The Top 3 Worst Paint Brands To Avoid (And Better Options To Consider)
When you're ready to start a project, you want to avoid mistakes everyone makes when buying paint. If you're like many, you'll likely focus most of your attention on trying to pick the perfect shade of paint for your project, grabbing any cheap can off the shelf at the local hardware store without taking note of the brand.
However, this could cause some problems. Poor-quality paint might be cheaper, but it usually has a thinner consistency from using more solvents. It has less pigment and binder (or resin) in the formula, which are ingredients that aid in delivering an even coat. When paint dries, the solvents evaporate, leaving behind the solids of pigments and binders. Better paint brands will use up to 50% of solids in their formulas. Higher-quality paints will contain more extenders, which are larger particles of pigment that help the paint successfully adhere to the underlying material.
The best brands of paints should also deliver better longevity. The more trusted brands will hold their color and resist fading better. You might have to repaint every four to eight years with a lower-quality product, while you might only need to repaint with a higher quality brand every 15 to 20 years. To help you avoid making the mistake of purchasing a poor-quality paint, we put together a list of the three worst paint brands: Rust-Oleum, Pittsburgh Paints, and Glidden (plus a couple of reliable brands worth the price).
Three paint brands to avoid
Rust-Oleum is a popular paint designed to protect surfaces from rust and staining. Some even use Rust-Oleum as countertop paint. Rust-Oleum wall paint can be quite thick for adhesion but may frustratingly leave application marks visible. I "saw roller marks after drying. ... Consistency is more like glue than paint," says one Amazon reviewer. Ultimately, if you're looking for professional quality results, you'll probably want to avoid Rust-Oleum.
One paint brand you should avoid because of quality issues and an unknown future is Pittsburgh Paints. PPG, the long-time manufacturer of Pittsburgh Paints, announced late in 2024 that it sold all of its architectural coatings brands. There's no way to know whether the new owner might change the formula to save money. Pittsburgh already ranks well below other brands in customer satisfaction surveys. One of the cheapest lines from Pittsburgh, SpeedHide, requires more coats, according to Home Depot reviewer RJ1998: "Multiple applications are required to get sub-standard results."
Glidden is another PPG brand that was part of the recent sale that you may want to avoid. Glidden struggles with coverage and with resisting stains. Some Amazon reviewers say that the color accuracy is not good with Glidden paints. Amazon reviewer Chellybean48 decided to go ahead and apply the wrong color after it arrived but regretted it. The "paint coverage was awful; won't purchase again."
Two paint brands that are better options to consider
One of the most trusted names in paint is Sherwin-Williams. This brand traces its history back to 1866, meaning it's been delivering products for more than 150 years. Its paint formulas incorporate more solids than other brands, giving it a thicker surface coverage area. Many professional painters select this brand first. They appreciate its wide assortment of interior and exterior paints in a variety of colors made for several different surfaces. One disadvantage is that its highest-quality paint is only available for purchase at its own stores or from its website. You can't buy it at your local hardware store. Although you can find a Sherwin-Williams-branded paint at Lowe's, it's likely a Valspar formula, which Sherwin-Williams purchased in 2017.
If you'd prefer a high-quality option you can find at your local Home Depot, Behr is a highly trusted brand among customers. In the Life Story Research 2025 ranking of the best paint brands, Behr topped the list again, giving it four consecutive years as the leader. Behr also received high rankings compared to other brands in a 2024 Consumer Reports rating of interior paints. Behr is one of the thickest paints on the market. In fact, you might only need one coat of many Behr products. Behr is also popular because of its durability and ability to repel stains. Behr is especially popular among homeowners and DIY-ers because of its quality and low price compared to other paint brands.