Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint Review

There are several large paint manufacturers in the industry, but Sherwin Williams is perhaps one of the most well-known. Their most popular product is undoubtedly SuperPaint, but just how good is it? In this review, the first in a long series of reviews, we will take a look at Sherwin Williams’ SuperPaint interior product, compare it to some of the competition, and see whether or not this product is right for you and your home. 

Let’s dive in. 

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SHERWIN WILLIAMS SUPERPAINT – A REVIEW

For this review, we painted a sample strip in our office in Tricorn Black. We did this alongside other Sherwin Williams products as well as some of its top competitors: Benjamin Moore and PPG. For this review, we will be comparing SuperPaint against PPG’s Hi-Hide and Ben Moore’s Ben product. 

We painted these products side by side and put them through rigorous tests to see how they stood up. Before we get into that, though, let’s look at some key details as well as the cost for each product. 

All of these are acrylic latex paints, so in theory, they should have very similar coverage. SuperPaint and PPG have a satin sheen. The sheen offers more protection for the paint, but it can also reflect more light, and higher sheens can make the paint glossy.

COVERAGE

The first thing we will explore is the coverage for SuperPaint compared to the other products. Coverage refers to the way the paint spreads when you apply it. Good coverage means that the paint flows evenly and is easy to control. It doesn’t clump up too much and there is ideally little splatter. 

SuperPaint falls between Hi-Hide and Ben in terms of flow and consistency. It was less prone to splatter as Ben, but the coverage fell short of the kind found on PPG’s hi-hide. All three of these paints need two applications for maximum coverage and protection, but SuperPaint covers noticeably less with one coat than either Ben or Hi-Hide. 

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing. As we said, all of these are two application systems, but if you’re on a budget a paint with better coverage is going to go farther in the long run. 

COLOR AND SHEEN

As we said before, all of these have a satin or equivalent sheen. This will give your wall a little shine, but it will also help protect it from damage. Higher sheens will also make the surface more reflective. However, we found that SuperPaint was the least reflective among the three. 

While SuperPaint and Hi-Hide are both satin finishes, Hi-Hide is notably glossier. Ben in its eggshell sheen is also notably glossier.

We also found that SuperPaint had a more raw feeling after it dried. What we mean by that is that SuperPaint feels more like the original wall. Ben and Hi-Hide have a smoother finish that feels like an additional coating. That’s neither a good or bad thing, but it is something to consider when you’re thinking about how you want the finished product to look and feel.

That makes SuperPaint the best choice if you want to have some protection over your paint but want to avoid a reflective surface. 

It’s not really fair to compare color accuracy, but we will cover it for thoroughness. We went with Tricorn Black because black best shows wear and tear (important for the tests we will do later). Tricorn Black is specifically a Sherwin Williams color, so the other two brands had to do a color match. PPG matched it pretty closely, though Ben looks more like a very dark grey. This is important to consider when you’re shopping for paint, and it’s a helpful reminder to always test paint before putting it up to make sure the color is what you want. 

DURABILITY 

We ran several rigorous tests to compare the durability of all the products. While none of the paints came away undamaged (we really don’t recommend doing any of the things we did to these poor paints), SuperPaint appears to be the most durable of the three. 

For foot scuffs, all of them had pronounced grooves. Sherwin Williams had less damage after a wipe down, though, compared to the other two. The results were also essentially the same when comparing hand and shoulder rubs. 

The big difference came when we rubbed the walls with a magic eraser. Magic erasers are especially bad for paint because they are chemically abrasive. That means the compounds in magic erasers eat away at paint and permanently damage it. We talk more about that in our post about how to clean painted walls. While all of them had spots of paint removed, SuperPaint was considerably more durable. 

Overall, if you’re looking for the most durable product, SuperPaint comes away from the test a clear winner.

PRICE

Even though sheen, coverage, and durability are all important factors, the most important thing to most consumers is price. Well, here they are about even. PPG’s Hi-Hide is the most expensive at $52, but you can get Ben and SuperPaint for around $47 a gallon. 

Prices are a bit high right now because of supply chain issues, but this is probably the cheapest you can get a high-quality paint. 

CONCLUSION

And that’s our Superpaint review. SuperPaint is a high-quality and affordable paint that will satisfy just about everyone. It doesn’t have quite the same coverage as some of its competitors, but it makes up for that with durability and a less reflective finish. 

We will have more reviews coming down the pipeline, but for now, you can learn more about Sherwin Williams vs Benjamin Moore products here. You can also learn more about what paint you should use on cabinets as well as the pros and cons of painting on your own. 

If you’re ready to get some painting done on your house, feel free to fill out the form below for a free estimate from Heritage Painting. 

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