A month or so before Christmas, my husband and I decided to redo our family room. It’s the room in the house that we spend the most amount of time in, so as you can imagine, the carpet, walls and furniture has taken a beating over the last 13 years. Right off the bat, I knew I wanted new carpet, the walls repainted, new furniture and a wood wall. Yep…a wood wall. I had pinned a bunch of ideas and googled where we could get the reclaimed wood from (Home Depot) and we got started. While I will be showing you the amazing transformation of our family room, the main focus on this post will be to tell you why you do NOT want to use Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint.
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Why Shouldn’t You Use Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint?
When we bought our house, 13 years ago, we painted every room the same color with the most inexpensive Behr paint that we could buy. I’m not joking. We bought 5 gallon jugs of it. It did the job and got us in our house quickly. If you could have seen what the house looked like when we bought it. Holy cow…it was stuck somewhere in the 70’s.
This time around, however, everyone told us to use Sherwin-Williams paint. We went to the Sherwin-Williams store near us and talked to the manager. She told us that we definitely wanted to use the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint. She told us that it was expensive, but worth it with the great coverage and how the finished product looked. So we did it. We bit the bullet, paid the expensive price tag and used the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint.
Guess what? It’s so not worth the money AT ALL. Look at what happened to our walls…
See those bubbles? The Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint began bubbling like that on all the walls we painted. As if that wasn’t bad enough, check out what started happening next…
All that hard work we put into priming and painting the walls was for nothing. The paint bubbled and then peeled off the walls. When we went back to the store, the manager tried telling us it was an issue with our walls. It’s not. After this happened, I began Googling “Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint” and there are entire websites and messages boards devoted to why people should not use this paint. Wish I would have thought to Google the paint before we did all the work.
Friends don't let friends use bad paint. Tweet to tell them why.Click To TweetDid Sherwin-Williams Work with Us?
Thankfully the store was willing to work with us. We told them the paint we wanted to use and then refunded the difference back to us since the paint we wanted to use to fix the walls was A LOT cheaper. This just goes to show that just because something is more expensive and labeled “the best”, it doesn’t mean it is the best. Not to mention, the Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint, according to the manager, is supposed to have a very low odor. So not the case. This was the worst smelling paint I ever used.
If this ever happens to you, do not hesitate to go back to the store with the cans of paint and pictures of what happened. Sherwin-Williams will work with you, as well as Lowes and Home Depot. Despite our struggles with getting this room done, it is now finished and one of my favorite rooms in the house! I highly recommend, if you like that reclaimed wood look, to check out the reclaimed wood at Home Depot. It’s such an easy DIY project!
That bites that happened. It’s a good thing they worked with you!
I’ve used Sherwin-Williams Emerald paint many times and have never had that issue. I love Emerald because for me it’s easy to apply, the color is richer than other paints on the wall, and it’s durable as heck! My son colored green on my beautiful light French gray walls and I was able to scrub it off using a baking soda and water solution and my walls still looked perfect after that! I’ve spilled coffee on the wall before… came right off. I’ve used Emerald throughout my house over the years with excellent and long-lasting results.
That’s great!
What sheen of emerald?
It’s been awhile, but whatever their matte is (flat? I can’t recall what Sherwin Williams calls it). I don’t use satin or semi-gloss on my walls.
Sherman Williams higher quality paints definitely have adhesion issues.
They do! We just repainted most of our first floor using the Sherman Williams Duration and it was a breeze. Zero issues and our walls look beautiful!
Oh no! I’m so sorry that happened, but at least they worked with you. What a horrible thing to happen after putting in all that time on prep work. =(
Wow so sorry about your experience… Good to know I have not used this paint yet… But glad they were willing to work it out…
That’s so weird we have repainted our whole
house with Sherwin a Williams and are so happy. I am glad they worked with you.
The Sherwin-Williams Super Paint was OK. The Sherwin-Williams Emerald Paint was so NOT OK.
I’ve actually been a painter for over 15 years I’ve used many paints and seen so many do it yourself paint jobs, I can sit here and give you many reasons why that could’ve happened from dust, Greece or poor prepping the list goes on, but I’ve used emerald many of times and had a great finishes every time, I know you say check the website where people are complaining about emerald yes ,there are many people that have had or will have a bad experience with any brand of paint or Product just think of a name and Google it ,you will have many people complaining about any brand or product that you can think of ,that being said people can only give their opinion only based on their experiences because I’m sure for everyone that say that product is crap or any product is crap there is many more that would say it’s good and all of them do it yourself painters are just doing it wrong, Because if I were just going by pictures I can put my two cents in it and asked why are you seeing a dark color coming from under what you are calling a good application not the bubbles but all around the bubbles ,even with one application with a premium paint There should be a nice even coating when it’s finished with any premium paint like emerald, super paint is a very good paint for being at the lower end of their quality paints that Sherwin Wiliams provide, super paint actually In my opinion I compare it to BEHR mid Grade paints which I like very much as well and painted my whole house with it and had absolutely no problem again with one generously applied coat of paint ,I would recommend midgrade BEHR products and up and Sherwin Wiliams products from SuperPaint and up that’s from my experiences with the two brands that I call my go to brands and if anyone ever asks that’s what I tell them every time.
And thank you for showing everyone what could happen if you decide to do things yourself.
