Sherwin-Williams vs. Benjamin Moore: Which paint is worth it in Canada?

At full Canadian retail, Benjamin Moore Aura runs about $120 per gallon and Sherwin-Williams Emerald about $105. But Sherwin-Williams discounts 30% to 40% several times a year while Benjamin Moore rarely runs public sales, which means Emerald frequently lands near $63 a gallon against Aura's unchanging $120.

That single difference decides more purchases in Canada than any performance spec. This guide compares both brands on volume solids, durability, washability, VOC levels, and exterior performance, then adds Behr and Sico so you can see where the budget options sit.

Sherwin-Williams vs. Benjamin Moore at a Glance

Source: Duoco

The short version: Benjamin Moore covers better and touches up more cleanly. Sherwin-Williams washes better and costs considerably less on sale. At full retail, Benjamin Moore is arguably worth the premium. During a Sherwin-Williams sale, it isn't close.

Volume Solids: The Spec That Matters

Volume solids is the percentage of the can that stays on your wall after the water evaporates. Everything else is carrier.

A paint at 45% solids leaves nearly half its volume as film. One at 33% leaves a third. That difference shows up as coverage, hide, and how many coats you need.

Benjamin Moore wins this comparison, and it holds across tiers. Aura reaches the high 40s where Emerald tops out at 41%, and Regal Select at 47% outperforms some Sherwin-Williams premium sheens.

The practical effect is modest but real: Aura covers 400 to 450 square feet per gallon against Emerald's 400, and it hides dark colours in fewer coats.

Note that solids vary by sheen within a line. Flat and matte finishes typically carry higher solids than semi-gloss, so compare like with like.

Interior Paint Lines Compared

Source: Reno Quotes

Benjamin Moore

Sherwin-Williams

The direct equivalents: Emerald competes with Aura, Duration with Regal Select, Cashmere with Regal Select, and Captivate with ben.

Durability and Washability

This is where the comparison inverts.

Sherwin-Williams Emerald outperforms Benjamin Moore Aura on scrub resistance. On the ASTM D2486 scrub test, Emerald satin reaches roughly 750 to 800 cycles. Aura matte lands between 350 and 500 depending on the tint.

The reason is formulation balance. Emerald carries a higher binder-to-pigment ratio, which buys scrub durability at the cost of a slight gloss increase. Aura's higher pigment load buys coverage and colour depth at the cost of washability.

In practice, a wall cleaned weekly with a damp cloth shows the difference within six months. Emerald holds a uniform appearance. Aura matte can develop a faint sheen halo where the cloth contacts most often, known as burnishing.

Where Benjamin Moore wins on durability is burnish resistance in Regal Select, which holds a Class 1 scrub rating across every sheen, including matte. That's unusual, and it's why Regal Select is the practical choice for a hallway you want to keep flat.

High-Traffic Areas

For hallways, kitchens, stairwells, and living rooms:

• Best overall washability: Sherwin-Williams Emerald in satin or semi-gloss.

• Best matte that survives cleaning: Benjamin Moore Regal Select, or Sherwin-Williams Emerald Matte, which washes like an eggshell.

• Best value in a busy room: Sherwin-Williams Duration or Benjamin Moore Regal Select, both delivering most of the premium performance at a lower price.

• Avoid: Entry lines like ben and Captivate anywhere that gets scrubbed.

Touch-Ups and Maintenance

Benjamin Moore Aura is the clear winner here, and it's an underrated advantage.

Touch-up paint from the same can, applied months later, blends almost invisibly with Aura. Most paints flash, meaning the touched-up area reads as a different sheen or shade because the new film dries differently over a cured surface.

That matters more than people expect. Over a decade in a house with children, touch-ups are the maintenance you actually do, and a paint that touches up badly means repainting a whole wall to fix a scuff.

Both brands offer colour matching services, so an exact repeat is available if you've lost the can. Keep the colour code and the sheen either way, since matching the sheen is harder than matching the colour.

Moisture and Humidity Resistance

Bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms need paint that handles condensation without peeling or growing mildew.

Both brands publish ASTM test compliance on their product data sheets, including D3273 for mould and mildew resistance and D2486 for scrub resistance, so this comparison rests on formulation differences rather than on who discloses more.

