@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you for your response. Do you have experience with Sherwin William paints? Which line(s) do you use? We are restricted by having young kids and a cat, so going for zero VOC and some durability. We are also on a time crunch, and the house painter who was able to fit our schedule only uses SW paints. Otherwise, we may have gone with Benjamin Moore— our local salesperson was much more helpful and seemed more knowledgeable, as well as their products seem generally well regarded. One thing that I’ve observed in my research is that there seems to be a difference in the DIY grade vs contractor grade paint. Are contractor grade paints inherently worse quality, or can you get a nice result in the hands of a professional painter? I’ve gone to some pro painter websites, and there were some comments that the DIY paint grades are great for the typical homeowner who does the occasional paint job and ”needs some hand-holding”, but not necessary for pro painters who have all the right tools and years of experience. One of the SW contractor grades is also zero VOC and used in schools and hospitals for little kids. My husband and I are ok with less beautiful/elegant walls if there is less off-gassing— we just don‘t want a complete eyesore. Also, there are such great websites for examples of paint color— wish more would list the paint sheen that they used as well!

Agree with NO SHEEN. There is no end to the varieties of paints offered painters by the companies. Explain your concerns to your painter and ask what his recommendation is, and ASK TO SEE THE DOCUMENTATION or specifications for the paint he is recommending to satisfy your concerns.

Professional painters like to use SW because they get a get a good pro discount. There is a big difference in however between the Contracter grade paint and the higher end paint such as Cashmere or Emerald in long term performance! Big price difference too. The problem with the low VOC paints is the choice in sheen and durability. I find a matte finish works quite well when durability and washability is needed. This sheen only comes in a few higher end products though

Emerald, Cashmere and Duration. You can spec the two low VOC paints ( research which one is best) but you will have to do eggshell. I would probably not do flat in these even though I don’t like shiny but you won’t get the wear out of the low VOC that you will from the higher end product. The duration has matte and will be less than the Emerald.

I’m guessing the Harmony will be better because it is an acrylic/ latex product as opposed to a straight latex!

For walls, my painter is using SW Duration in Matte for all walls with the exception of bathrooms and the laundry room. He will use the SW Duration Satin for those. I have always used BM Eggshell, but our local BM store closed down. Our builders painter likes SW better. I guess for the discount. 👩

We will have SW Naval in a study.

Here is one coat so farwith the Duration Matte. The paint is wet in this first photo, so you get the idea of what a sheen would look like on a dark blue paint.

First coat dry

I’ve used Duration matte and Emerald matte and prefer Emerald matte. It cleans well as far a matte paint goes.. (I have white walls and three young kids so I clean often and it’s holding up) and is less shiny than the Duration matte (for some reason...)

I did not find a SW interior latex paint that doesn't qualify as "low VOC" other than these two

You can search individually, opening the PDS (Product Data Sheet) for any SW product, but I just did a quick look at the list of the MPI approved SW products with the associated VOC -

List

I have used SW Duration and SW Emerald and was happy with both.

I use eggshell on my walls, flat on my ceilings and satin on my trim.

There is good information available on the PDS. Not everything you may want to know, but still enlightening.

I don't know if your house was painted with SuperPaint and your neighbor's home was painted with Emerald that anyone would know the difference.

5 years down the line I believe that Emerald will still be looking great and SuperPaint may be showing more wear and tear.

My experience is that better the paint the longer the paint job lasts.

We looked at the Emerald paint after seeing a color that I liked at the Southern Living Showcase home. Emerald paint is twice as much as Duration.

The price difference between SW Duration and SW Emerald has only been a few dollars per gallon for me shopping at the SW Store. (I have a regular account, not pro) Then, if I shop SW’s 40% sale the price difference is really minimal.

Interesting!!! When I went to get a sample of Southern Livings Sherwin-Williams Emerald® Designer Edition Momentum, SW 9530, I was told that the paint was almost $100 a gallon! Now I am wondering if it was because the color was a "designer" color by SL. I have been avoiding Emerald all of this time. Thank you!

I'll have to ask my painter about it. Perhaps I can get him to use Emerald for the final coats of paint. Do you know if Emerald can be used on top of Duration?

Oh how they love to confuse!

There is Emerald and there is Emerald Designer Edition. Two paints - 2 price points.

The "New Emerald Designer Edition" marketing materials list this as the highest hide base in their history. They also talk about the whitest whites in their new designer color collection.

To me this boils down to a higher amount of titanium white. Their high hide white formula used to be their extra white base with 3 oz of titanium white pigment added.

I wanted to test a few of the designer edition colors, but was not willing to buy a quart of paint to test the color. The guy behind the counter simply color matched the swatch from the designer collection brochure and mixed the sample. It turned out to be a virtually identical match to the swatch.

This may not work as well if you want a white white color in the designer series since the base is whiter than their other bases, but they have matched other white whites for me in the past and the formula ends up with having an oz or more titanium white as one of the colorants.

For any color other than the brightest whites in the designer collection I would not spend the extra money for the Designer Edition paint.

Here is a side by side comparison of the PDS

Gotcha! I used ‘regular’ Emerald because I painted two years ago. The designer line just launched not too long ago I think.. but sure does look interesting!

I have painted a couple rooms dark colors and I used Cashmere low lustre. I love the look!

I used the Emerald flat finish when it was first released, and I hate it. It had almost a sand texture to it.

I definitely do not want a sand texture when we have a smooth finish sheetrock. How does Cashmere Low Lustre compare in cost to Duration?

BM has a “ designer line” called Color Storiers. This is an Aura paint but is more about pigments; these are full spectrum colors that don’t use black. Very nice colors that use more pigments thus a much higher cost. As with the SW designer line these are meant to compete with high end lines such as Farrow&Ball and for those who love the depth of color and quality and don’t mind the cost are an option! As far as Emerald having a sand finish; it is a thicker paint so depending on the roller used you may have a stipple. The paint itself is not sand finish! Use the right roller!

Cashmere is a bit more generally. SW has sales all the time. Your painter gets a nice discount; have them price out the product that you want and do what works for you.

The paint itself is not sand finish! Use the right roller!

I used the correct roller but glad you made that assumption. It wasn't stipple that made the finish rough, it was most definitely the paint finish. The paint is perfectly smooth, it is hard to explain the how the finish is. I guess, a fine sandpaper feel is a better descriptor.

Cashmere sounds interesting. I’ve never used it myself because of the relatively low washability rating. Cannot speak for Emerald flat (I never use flat, I generally find it too chalky looking for my taste and difficult to clean with my dirt monsters at home..) but the matte is definitely very smooth and soft to the touch. It does not feel latexy/plasticy like some cheaper paints can.

Cashmere is thinner than Duration or Emerald. The flat finish is also shinier than Duration or Emerald. The carrier is also Acrylic vs Styrene Acrylic - softer.

None of these characteristics are a positive in my book.