A nice finish of luxurious paint can make your place look much more attractive. You need to use the best paints available on the market.
That is where my Benjamin Moore Advance and Sherwin Williams Emerald review fits in.
They are two of the best paints available out there. Knowing all the features and their comparison will allow you to choose one suitable for your home.
So, let’s see what these paints offer and how they are different.
A Quick Comparison Table
A quick comparison table will allow you to get some idea about both the paints in a snap. You will need only a few seconds and might end up with a decision.
Here’s is the comparison table between Benjamin Moore Advance and Sherwin Williams:
| Aspects | Benjamin Moore Advance | Sherwin Williams Emerald |
| Variants | 5 | 5 |
| Special Feature | Engineered with Gennex Color Technology | Paint and primer in one |
| Available Colors | 3500 Colors | 200+ Color |
| Cleaning Up | Water and Soap | Advanced Washability |
| Available Sizes | 1 Gallon; 5 Gallon | 1 Gallon; 5 Gallon |
| Warranty | 25 Years Non-transferable Warranty | Lifetime Limited Warranty |
Key Differences Between Benjamin Moore Advance And Sherwin Williams
You have gathered a quick idea of Benjamin Moore’s Advance and Sherwin Williams’s features and differences. If you want to know more, this is the part you have to stick with.
So, let’s talk about both paints’ features and where they are different from one another.
Benjamin Moore Advance is a premium quality paint based on waterborne alkyd. It offers a handful of long-lasting finishes and paints for the interior and exterior. They are ideal for walls, woodworks, doors, cabinets, trims, etc.
Sherwin Emerald is also a premium paint line with many paints for interior and exterior use. They provide beautiful and smooth finishes across various surfaces. You will get stunning results in fewer coats.
Let’s have a look at the key differences between these two paints:
- Variants
Both Benjamin Moore Advance and Sherwin Williams offer a full line of variants. Benjamin Moore Advance has 5 different variants covering both interior and exterior painting.
These variants are ADVANCE Interior Paint- Primer, ADVANCE Interior Paint- Matte, ADVANCE Interior Paint- Satin, ADVANCE Interior Paint- Semi-Gloss, and ADVANCE Interior/Exterior Paint- High Gloss.
On the other hand, Sherwin William Emerald also comes with 5 variants, including Designer Edition Interior Latex Paint, Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint, Interior Acrylic Latex Paint, Urethane Trim Enamel, and Rain Refresh Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint.
- Features
Benjamin Moore Advance is a luxury paint engineered with its signature Gennex Color Technology. This line of paints is tinted with Benjamin Moore’s patented waterborne colorants.
Besides, they offer low VOC, and you can easily apply them with brushes and paint rollers.
Depending on the variants, these paints become set to touch ready somewhere between 4 and 6 hours.
Moreover, based on the variants, you can recoat them in 8 to 16 hours s.
Sherwin William Emerald series is a paint and a primer in one. They are well-known for their uniform finish, most pleasing colors, and flawless appearance.
On top of that, they come with anti-microbial agents that protect your walls from molds and mildews. They also feature very low VOC at less than 50 g/L.
- Available Colors
Benjamin Moore Advance series paints are available in 3500 colors! It is a massive deal for any homeowner. Some of the popular colors are white, black, ready-mix white, 1X, 2X, 3X, 4X bases, and thousands of others.
On the contrary, Sherwin William offers more than 200 colors for its Emerald series. All these colors are available in flat, satin, and gloss sheens.
- Cleaning Up
Cleaning up is easy and quick for both paints. You can clean up Benjamin Moore Advance paints with just water and soap.
Similarly, Sherwin William Emerald is also washable with water and soap, but it has advanced washability technology. However, these paints are highly resistant to water streaking and spotting when applied to walls and other surfaces.
- Available Sizes
Both Benjamin Moore Advance and Sherwin William Emerald come with two size options. You can choose between a smaller 1-gallon container and a bigger 5-gallon container.
- Warranty
Benjamin Moore offers a 25 years non-transferable warranty for its Advance series paints. The warranty is applied to the original buyer and cannot be transferred.
In contrast, all Sherwin Williams Emerald paints come with a Lifetime Limited Warranty.
Benjamin Moore Advance Key Features
Advance lives up to its reputation as a premium interior paint loved by DIYers and professionals alike. Here are some of its stand-out qualities:
- Ultra Smooth Finish – Advance levels smoothly without brush marks or lap lines, achieving that velvety contractor-style finish.
- High Hide – It offers exceptional hide, easily covering existing paint colors and light to medium stains in just one to two coats.
- Low Odor – You can paint worry-free in occupied spaces thanks to its low-VOC formula with virtually no odor.
- Leveling – Self-levels remarkably well, further minimizing any imperfections in the finished product.