The real distinction is finish. Most bathroom paints achieve their moisture resistance through sheen, which is why pearl and satin dominate the category. Aura Bath & Spa delivers mildew resistance in a true matte, which is the only way to get a flat-looking bathroom that doesn't fail. Emerald counters with an anti-microbial resin blend that works across its sheen range.

Three things matter more than the brand in a bathroom:

• Adhesion and surface prep: Paint fails in bathrooms because of what's underneath, not what's on top.

• Ventilation: No paint survives a bathroom with an inadequate exhaust fan.

• Dry time between coats: High humidity extends recoat windows substantially, and rushing the second coat causes most peeling failures. Room temperature matters too, since cool damp air slows curing considerably.

Colour Retention and Fade Resistance

Source: Construction TRC

Benjamin Moore's Colour Lock technology is the brand's proprietary approach to fade resistance, binding pigment more tightly within the acrylic matrix. It's the reason Aura holds saturated colours, particularly reds and deep blues, longer than comparable products.

Sherwin-Williams uses advanced acrylic resin technology in Emerald to achieve similar aims, with strong published claims on UV resistance.

Where this is measurable:

• Interior fade happens mainly in rooms with large south-facing windows, and both premium lines handle it well.

• Deep and saturated colours fade fastest regardless of brand, because the colourant load is higher and the pigments are organic rather than mineral.

• Benjamin Moore publishes simulated UV exposure and simulated weather exposure results on Aura's data sheets. Sherwin-Williams publishes ASTM compliance rather than comparable lab fade test figures, so a direct side-by-side on fade isn't available.

For an accent wall in a bright room, Aura's proprietary pigments are the safer bet. For a hallway with no direct sun, the difference is academic.

Note that stain-blocking technology is a separate property from fade resistance. Both brands include it in their mid and premium lines, and it governs whether a water mark or marker bleeds through the new coat rather than how the colour holds up to sunlight.

Exterior Paint Compared

Exterior performance in Canada is a different test, and the gap widens.

Aura Exterior leads on specification, and volume solids is why. At 45.5% against Emerald's 39% and Duration's 38%, considerably more coating remains on the wall once the water leaves.

Regal Select Exterior is the value choice in the Benjamin Moore range. It carries most of Aura's formulation advantages at roughly $25 less per gallon, and it's what many painters specify when a client balks at Aura pricing.

What Canadian Weather Does to Exterior Paint

• Freeze-thaw cycling stresses the paint film repeatedly through winter, and a thicker, more flexible film resists cracking longer.

• Moisture is the primary failure mode on Canadian exteriors, and breathable exterior formulas let trapped moisture escape rather than pushing the film off the substrate as peeling.

• UV damage accumulates on south and west elevations, causing chalking and fading before any peeling appears.

• Masonry surfaces need breathable paint specifically. Standard exterior acrylic traps moisture in brick and causes spalling in a freeze-thaw climate.

Colour Lock on Exteriors

Benjamin Moore's Colour Lock technology matters more outside than in. Interior fade happens slowly and only near windows; exterior fade is continuous across every south and west elevation.

The technology binds pigment within the acrylic matrix rather than suspending it, which resists the UV breakdown that causes chalking, that powdery residue on an aged exterior wall.

Saturated exterior colours are where this shows. Deep reds, navy blues, and dark greens fade fastest because their colourants are organic rather than mineral. On a north-facing wall the difference is negligible. On a south-facing wall in a dark colour, it's the difference between repainting at year eight and year twelve.

Breathable formulas matter alongside it. A film that locks colour but traps moisture will peel off the wall long before it fades, which is why both properties appear on the same data sheet.

VOC Levels and Eco-Friendliness

Both brands offer zero-VOC paint at the premium tier. The difference is what happens when the colour goes in.

The Tinting Problem

Most zero-VOC paints stop being zero-VOC once colourant is added, because the colourant itself carries VOCs. A can that tests at 0 g/L on the shelf can measure considerably higher in a deep navy.

Benjamin Moore's Gennex colourant system is zero-VOC across the full colour library, which means Aura, ben, and Eco Spec hold their rating into medium and dark colours. That's unusual, and it's the brand's clearest technical advantage on air quality.

Sherwin-Williams uses ColorCast Ecotoner, which carries GREENGUARD certification, though deeper colours add measurable VOC content.

In practice: for a pale colour, the two brands are equivalent. For a saturated or dark colour in a nursery, bedroom, or a home with respiratory sensitivities, Benjamin Moore holds a genuine edge.

Certifications Worth Knowing

• Green Seal: Benjamin Moore Eco Spec carries it, which also means no PFAS as of early 2025.

• Asthma and Allergy Friendly: Eco Spec is certified, which matters in homes with asthmatic occupants.

• GREENGUARD: Sherwin-Williams ColorCast Ecotoner colourants carry GREENGUARD certification.

Lower VOC means fewer harmful emissions during and after application, shorter airing-out periods, and less odour. In a Canadian winter, when you can't open windows for three days, that's a practical consideration rather than an environmental one.

Price per Gallon in Canada

Price vs. Longevity Value

What Each Gallon Actually Costs Over Time

Paint is bought by the gallon and lived with by the decade. The sticker price is the least important number in the comparison.

The premium lines are not more expensive per year. They cost more per can and last proportionally longer, which lands them in the same range as the budget options.

Repainting Frequency Is the Real Cost

The paint is rarely the expensive part of painting. On a professionally painted room, labour runs 70% to 85% of the bill.

That changes the arithmetic entirely. A room costing $800 to paint uses perhaps $120 of paint. Choosing a cheaper paint saves $60 on that job. Repainting three years sooner costs $800.

That's the value-over-time case, and it's why professional painters specify premium lines even when the client is cost-conscious.

The exception is a room you expect to repaint anyway. A child's bedroom, a rental, or a space you plan to redecorate in five years doesn't need fifteen-year paint.

Maintenance Costs Between Repaints

The hidden cost is the maintenance a paint demands while it's on the wall.

• Touch-up behaviour: Benjamin Moore Aura blends invisibly months later. Paint that flashes on touch-up means repainting the whole wall to fix a scuff, which is a labour cost rather than a material one.

• Washability: Sherwin-Williams Emerald withstands 750 to 800 scrub cycles against Aura's 350 to 500. A wall you can clean is a wall you repaint less often.

• Burnishing: Matte finishes develop sheen where they're cleaned repeatedly. Benjamin Moore Regal Select holds a Class 1 scrub rating in every sheen including matte, which is unusual and directly extends its service life in a hallway.

The Sale Calendar

This is the single most useful thing to know when buying paint in Canada.

Sherwin-Williams runs 30% to 40% off sales several times a year, typically around long weekends and seasonal promotions. At 40% off, Emerald drops from roughly $105 to about $63 a gallon.

Benjamin Moore rarely runs public sales. The model is independent dealers with consistent pricing, and Aura sits at $120 whether you buy it in March or November. Contractors are the exception: independent dealers offer trade pricing to professional painters, so a painter supplying the paint on your job may be buying well below retail.

On a typical interior repaint consuming four to six gallons, that's $230 to $340 saved by timing the purchase.

The practical advice: if your project can wait a few weeks, check whether a Sherwin-Williams sale is coming. At $63 a gallon, Emerald is premium paint at mid-range money, and the performance argument for paying double becomes very thin.

Where Behr and Sico Fit

Both brands are widely available in Canada and both serve a genuine purpose.

Behr

Sold through Home Depot, which makes it the most accessible paint in the country.

Behr Marquee and Dynasty compete credibly with mid-range Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams at roughly half the price. The entry lines are genuinely entry-level and show it in high-traffic rooms.

Behr's real advantage is availability. A Home Depot is open on a Sunday evening in most Canadian towns; a Benjamin Moore dealer often isn't.

Sico

A Canadian brand with particularly strong presence in Quebec, sold through Rona and independent dealers.

Sico sits between Behr and the premium brands on both price and performance.

Sico's real advantage is local relevance. For Quebec homeowners it's frequently the easiest premium-adjacent paint to source, and the colour collections are developed for the Canadian market rather than adapted from American palettes.

What Professional Painters Actually Use

Benjamin Moore holds the stronger reputation among Canadian professionals, and three reasons come up consistently.

• Coverage: Higher volume solids mean fewer coats, and fewer coats mean fewer billable hours on a fixed-price job.

• Touch-up behaviour: Aura's ability to blend invisibly is worth more to a painter doing callbacks than it is to a homeowner.

• Dealer relationships: Independent dealers develop working relationships with local painters, including trade pricing and colour matching support.

Sherwin-Williams is the stronger operation on service. Company-owned stores mean consistent inventory, reliable contractor accounts, and delivery to site, which matters on larger jobs.

Professional interior painters and professional exterior painters often diverge here. Interior specialists lean toward Benjamin Moore for finish quality and touch-ups. Exterior crews frequently prefer Sherwin-Williams for jobsite delivery and volume pricing, since an exterior job consumes considerably more paint.

What painters say about the others: Behr's upper lines are perfectly serviceable and many painters use them when the client supplies the paint, though few specify it themselves. Sico is well regarded in Quebec and rarely encountered elsewhere.

One consistent view worth passing along. Most professionals will tell you that surface preparation determines the outcome more than the paint does. A premium paint over poor prep fails. A mid-range paint over excellent prep lasts.

DIY Suitability

Source: Finition 3P Inc.

If you're painting yourself, the criteria differ from what a professional weighs.

• Easiest to apply: Benjamin Moore Aura, which self-levels better than anything else on this list and forgives uneven roller technique.

• Most forgiving for a first-timer: Sherwin-Williams Emerald, which flows well and resists lap marks.

• Best value for a DIY project: Behr Marquee or Sherwin-Williams Duration on sale.

• Best self-priming formulas: Nearly all mid and premium lines now include primer, which removes a full coat from the job. Note that Eco Spec is the exception and needs a separate zero-VOC primer.

• Easiest to find: Behr at Home Depot, seven days a week.

Application style changes which paint suits you. Brushing and rolling favour self-levelling paints like Aura, which hide technique. Spraying favours thinner formulations, and premium paints with high solids may need thinning for spray equipment, so check the data sheet rather than assuming.

For eco-conscious paints, Benjamin Moore Eco Spec and Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint with Air Purifying Technology are the current zero-VOC options from each brand.

Warranty Comparison

On paper these are equivalent. In practice, three things determine whether a warranty is useful.

• What it covers: Peeling, blistering, chalking, and mildew resistance are typically covered. Fade guarantees are rarer, and often carry a shorter term than the headline lifetime figure.

• What it excludes: Nearly every warranty excludes failures caused by inadequate surface preparation, which is the cause of most paint failures.

• Who honours it: Benjamin Moore claims go through the independent dealer who sold you the paint. Sherwin-Williams claims go through a company store. The dealer relationship can work in your favour or against it.

Higher-end warranties tend to be easier to claim on, not because the terms differ but because premium lines fail less often and the manufacturer has less incentive to dispute.

Keep your receipt and the can. Every warranty claim requires both, and most require the batch number from the label.

Which paint should you buy?

For most Canadian homeowners, the answer depends on timing rather than performance.

At full retail, Benjamin Moore justifies its premium through higher volume solids, better coverage, zero-VOC colourants, and touch-up behaviour that saves you repainting walls over the following decade.

During a Sherwin-Williams sale, Emerald at $63 a gallon against Aura at $120 is difficult to argue with. The performance gap is real but narrow, and Emerald actually wins on washability.

Three practical recommendations:

• Buy Benjamin Moore for deep or saturated colours, for zero-VOC requirements, and when you expect to touch up frequently.

• Buy Sherwin-Williams on sale for anything else, particularly high-traffic rooms where washability matters most.

• Buy Behr or Sico for rental properties, quick refreshes, and rooms where the finish doesn't need to last fifteen years.

Whichever you choose, spend the difference on preparation rather than on the can. Every painter we've spoken to says the same thing, and they're right.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better, Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore?

Benjamin Moore covers better and touches up more cleanly, with volume solids reaching 49% against Sherwin-Williams' 41%. Sherwin-Williams washes better, with Emerald scoring 750 to 800 scrub cycles against Aura's 350 to 500. At full retail Benjamin Moore justifies its premium; during a Sherwin-Williams sale it doesn't.

How much does Benjamin Moore paint cost in Canada?

$75 to $80 per gallon for ben, $95 to $105 for Regal Select, and $115 to $125 for Aura. Benjamin Moore rarely runs public sales, so these prices hold year-round at independent dealers, though contractors can access trade pricing.

How much does Sherwin-Williams paint cost in Canada?

$49 to $55 per gallon for Captivate, $88 to $95 for Duration, and $100 to $110 for Emerald. Sherwin-Williams runs 30% to 40% off sales several times a year, which brings Emerald to roughly $63.

Why is Benjamin Moore paint so expensive?

Higher volume solids and higher titanium dioxide content, which together mean more pigment and more film left on the wall per gallon. The brand also rarely discounts publicly, operating through independent dealers at consistent pricing rather than running promotional cycles.

Is premium paint worth the extra cost?

Over time, yes. Premium paint lasts 12 to 15 years against 4 to 6 for budget lines, which works out to roughly the same cost per year. The real saving is labour: a room costs $800 to repaint and uses only $120 of paint, so repainting three years sooner costs far more than the cheaper can saved.

Is Sherwin-Williams Emerald as good as Benjamin Moore Aura?

On washability, Emerald is better, reaching 750 to 800 scrub cycles against Aura's 350 to 500. On coverage, volume solids, and touch-up blending, Aura is better. Both are zero-VOC in the base, though Benjamin Moore's colourants hold that rating in deeper colours. On sale, Emerald offers considerably better value.

What is volume solids and why does it matter?

It's the percentage of the can that stays on your wall after the water evaporates. A paint at 45% solids leaves nearly half its volume as film; one at 33% leaves a third. Higher solids mean better coverage, better hide, and fewer coats.

Which paint has the lowest VOC?

Both brands offer zero-VOC options, but the difference is tinting. Benjamin Moore's Gennex colourants are zero-VOC across the full colour library, so Aura, ben, and Eco Spec stay zero-VOC in deep colours. Sherwin-Williams' ColorCast Ecotoner is GREENGUARD certified but adds measurable VOC content in darker shades.

What replaced Benjamin Moore Natura?

Eco Spec, following Natura's discontinuation in March 2021. Eco Spec carries the same zero-VOC base and Gennex colourants, plus Green Seal and Asthma and Allergy Friendly certification, usually for a few dollars less per gallon. Note that unlike Natura it isn't self-priming, so budget a separate zero-VOC primer coat.

Which brand is better for exteriors in Canada?

Benjamin Moore Aura Exterior leads on specification with 45.5% volume solids against Emerald's 39% and Duration's 38%. Regal Select Exterior offers most of that advantage for about $25 less per gallon. More solids means more film on the wall, which matters through freeze-thaw cycling.

Which paint is best for bathrooms?

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa is the only premium option that holds a true matte finish in a humid room, which is otherwise difficult to achieve. Sherwin-Williams Emerald uses an anti-microbial resin blend that works across its sheen range. Ventilation and surface preparation matter more than the brand.

Is Behr paint as good as Benjamin Moore or Sherwin-Williams?

Behr Marquee and Dynasty compete credibly with mid-range products from both brands at roughly half the price. The entry lines show their price point in high-traffic rooms. Behr's real advantage is Home Depot availability seven days a week.

What about Sico?

A Canadian brand with strong Quebec presence, sold through Rona and independent dealers. Muse is a zero-VOC premium line competing with mid-range Benjamin Moore, and Evolution serves the budget tier. Colour collections are developed for the Canadian market.

When should I buy paint on sale?

Watch for Sherwin-Williams promotions around long weekends and seasonal events, when 30% to 40% off brings Emerald to roughly $63 a gallon. On a four to six gallon project, timing the purchase saves $230 to $340. Benjamin Moore rarely discounts publicly, so there's no reason to wait.

How much paint do I need?

A gallon covers 400 to 450 square feet for Benjamin Moore Aura and about 400 for Sherwin-Williams Emerald, on a smooth surface in one coat. Most rooms need two coats, so a standard 12 by 12 bedroom takes roughly two gallons.