Lowes Vs Home Depot Paint In 2023 (Prices, Types + More)

A fresh coat of paint can instantly transform the look and feel of a room or exterior surface. When it‘s time for your next painting project, two of the most popular places to shop for paint are Lowe‘s and Home Depot. But which home improvement retailer offers the best selection, prices, and overall value when it comes to paint? This comprehensive guide compares Lowe‘s and Home Depot paint to help you decide where to shop.

Paint Selection and Availability

Both Lowe‘s and Home Depot offer a wide variety of interior and exterior paint from leading national brands. Here‘s an overview of the major paint brands each retailer carries:

Lowe‘s Paint Brands

• Sherwin-Williams: Lowe‘s exclusive partner brand with options like Showcase, Ovation, and more
• Valspar: Lowe‘s other major brand with lines like Reserve, Signature, and Ultra
• HGTV Home by Sherwin-Williams
• Olympic
• Krylon
• Rust-Oleum
• Zinsser

Home Depot Paint Brands

• Behr: Home Depot‘s flagship brand with options like Marquee, Ultra, and Premium Plus
• Glidden
• PPG Timeless and Diamond
• Kilz
• Rust-Oleum
• Zinsser

While there is some overlap in brand availability, each retailer does have certain exclusives. Lowe‘s offers Sherwin-Williams paint which isn‘t available at Home Depot. Meanwhile, Behr paint is a Home Depot exclusive.

Both stores also have their own budget-friendly house paint brands – Lowe‘s ProjectPaint and Home Depot‘s American Tradition paint. These provide cheaper options for basic interior painting needs.

In terms of specialty and decorative paint, Lowe‘s has a wider selection. They offer more concrete, floor, stucco, and other specialized paints than Home Depot. Lowe‘s also has more options when it comes to unique finishes like chalk paint and metallic paint.

Both stores provide paint tinting services to custom color match any swatch or sample you bring in. This allows you to find the perfect shade for your project.

Winner: Tie – Lowe‘s and Home Depot both offer extensive paint selections from leading brands. Lowe‘s has more decorative specialty paints while Home Depot has more budget-friendly options.

Interior Paint

For interior house paint, both Lowe‘s and Home Depot have quality choices for every budget. Here‘s how the top interior paint product lines at each store compare:

Lowe‘s

• Sherwin-Williams Showcase: Around $50/gallon. Provides exceptional hide and coverage in one coat.
• Sherwin-Williams Ovation: Approximately $30/gallon. A mid-range paint + primer option.
• Valspar Reserve: Around $40/gallon. Higher-end paint + primer.
• Valspar Signature: Approximately $30/gallon. Valspar‘s mid-level offering.

Home Depot

• Behr Marquee: Around $45/gallon. One-coat coverage and longevity.
• Behr Ultra: Approximately $35/gallon. A mid-range paint + primer.
• Behr Premium Plus: Around $30/gallon. Budget-friendly option.
• PPG Timeless: About $40/gallon. Flagship PPG line with one-coat coverage.

Both stores have quality options at good prices across high-end, mid-range, and budget categories. The Behr Marquee at Home Depot gets rave reviews for its one-coat coverage and durability. Sherwin-Williams Showcase is also extremely popular for its exceptional hide and durability.

For budget-conscious shoppers, Home Depot‘s lower prices on brands like Glidden give it an edge over Lowe‘s.

Winner: Home Depot – Slight advantage thanks to Behr Marquee‘s reputation and lower prices on some budget brands.

Exterior Paint

Home Depot and Lowe‘s both meet exterior painting needs with deck paints, house paints, garage and floor paints, and more. Here are some of the top options:

Lowe‘s Exterior Paint

• Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint: Approximately $60/gallon. High-quality exterior house paint.
• Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane: Around $80/gallon. Premium exterior enamel.
• Valspar Duramax: About $40/gallon. Mid-range exterior paint + primer.
• Valspar Porch and Floor: Approximately $40/gallon. Porch and deck enamel.

Home Depot Exterior Paint

• Behr Premium Plus Ultra: Around $40/gallon. Paint + primer designed for exteriors.
• PPG Timeless: About $40/gallon. Mid-range exterior offering.
• Rust-Oleum Restore: Approximately $25/quart. Revitalizing deck coating.
• Rust-Oleum RockSolid: Around $35/quart. Metallic garage floor paint.

For exterior house paints, Lowe‘s SuperPaint from Sherwin-Williams is regarded by many as a top-tier option, but also comes with a premium price tag. Home Depot‘s Behr Premium Plus Ultra provides excellent quality for about $20 less per gallon.

For deck, porch, garage, and other specialty exterior paints, the selection is fairly even between both stores. Prices are also comparable – expect to pay around $30 to $50 per gallon for most exterior paint types.

Winner: Home Depot – Better prices on quality exterior house paints give it a slight edge.