- Dries Slowly – The longer dry time allows paint to self-level at an exceptional rate before drying.
- Easy Cleanup – It rinses easily from brushes and other equipment with soap and water, even when drying.
- Washable – Its hard, stain-resistant finish stands up well to cleaning, allowing you to easily wipe away stains and scuffs.
In summary, Advance offers outstanding flow and leveling paired with extreme durability and stain resistance.
Sherwin Williams Emerald Key Features
Emerald paint keeps pace with Advance’s performance at nearly every turn. Notable features include:
- Ultra Smooth Results – Like Advance, it glides on easily and levels beautifully for a professional-grade smooth finish.
- Great Hide – Excellent hide makes it easy to transition even challenging colors in one or two coats.
- Low Odor – Another low-VOC formula allows comfortable interior use in occupied homes.
- Faster Dry – Emerald dries more quickly than Advance, making second coats faster with less downtime.
- Easy Washability – The scrubbable finish cleans up easily without damaging the paint underneath.
- Stain Resistance – It stands up well to common stains like coffee, juice, grease, and more.
- Simple Cleanup – Equipment cleans up with soap and water, even as Emerald begins drying on the surface.
Emerald offers similarly flawless results with enhanced dry time and rugged stain/scrub resistance.
Which Paint Is Best For You?
With Advance and Emerald so closely matched in both cost and performance, choosing one over the other primarily comes down to dry time considerations and color selection.
- If you want each coat dry faster – Emerald dries noticeably quicker, making it ideal for fast-paced projects or cooler temperatures. The quicker dry time also allows you to apply multiple coats in the same day.
- If flawless leveling is essential – Advance levels like no other thanks to its uniquely slow dry time. This extended open time allows brush marks and other imperfections to smooth out entirely before drying. Perfectionists love Advance for achieving ultra-sleek finishes.
- Matching existing paint – It never hurts to recheck samples boards in store. Lighting conditions in your home may reveal subtle appearance variations between Advance and Emerald versions of the very same color.
- Availability in your preferred sheen – As noted previously, semi-gloss is currently only available with Emerald. Double check for your desired finish before leaving the store empty handed!
Painted kitchen cabinets are trending in home remodeling, transforming the look of a kitchen almost instantly. But when selecting a top-tier cabinet paint, which rules supreme – Advance or Emerald?
Advance boasts exceptional flow and self-leveling abilities for an ultra-smooth finish. Its high durability and stain resistance also hold up wonderfully to the wear and tear of cabinet use. The extended dry time allows brush marks to smooth out entirely for a flawless final product.
However, Emerald also achieves stunning results on cabinets thanks to these stellar qualities. And the quicker recoat times keep projects moving efficiently.
As usual, the differences come down to drying considerations. Plan for extra drying/curing time between coats with Advance to account for its uniquely slow dry time. Meanwhile Emerald may pull ahead for larger cabinet jobs needing multiple coats daily.
Regardless of your choice, prepare all cabinets properly and apply thin coats as directed. With either paint, taking your time is crucial for achieving lasting success on cabinets. When applied correctly, both offer exceptional flow, leveling, durability and stain resistance for gorgeous cabinetry.
Comparing Advance to Emerald perfectly reflects the constant debate between Benjamin Moore vs Sherwin Williams paints overall. At their highest quality levels:
- Both brands achieve remarkably similar results across comparable sheens.
- Little difference shows in professional quality results when applied properly.
- Premium qualities like flow, hide, longevity and stain resistance reach parity.
Yet loyalists on both sides insist their preferred brand still reigns supreme in quality. And homeowners themselves become equally passionate fans of Team Benjamin Moore vs Team Sherwin-Williams.
So which brand is actually better?
The short answer is neither conclusively. The extend to which one brand “beats” the other gets exaggerated based on personal priorities and unique project needs.
Ultimately both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams make exceptional quality paints – ranking as the top two paint manufacturers year after year. Key factors like availability, pricing promotions and color selection often differentiate the two more consistently than actual performance variations between comparable paint lines.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Sherwin Williams Emerald is a premium finish paint for interior and exterior surfaces. You can compare it with Benjamin Moore’s Aura or Advance and Regal select lines.
Benjamin Moore Advance is a waterborne paint, and you can compare it with Sherwin Williams’s trim paint ProClassic Waterborne Interior Acrylic Enamel.
Both Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams are well-known brands for their quality. They both have high and low-quality paints in their portfolio.
Sherwin Williams Emerald is a latex-based premium quality paint that provides a smooth finish. You will get an excellent result from this paint.
Conclusion
Choosing paints can be very intimidating, and if you fail to pick the right one, the regret will last for a long time. I hope my Benjamin Moore Advance vs. Sherwin Williams Emerald review comes in handy for you.
However, I suggest you not go for the brand, whichever paint you select. Please select the product based on its quality and benefits.