worth it!)
  • Does not seem to be preferred paint choice by painters ( I spoke with 3 separate house painters and they mentioned the limited availability keeps them from using it)
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 living 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 because sample paint is not real paint (see below), this means you end up with a lot of extra sample paint
  • High quality but not quite as smooth or as much coverage as Benjamin Moore – we needed additional coats
  • We personally found the satin finish to have much more shine than described 

So, which is the best interior wall paint?

Looking at both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, I think they are both exceptional, high quality paint that I would always choose over store brand options. I find myself more often drawn to Benjamin Moore colors but definitely appreciate that Sherwin Williams is more readily available.

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 in samples is not actually intended for projects (seriously! read here), it’s a costly and wasteful process weighing color options.

In the future, I might use a peel and stick sample service like Samplize.

sherwin williams vs. benjamin moore, which is the best interior wall paint

Overall, if you’re looking for the best paint for your home, I don’t think you can go wrong with either Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams!