Sherwin Williams vs Benjamin Moore vs Pittsburgh Paints

Last Updated on Wednesday, 6 July 2011 12:56 Written by ermand Friday, 1 July 2011 11:12

For painting contractors just like customers and workers, the suppliers are also very important to get the job done. These are three major paint suppliers here in Connecticut.

Sherwin Williams

Products: many different paints, stains primers, tools, equipment, that suit the need of residential commercial and industrial painting contractors.

Service: Great service for contractors, long hours, open Saturdays and Sundays, one rep sets your prices and you get that same price in all stores throughout the state, the best support on the job site.

Price: Depending on the product their prices are comparable to Benjamin Moore’s, sometimes more competitive.

Bottom Line: Sherwin Williams is one of the best if not the best supplier not only for painting contractors but also for homeowners – at least in the northeast. With great products that last, outstanding support, and competitive prices they are your best friend in succeeding with your business.

Benjamin Moore

Products: They carry many different paints, not such a wide variety of primers, more options in stains, not so many tools and equipment. They also carry California Paints. Their commercial line is not the best I’ve seen.

Service: The service here varies from store to store. Most of them are not open long hours or weekends. Support for contractors is good. You get different prices from store to store and you can’t have one charge account for every store you go, like you can have with Sherwin Williams.

Price: Depending on which store you go, you can expect a huge change in price.

Bottom Line: Great products that are easy to apply, and they are also important for keeping your business running smooth.

Pittsburgh Paints

Honestly I can’t talk much about them since I haven’t used them that much but here is what I’ve experienced so far.

Products: They don’t have as wide of a variety of paints and primers as their rivals Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, but the ones they have are very good products. I think they specialize more in industrial and commercial coatings. Some tools and equipment.

Service: So far it’s been pretty good although I’m not a huge fan of their color matching system and low stock they carry in stores.

Price: They don’t have many different products but the ones they have are pretty competitive in price and quality.

Bottom Line: Like I said I haven’t used them that much but they’re definitely up there.

I would love to hear different opinions on this as this has been only my experience.

Where are paint prices headed?

Last Updated on Sunday, 3 July 2011 07:56 Written by ermand Saturday, 23 April 2011 12:44

Just as exterior painting season approaches the paint prices have started to crawl up. But where is this all coming from? Below are quotes from The Wall Street Journal explaining. You can read their full story here

Voracious demand from China, India and other emerging markets is boosting prices for titanium dioxide, a key ingredient in paint, just as it has for oil, copper, iron ore and fertilizer. As raw-material prices rise, manufacturers are trying to pass the added cost through to consumers, stoking inflation fears.

Painting contractors all over US have also suffered business by increased material costs.

Sherwin-Williams raised prices in its paint stores three times last year, by a total of more than 16%. House painter Aaron Obringer, who owns Precision Brush Painting in Pittsburgh, said he now pays around $25 for a gallon of basic flat interior paint, up from $20 a year or two ago. “It’s like out of control,” he said, adding that paint-store employees blamed “something going on in China.”

It is true I have seen Sherwin Williams, Benjamin More and other professional paint stores increase prices at least twice last year and once this year so far.
And the inevitable question is what can be done?

Home Show, is it still worth?

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 March 2011 02:14 Written by ermand Saturday, 26 March 2011 02:42

I am exhibiting at the Convention Center, Hartford, CT home show this weekend. I was wondering if this is still worth doing, it’s not the same as it used to be 7 years ago that’s for sure.
Benefits are: you get some leads, you get to see and talk to many of your old customers which is always great, you get to talk to many nice people, you get a lot of exposure.
Down sides are: it’s expensive, you get tired (set up booth, stand around all day, break down and pick up booth, overloaded with leads for the following 2 weeks), stand next to the beef jerky guy for three days and eat a lot of that, then you have to work even harder to burn those calories lol.
What do you think?