Sherwin Williams Duration Paint Review
Is Duration Worth the Money?
Duration is a premium Sherwin Williams paint available in an interior and exterior version. Aside from their newer Emerald line of paint, Duration is still considered a top-quality paint. I paint homes with the interior and exterior version, and I will explain the pros and cons of the paint.
Per Gallon Cost
The cost is the biggest drawback if you buy this paint outside of a sale event or without a discount through a store account. As of 2017, the exterior paint sells for $73.49 per gallon at regular retail price. With a purchase of ten gallons, the total bill would be close to $800 without a sale. Fortunately, Sherwin Williams holds sale events throughout the year on this particular paint, which is usually for 30 to 40% off.
How Does the Paint Perform?
The question is whether Duration paint is worth the cost, or not. In terms of durability, the paint performs very well. I use it exclusively for all my exterior painting projects, unless the customer wants to use a different product. Duration expands over the substrate like a plastic film. It dries hard, but resists premature cracking and peeling in my experience.
If you plan to live in your home for a long time, repainting the exterior with Duration will reduce future repaint costs, especially if you buy it during a sales event.
The paint is also self-priming and doesn't require a primer when painted on previously painted surfaces. Bare wood areas should still be primed separately with an oil primer first. In my experience, the paint does cover exceptionally well in one coat, but I always apply two coats anyway for maximum durability.
What I don't like about Duration exterior, in terms of application, is the extra thickness makes it a little more difficult to cut-in sometimes. The paint also tend to gum up on a paint brush fast, especially when it's hot outside. I usually have to clean my brush three or four times to prevent hardening.
Duration is also backed by a lifetime warranty, however, I haven't used the warranty so I can't comment on that.
Duration Home Interior Paint
Duration Home is the interior version that offers similar quality as the exterior version, without the extra paint thickness. The paint is low voc. Every time I use this paint, the customer tells me they can't smell it. The paint odor is very minimal while wet.
Duration is great for steamy bathrooms prone to mildew growth. It has anti-microbial additives in the paint that prevent mildew. The paint is also highly washable, which is why I use it when painting kids rooms and high traffic areas of a house.
The matte and satin paint finishes are also durable enough to allow wall cleaning without ruining the painted surface. The flat finish does not cover well and I don't recommend it, although I was told it's still washable.
How Much Does the Paint Cost?
Similar to the exterior option, Duration Home is also expensive, selling for $62.99 per gallon, in 2017. The coverage is very good when painted over a smooth finish, so you won't have to buy extra material to finish your project. As explained in the beginning of this article, Sherwin Williams also holds sales events every year for this product. You can also open a store account to get a lower price and receive notifications for discount offers.
Touch-up
Duration Home, like the exterior version, touches up very well without leaving marks. I have touched up my Duration-painted bathroom a couple times after a remodel and never had any problems with the paint blending in.
I use Duration for most of my painting projects and prefer it over less expensive options like Super Paint. The paint dries fast, allowing for the second coat to be applied the same day. Color coverage is much better than other paints I have used. If the cost is an issue, I recommend waiting for the next sales event, or check the Sherwin Williams website for coupons.
This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
Questions & Answers
Can I use interior paint outside?
You can, but the paint will fail. Interior paint should only be used indoors. Use a quality exterior paint.
Sherwin Williams Duration paint in the matte finish is a nightmare. It looks and behaves more like a satin paint and always reflects spots. Do you have any other suggestions?
The matte finish does look more glossy than the typical matte paint, but I would imagine this is to make it easier to clean. As far as the touch-up problem goes, paint color plays a role in how well, or not, the paint will touch up. If the paint color is a deep blue, red, or green, these colors are generally more difficult to touch up successfully, regardless of the paint being used. Light colors always touch up easier. Glossy paints are also a little harder to touch up than flat paint. It's difficult to say exactly why the paint didn't touch up well because there are so many variables that could have caused it, but I haven't had this issue.
Helpful 10How soon can you reapply Duration paint?
The recoat time for Duration exterior paint is four hours when temps are 45 degrees and higher. With temps between 35 to 45 degrees, the recoat time is twenty-four to forty-eight hours. The recoat time for Duration interior paint is four hours.
Helpful 7Can you use the Duration paint on kitchen cabinets?
Yes, but Duration isn't a good product for cabinets. For drywall it's great, but on cabinets, you need paint that will dry harder for added durability. Duration is too soft for this purpose. Emerald urethane (also from Sherwin Williams) is the paint you want to use on cabinets. The paint dries hard when fully cured, and it's meant for use on trim and cabinets. I use it on all of my cabinet painting projects. It costs more than Duration, but you'll have a much more durable finish on your cabinets.
Helpful 4Does Sherwin Williams Duration paint dry clear?
The paint dries solid in the sheen and color you choose. It's paint, not a transparent coating.
Helpful 4
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Comments
AUTHORI've used Duration for many years and never had the issue you mentioned, but this sounds like a bonding issue that could have been caused by a number of things.
Was the original paint on the wall oil-based, or glossy? Was the primer and paint allowed to dry completely before re-coating.
I'm curious what additional prep work was done, as well as the type of primer that was used. If the original paint happened to be oil, acrylic latex paint doesn't bond well to these coatings without using a bonding primer first. The surface also needs to be thoroughly sanded to maximize the bond with primer and paint.
If the original paint was a latex paint in a glossy finish like satin, or semi-gloss, that would also need to be sanded and primed before painting. If the walls were greasy, or dirty, this could have also contributed to the problem.
As far as the touch ups, lighter colors with an extra white base touch up well in my experience, but deep base colors, especially darker red, blue, or green, are difficult to touch up without seeing marks, no matter what paint is used.
If nothing I mentioned applies to your situation then you might want to contact the store manager. It's possible you bought a bad batch of paint, but this sounds more like the primer and paint not being able to form a solid surface bond.
I have used Sherwin williams duration paint to paint the whole house. Here are the issues I ran into with it. I will never use it again! Expensive paint that doesn't perform.
- It doesn't adhere to the wall, doors, etc. For example if I mount a fixture and move it by slightly it takes off the paint. Then if I run my finger along it, the paint will just keep peeling requiring refill and repaint. Very annoying!
- The paint marks up easily and the marks don't come off easily.
- When touched up, the touch-ups are easily spotted.
Sherwin Wiliams primer was used as the base.
