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Sherwin Williams Promar or SuperPaint

108K views 37 replies 17 participants last post by  cocomonkeynuts 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I see a lot of contractors using promar. I use it for ceiling paint but not for walls. Do you prefer it over SuperPaint? My cost for both is about the same and SW tells me SuperPaint is a better product. Any thoughts?
 
#4 ·
SuperPaint is a better product, but like lilpaintchic said, you can get better products for the same price. BM has good options, and Kelly Moores Premium Professional line is equivalent and could probably be gotten for cheaper than any of the other options. Equivalent product+cheaper price= more money for you!
 
#7 ·
Promar 200 and Superpaint have different tint strengths, so there goes that theory. I could go on, but everyone else has it covered it seems. I'll just be in the background munching my popcorn if you need me.
 
#9 ·
Yeah, no reason to beat a dead horse. To me ProMar 200 is what you use for apartment repaints and the like. SuperPaint, as I've stated before, is just a solid, middle-of-the-road paint product, nothing more, nothing less. Cashmere is my go-to paint from SW. For PM 200 I pay $26, for SP and Cashmere, I pay about $33, nothing to write home about.
 
#13 ·
Have your store order a couple gallons of SuperPaint velvet to try. I think both the SuperPaint satin and Cashmere low luster are too shiny, the velvet is perfect.

To the op, I'm not a fan of anything Promar. SuperPaint is a great middle of the road paint, along with Cashmere. For residential interior painting, with the exception of real deep colors, those two lines are all you need. They're easy to work with, cover great, and are durable. If I need flat I use the Cashmere flat enamel and if I need more of a satin/eggshell finish I go with superpaint velvet.

Almost a year ago now I took up the carpet in my office with plans to put down laminate instead. In the meantime it was just a bare concrete floor so to keep the dust down I took some leftover SuperPaint velvet I had and painted the floor until I got around to the laminate. It's been almost a year with my office chair rolling around and it getting walled all over and it still looks great. When it gets dirty I just mop it.

If superpaint can last a year on a floor and hold up fine there's absolutely no reason why a normal residential interior requires more than that on the walls.

Also, I'm not a big fan of BM ultraspec or Ben. If I were to ever switch to Benjamin Moore it would be to the regal which is a fantastic paint. Is it worth $15 more a gallon and added difficulty to get ahold of? Maybe, depends on the job and color, for me most of the time it's not.

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#18 ·
I like the ProMar 400 CW . Cheap too...under 20 a gallon . Not crazy on the Superpaint Satin that they sold one HO we are currently doing for her trim work . They sold her Superpaint Matte for the walls...it covers OK...so I'm happy with that . BM is just way too expensive here on PEI . As far as primer...hard to beat the PPG 6-2 for 65.00 a bucket . We used to use a lot of SICO Eggshell Evolution for walls but it simply KILLS brushes , almost impossible to clean them out . Covers perfect but instant death for a brush !!! Anybody else have that problem ? I'm in Canada .
 
#24 ·
yup. Doesn't cover for crap in a side by side test with just about anything in it's lowest price range. I've got stuff i can sell for $12 that out covers it like crazy.
BUT, paint quality isn't the reason painters will buy a particular paint! We already established that here on PT a couple of years ago. Convenience is the number 1 determining factor for which paint most painters will use. Not quality.
 
#27 ·
SuperPaint vs ProMar: redeux

Read through all of these responses and not certain I come away with a definitive answer for the original question: Why ProMar over SuperPaint? ... and contradicts what I've been told.
Contractor used ProMar 200; SW rep spec'd SuperPaint. When I asked at the local SW store, the counter-person said they are the same: ProMar sold to contractor, SuperPaint sold to DIY.
Many of these responses indicate that they are not 'the same'.
Use: (a-c'd) hallways [over painted drywall and concrete] and (non-climate controlled) egress-stairs [over painted concrete] of condominium towers.
Concern: did the contractor (who did not follow the provided spec for SuperPaint) put us in a better or worse position for life-cycle quality of the painted surfaces?
 
#28 ·
Read through all of these responses and not certain I come away with a definitive answer for the original question: Why ProMar over SuperPaint? ... and contradicts what I've been told.
Contractor used ProMar 200; SW rep spec'd SuperPaint. When I asked at the local SW store, the counter-person said they are the same: ProMar sold to contractor, SuperPaint sold to DIY.
Many of these responses indicate that they are not 'the same'.
Use: (a-c'd) hallways [over painted drywall and concrete] and (non-climate controlled) egress-stairs [over painted concrete] of condominium towers.
Concern: did the contractor (who did not follow the provided spec for SuperPaint) put us in a better or worse position for life-cycle quality of the painted surfaces?
It's so the painter can make a huge mark-up on the Promar 200 silly! It's a scam SW and a lot of their painters have been running for over 40 years!

And the life cycle of Promar 200 is WAY less than Superpaint. For what it's worth Superpaint has a lifetime warranty. Promar has no warranty whatsoever.
 
#29 ·
I'm not going to call it gospel by any means but I've had no less than 4 different SW reps tell me that the main difference between ProMar and Super Paint is added Talc to thicken up the SP and give it better wet hide/body. I've used a lot of ProMar 200 over the years and it's not my favorite, but you'll find that most commercial jobs spec it or Harmony and never Super Paint. I can't say I've been impressed by Super paint though either.

I typically stick with BM ultraspec on my commercial jobs and BM or PPGs higher end lines for houses. I also dabble with California Paints. Their Ultra line is the best trim paint in the market IMO.
 
#32 ·
That is partially correct. They are forgetting, (or perhaps they are not aware.) that one of the things added to Superpaint is a rheology modifier that causes it to drag more than Promar 200. That's how they get DIY painters to put it on thick enough that they could put a warranty on the can (originally it was 10 years, then 15, 25, and now lifetime.)
 
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#33 ·
Promar 200 is Sherwin Williams contractor grade Residential paint. SuperPaint is in their DIY lineup. I've heard a lot of mixed opinions some like one better then the other but the products have also changed a lot in recent history. Something I love about SuperPaint is it's ability to go directly to new drywall or plaster that has been prepped properly.

My opinion is that the SuperPaint is easier to work with but since professionals learn to work the product they tend to prefer the Promar 200. I think Cashmere is a big leap and if you're into an amazing finish you'll appreciate the upgrade.
 
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