Nothing lifts up a room and changes it more immediately than a fresh coat of paint in a bold color. Even outdoors, a few coats of paint on the shed or garage can make your once ho-hum exterior really pop with new life.
Home improvement retail giants Lowe’s and Home Depot are the places many of us go when we need paint.
On the surface, it might seem like one is much like the other; the truth is, these two stores maintain fairly different inventory to suit a variety of needs (and wallets).
Here is your one-stop comprehensive guide to Lowe’s Vs Home Depot paint.
Key Takeaways
Lowe’s Vs. Home Depot Paint In 2022
Lowe’s Vs Home Depot Paint: Types and Prices
Let’s break down each store’s paint inventory individually and with the price tag attached.
At Lowe’s, you can find five main and major brands. These include:
- Sherwin Williams
- Infinity — $50.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one, with their “One-Coat Protection” guarantee
- Showcase — $36.98 per 1 gallon; Advanced stain and scrub resistance; Can also bears “One-Coat Coverage” on label
- Ovation Plus — $29.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one, but without the one-coat coverage
- Ceiling — $35.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one, no one-coat coverage
- Valspar
- Signature — $39.98 per 1 gallon; Paint plus primer
- Ultra — $32.98 per 1 gallon; Paint plus primer
- Reserve — $39.98 per 1 gallon; Valspar’s one-coat paint and primer
- 2000 — $19.98 per 1 gallon; Works well in residential and commercial properties; Works well over existing painted surfaces
- 4000 — $15.98 per 1 gallon; The cheapest Valspar paint; 4-hour recoat time
- Giani
- Cabinet paint — $39.95 per kit
- Brick Transformations — $39.95 per kit
- Beyond Paint – Cabinet and Countertops
- All-In-One Flat – $41.21/qt.; $102.95/gal.
- All-In-One Satin — $29.95/pt.
- Rust-Oleum
- Stops Rust — $10.98 per 1-quart can; Protective enamel for rust prevention
- Metallic Accents — $53.21 per 1-quart jar; For furniture, celing, walls, trim, doors, etc.
- Home — $42.02 per 2-step kit; Floor paint to transform vinyl, linoleum, concrete, etc.
As you will see, Home Depot mostly carries a different set of brands exclusive to their stores.
These include:
- Behr
- Marquee — $45.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one; One-coat guarantee
- Ultra — $36.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one; Scuff defense
- Premium Plus — $33.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one
- PPG
- Timeless — $38.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one; One-coat coverage
- Diamond — $25.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one; Low odor
- Glidden
- Premium — $25.98 per 1 gallon; Paint and primer in one
- Essentials — $19.98 per 1 gallon; Paint only (separate primer needed)
- Ceiling — $25.98 per 1 gallon
Home Depot also carries the Rust-Oleum brand.
However, their stock of Rust-Oleum includes a wide variety of spray paints, ranging in price from $4.48 to $6.39 for 12-oz. cans.
Lowe’s Vs Home Depot Paint: Exterior
Lowe’s carries around 12 major types of exterior paint:
- Exterior House Paint
- Exterior Paint & Primer In One
- Porch & Floor Paint
- Barn & Fence Paint
- Garage Floor Paint
- Garage Door Paint
- Industrial Brushing Enamel
- Marine Paint (for boats)
- Concrete Paint
- Metal Paint
- Stone Paint
- Brick Paint
These come from their major brands, like Valspar, Sherwin Williams, Giani and Rust-Oleum.
Home Depot’s exterior paint includes:
- Deck Paint
- Patio Paint
- Garage Floor Paint
- Masonry Paint
- Brick Paint
- Roof Paint
- Front Door Paint
These come from Rust-Oleum, Behr, and Romabio, as well as a brand, called Olympic, among others.
For a price comparison, a gallon of porch paint from Lowe’s Valspar brand costs about $40; a gallon from Home Depot’s Behr brand runs you about $32.
Lowe’s Vs Home Depot Paint: Paint Matching Services
Of course, both Lowe’s and Home Depot offer paint matching services.
Paint matching is when you have an existing color, bring in a decent sample of it, and the retailer either finds the exact match or gets very, very close.
Home Depot even claims that you can bring in “a color you discovered this morning” and they’ll match it.
To get the best results, make sure you bring in at least a one-inch chip of the paint, preferably in a baggie for safe-keeping.
Or bring in the item or image that inspired you.
After the computers have done their thing matching it, dab a bit of the new paint onto a piece of paper and let it dry – paint can change colors as it dries.
Both Home Depot and Lowe’s will color-match paint that comes from the other’s stores, or from neither’s stores!
This service, by the way, is free. If they find the paint color you want, you’re likely going to buy it right then and there.
Lowe’s Vs Home Depot Paint: Quality + Best Overall
Both Lowe’s Sherwin Williams and Home Depot’s Behr makes Consumer Reports’ top paint brands list.
Sherwin Williams also shows up multiple times on the Good Housekeeping list of best interior paints (albeit for the colors, but I can’t imagine GH would feature shoddy-quality paint).
And Home Depot’s Behr Marquee and PPG receive high marks from Country Living, for coverage and durability.
However, I have personal experience using paint from both stores.
I used the Sherwin Williams Showcase brand paint for a home office.
Normally I use Behr, but I decided to give the cheaper Sherwin Williams paint a try.
When I went to pull the painter’s tape off the baseboards and window trims, the dried paint peeled off, too, in big chunks.
Home Depot’s Behr Marquee has never done that. I have found its one-coat guarantee to be absolutely true, and the finished product always looks fantastic.
I would 100 percent recommend Home Depot’s Behr Marquee over any other interior paint.
If Sherwin Williams’ Infinity (also with a one-coat guarantee) is similar in quality, it’s also more expensive.
(I would also add that every time I have purchased Behr Marquee, it was on sale for about $39.)
Go with the cheaper Behr Marquee for paint and primer in one, plus one-coat coverage and excellent durability.
If you want to learn more, you can also see our related posts on whether or not Home Depot gives free paint samples, Home Depot vs. Lowe’s, and if Home Depot mixes paint.
Conclusion
Lowe’s and Home Depot are two of the country’s biggest retailers for a reason, and that includes their high-quality paint selection and services.
From interiors and exteriors, to sheds, garages and concrete floors, you really can’t go wrong stepping into either store for your home painting needs.
However, when it comes to the best interior paint, I give the highest marks, hands-down, to Home Depot’s Behr Marquee, for $45.98 per gallon.