Paint Prices

Across interior and exterior paints, here is an overview of average per-gallon prices at each retailer:

Lowe‘s Paint Prices

• High-End Interior: $40 – $60
• Mid-Range Interior: $25 – $40
• Budget Interior: $15 – $25
• High-End Exterior: $50 – $100
• Mid-Range Exterior: $30 – $50
• Budget Exterior: $20 – $30

Home Depot Paint Prices

• High-End Interior: $40 – $50
• Mid-Range Interior: $25 – $40
• Budget Interior: $15 – $25
• High-End Exterior: $35 – $60
• Mid-Range Exterior: $30 – $50
• Budget Exterior: $20 – $30

As you can see, prices are very similar across comparable product tiers at both stores. Home Depot does have an advantage on budget interior paints thanks to their lower-priced American Tradition line. They also come in a few dollars cheaper per gallon on some premium exterior paints like Behr Premium Plus Ultra.

Winner: Home Depot – Slightly lower prices, especially on budget and high-end exterior paints.

Paint Services

Beyond just buying paint cans off the shelf, Lowe‘s and Home Depot offer some additional services to aid your projects:

• In-Store Paint Shaking – Both stores will shake up cans of paint you purchase so they are ready to be applied.

• Paint Tinting – Each location has machines to custom tint paint to any color you desire.

• Paint Recycling – Drop off leftover paint cans to be responsibly disposed of.

• Paint Delivery – You can schedule delivery of your paint directly to your home.

Home Depot also offers:

• Painting Services – Hire professional painters through Home Depot to handle the painting work.

• Paint Color Matching – Bring in any sample and their machines can scan it and match the exact color.

• Paint Consultations – Meet with knowledgeable paint associates to get tips for your project.

The additional services like professional painting, color matching, and consultations give Home Depot better support for DIYers.

Winner: Home Depot – More robust paint services like professional painters and color matching.

Availability of Paint Supplies

In addition to a wide selection of paints, you‘ll also need various painting supplies like brushes, rollers, trays, tarps, etc.

Both Lowe‘s and Home Depot have exhaustive paint supply aisles with every essential:

• Brushes – Various sizes and types for cutting-in or wider wall painting
• Rollers – Choices of nap thickness and width
• Roller covers
• Paint trays and liners
• Paint sprayers and accessories
• Drop cloths, taping, and masking products
• Paint removers and cleaning solutions
• Caulk, putty, spackling paste
• Aerosol paints like spray primer and clear coats

Lowe‘s has a slightly more robust selection of specialty painting tools like faux finishing tools. Home Depot stocks more major brands of gear like Purdy and Wooster.

Either store will be a one-stop shop for any painting accessories you might need. The availability of supplies is even between the two.

Winner: Tie

Availability of Paint at Each Location

Home Depot has over 2,000 stores across the United States and Canada compared to just under 2,000 Lowe‘s stores.

Both retailers have excellent geographic coverage, with at least one store in almost every major market. For many shoppers, there will be a Lowe‘s and Home Depot located near each other or an equal driving distance away.

If you live in a rural area, availability may vary. Your closest option likely comes down to whichever retailer has a physical store in your town or county. Shopping online for in-store pickup or delivery is also an option.

Nationwide, the extensive footprints of both brands makes paint readily available at either choice for most homeowners. It‘s more about personal convenience than overall availability.

Winner: Tie

Shopping Experience

When you walk into a Lowe‘s or Home Depot, the general shopping experience is quite similar. Both feature cavernous warehouse-style buildings, wide aisles, and a store layout arranged by product category.

In terms of the paint department itself, you‘ll find rows of color swatches, painting guides, aisles of paint cans, and counters for paint mixing. Again, the setup is comparable.

Where they differ is in brand experience. Lowe‘s paint department feels more aligned with their partner Sherwin-Williams. You‘ll see more Sherwin-Williams branding and paint associates wearing Sherwin-Williams aprons.

Home Depot‘s paint section feels distinctly "Behr" thanks to prominent branding and even entire sections devoted to Behr paint. Employees often wear Behr smocks as well.

Beyond paint, Home Depot stores tend to appear marginally cleaner and more organized. However, it varies by individual location. Regarding customer service, both stores have knowledgeable associates available for project advice.

Winner: Tie – The overall store footprint, layouts, and paint department experiences are too similar to pick a clear winner.

Return and Warranty Policies

The return and warranty policies on paint are identical at Lowe‘s and Home Depot.

If you are unsatisfied with the paint, you can return it for a full refund or replacement as long as you have your receipt and over 50% of the paint remaining in the can.

For paint defects, there is a lifetime guarantee. If the paint is defective, both retailers will provide you with replacement paint.

Winner: Tie

Overall Winner: Home Depot

When looking at the key factors of price, selection, availability, and service, Home Depot just slightly edges out Lowe‘s in a few key areas:

• Their Behr Marquee interior paint line is regarded as a top-tier product.

• Prices on some exterior and budget paints are lower.

• More robust additional paint services are offered.

However, there are benefits to shopping at Lowe‘s as well:

• Wider selection of specialty and decorative paints.

• Sherwin-Williams paints are only available at Lowe‘s.

No matter which retailer you choose, both Home Depot and Lowe‘s will meet your painting needs with a stellar selection of products. Convenience may be the deciding factor – go with whichever store is closest or where you‘ve had the best experience.

When tackling your next paint project, you can feel confident buying supplies from either Home Depot or Lowe‘s. Just leverage the available selection, pricing, and services to maximize value. With some smart shopping, you‘ll get beautiful, long-lasting results.