Benjamin Moore and Behr are both quality paints definitely worth your money, but when compared, which of these two is the better choice? It really depends on your personal preferences. However, before you can make an honest choice, you’ll want to fully understand the pros and cons of Benjamin Moore and Behr.
Benjamin Moore Paint
Benjamin Moore is sold at a wide variety of paint and home improvement stores and offers their customers three common kinds of paint, semi-gloss, flat, and eggshell. These paints are designed for both residential and commercial projects. They’re durable, splatter resistant, easy to spread, and are fast drying.
All of Benjamin Moore’s paints are cost-effective except their Regal paint which is a higher quality product. This luxury paint runs around $65 a can, but it’s definitely worth the money. It can cover a wall or ceiling a wall in 2 coats or less and looks amazing once the paint has fully dried.
Benjamin Moore Aura Paint
Even better than Regal is Benjamin Moore’s Aura. This paint has the best hide out of all their products and is the most durable too. Aura is very comparable to Behr Marquee. If you have children, you can feel confident knowing that Aura paint can be washed multiple times to remove grime, dirt, and stains. It’s durable, offers great coverage, and the paint will never fade or rub off no matter how many times you wash it.
Behr Paint
Behr is only sold at Home Depot stores throughout the country and offers their customers a very limited selection. In fact, Behr only has 3 premier products. They include Behr Premium, Plus Ultra, and Behr Marquee. Marquee is Behr’s luxury paint and like mentioned above, it’s very comparable to Benjamin Moore’s Aura paint.
Behr Marquee Paint
Marquee is durable, easy to spread, has great coverage, and has an amazing hide. The only drawback to Marquee paint is the limited selection. You’ll have to pick from the Behr Marquee Collection.
Those individuals who are interested in a specific color that’s not included in the Behr Marquee Collection should use Behr Premium Plus Ultra. You’ll have a much wider selection of colors to choose from, and you can even create your own color combinations.
The only downside is that you’ll have to apply more than one coat to successfully cover a particular surface. That’s the only difference between Marquee and Premium Plus Ultra, the amount of coats it takes to cover a given surface. The best part? Behr Premium Plus Ultra paint has primer mixed in for your convenience.
Behr Paint vs. Benjamin Moore Paint
Benjamin Moore is sold through owner-operated stores. The upside is these stores can offer significantly more informed advice than you can get at Home Depot. (The BM selection brochures are outstanding.) The downside is these stores have less room to offer price deals. On an equal grade basis, Benjamin Moore paint is higher density, with better application properties – marginally so, however.
On a big project, the higher cost is a bit painful. I use Behr for utility applications, and BM for showcase rooms. And Benjamin Moore for any exterior, severe traffic or deck applications. If I have to go up on a ladder or refinish a deck, the extra cost is worth it.
Consumer Reports, a media outlet that evaluates different products, compared Benjamin Moore and Behr paint to see what the better product was. According to their evaluation, Behr beat Benjamin Moore by just a little as the top-performing interior paint. Also, Benjamin Moore beat Behr when it came to the category of value, but their ratings are close.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) are toxins that are commonly found in a variety of paints. These compounds can cause health problems like respiratory issues and can contribute to air pollution. In California for example, paints sold in stores and online are not allowed to have more than 50 grams of VOCs per liter.
Nearly all of your top-rated paints have little or zero VOCs. In fact, it’s becoming the norm. Most companies have at least tried to decrease the amount of VOCs in their paint.
Now, when it comes to Benjamin Moore, the tint used in this paint have absolutely no VOCs at all. Behr paints on the other hand have low-VOC colorants.
Another thing that you’ll want to remember is the higher the VOC percentage, the harder it is to spread the paint, but it does not make much difference when compared to the low-VOC paints. In addition to this, paints with higher levels of VOCs also require more coats. This is why choosing a higher quality paint like Benjamin Moore or Behr is so important.
Choosing between Benjamin Moore and Behr
Benjamin Moore paints and Behr paints are very comparable in just about every single way. However, there are a few differences. Behr paints tend to be more affordable than Benjamin Moore paints, yet Benjamin Moore received a good rating from Consumer Reports. In addition to this, Benjamin Moore tends to have more color options when compared to Behr.
When trying to choose between the two brands, first decide what color you want and the amount of money you have available. After that, it really boils down to personal preference.
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Mary Ross
Tuesday 14th of March 2023
What color Behr paint is suggested for individuals who have white major appliances?
tina
Thursday 7th of July 2022
I just painted my Daughters new home and she bought the Behr Marquee, it was Horrible. Did not cover well. I painted closets without primer even tho the paint was with primer , and it took 4 coats with overnight drying in between. The walls were 2 coats with primer over a color very close to the same shade. Terrible paint. Better off spending more and getting Benjamin Moore.
joe
Monday 30th of January 2023
@tina, I've had the opposite experience. I went with the Behr marquee, and it was fabulous. I've used the cheaper Behr paints and had issues with coating uneven. Did you happen to paint directly after the store mixed and shook?
Bill R
Sunday 19th of June 2022
I used Benjamin Moore on my remodel 10 years ago and the interior has held up amazingly well. I transferred leftovers to full quart cans and topped them with argon and 10 years later, always a perfect match for touch-ups. HOWEVER, BM did not perform well for me in the exterior, especially south-facing. It faded, unevenly for me after about six years. I'm repainting now with Behr - Marquee for siding and trim and their elastomeric for the stucco. The paint team at my Home Depot was extremely knowledgeable and I picked up some color match samples just to see how close they could get to BM on a match and they were VERY good. I did go with the Behr Woodstock Green and Roman Plaster.
Cherie Hufton
Sunday 19th of September 2021
What Benjamin Moore paint do I use to paint newly installed gib in a bathroom and kitchen. Does Benjamin Moore paint have the primer or sealer in the paint or do I need a primer /sealer coat and then a couple of top coats?
Lance
Monday 7th of February 2022
@Cherie Hufton, use Benjamin moore Aura.
alyr
Sunday 15th of September 2019
I've tinted Marquee other colors and while I was suspicious about the outcome, they turn out fine. Even whites. Behr Marquee has limited selection because it relies on being darker. You'll notice there are no true whites in the line except for the go-to Ultra White does come in Marquee blend. I'd use BM if it were a special project and the convenience factor was the same. I drive past HD every day of my life so I tend to use Behr. But when I did my entire house myself, it was BM (before Behr existed). People should get both and do a large sample board to be sure because color matching is sketchy but I'd rely on an experienced independent BM store as the best in that.
Cherie Hufton
Sunday 19th of September 2021
@alyr, is Marquee a Bejamin Moore brand?