Thanks for your comment. We just recently used Super Paint again and that will always be our go to paint.
As a professional painter for many years I can say this looks and sounds like there is an oil coating under there somewhere. This is exactly what happens when you paint over latex paint that was previously painted over oil without conversion primer. As the old coating gets wet with new paint, it will not adhere well. That’s my guess here especially if older home.
Emerald is my go to 90% of the time and that’s not a paint issue that’s a prep issue… probably one you didn’t even know as it was a step skipped by previous painters.
Can also happen over a patch that’s not completely dried too, grease on walls etc.
Anyway, glad you got it all worked out
Thanks! I am glad we got it worked out too! I do know that there is zero oil based paint on that wall. We had to take that room down to the studs when we moved in 16 years ago. I can’t remember the name of the wall treatment (I want to say it was burlap or something like that) and it completely destroyed the walls when we removed it. So I know exactly what was painted on the wall prior to this paint! Anyhow, thank you for your comment!
Jeesh Greg are you a Sherwin Williams stock holder, LOL..
My husband is a painter and uses SW Super Paint and has not used Emerald.. but if enough customers, DIY or otherwise, take the time to blog and complain, something is NOT right! Dont just blame it on a DIY.. How do YOU prevent dust from attaching to a freshly painted wall may I ask? Do you run some type of high tech large air cleaner for several hours while your paint job is drying.. REALLY!!
Thanks Pamela for your comment. The thing some people that are commenting on here are not realizing (or they are not reading), is that we did ALL of the prep that the store told us to do. Bought all of the products (from them) that they told us to buy. And, like you said, there are LOADS of reviews of this paint online that are inline with what we experienced. At any rate, we learned from that. We actually just repainted another room in our house last weekend, used Sherwin Williams Super Paint and have ZERO issues…
We had a problem with emerald/white. New drywall, new spackle compound, two coats of Sherwin-Williams primer then the Emerald white acrylic. After two months the white walls turned yellow in patches…like it was running down the walls from the ceiling. Real heavy yellow in the corners. The rep from Sherwin-Williams came out an inspected the paint…said we didn’t use enough paint. Which is odd…because the most yellow areas were the area with the thickest coat…where it was brushed/cut BEFORE using the roller. Our whole house is painted with this exact paint…the problem exists only on one floor.
Good to know they worked with you! I can imagine how time consuming this must of been!
Interesting take. We always use Sherwin-Williams for the consistent coverage but I will be avoiding the emerald paint in the future.
I’m shocked as I always thought Sherwin Williams was the best – but clearly they are not. I’m so glad the store worked with you to resolve the situation and that all is well now.
Wow, so sorry that happened to you! I live in an apartment and get painted for free every few years, and the stuff they use is cheap crap. But when you are buying it, you deserve better!
I work with emerald paint daily. I’ve never seen a bad outcome. It’s a great paint.
I’m glad you seem to have a good outcome with it. Based on my experience and everything I’ve read online, you’re one of the few!
looking at the thickness of the peeled bubbled sections, it wasn’t a problem with the Emerald. It was an issue with a previous paint job not sticking in spots. Likely this was due to surface contamination. The better the paint, the harder it grips as it dries. This can pull up weakly adhering previous paint jobs, resulting in a bubble.
Was that dark color that is showing through the Behr or a paint job previous to that? If all that peeled was the Emerald, there was something on the walls that should have been cleaned. Paint is a homogeneous mixture. If it wasn’t going to stick due to something wrong with the paint, it would all not stick equally.
The walls were cleaned and primed with stuff recommended and primer purchased from Sherwin Williams. Do a quick Google search and you will see that we are not the only ones that had problems with this paint. It’s horrible.
I have to agree with Jerry. I’ve painted many rooms and many houses and I have actually seen those bubbles before. Was not with the Emerald paint but was a different Sherwin Williams (Duration) paint. After the paint the paint dried I sanded the area a little and the bubbles came right off the paint. I believed it was either that the old paint below was not properly primed and degreased (in a kitchen) or that I was using a bad roller, or both. Anyhow it had happened in one spot only and not the entire room so I believed that it wasn’t the paint as a whole but the area that was painted. I’ve been using Emerald for a little over a year and love the paint.
We used the exact supplies that Sherwin Williams recommended. This paint was such a nightmare, and after reading the nightmares that other people experienced (after ours happened), I will never use this paint again.
Should not have bubbled, and this is not happening with other paints in their line..
If walls all need to be sanded down (which is rarely done esp by a DIY, then should be marketed only to professionals .. knowing they will have to upcharge the customers even more and take more prep time!)
Agreed. We also followed ALL of the prep the store provided us with. These aren’t the first walls we’ve painted over the years!
That just means lots of people are painting walls where someone in the past did not properly prep. As a painter I can guaranty you that there are a ton of bad previous paint jobs out there.
Priming only helps with the adhesion of the new coat of paint, it can’t do anything about previous coats.
For instance I just painted a house that bubbled like crazy. But, the previous paint job looked fine… then I peeled the bubbles and found the house flipper had painted over dirty and mossy siding without pressure washing.
The previous coating was sitting on top of the siding but not really gripping it in all places. The new paint drying pulled it off the wall
You never answered the question as to which paint job was showing at the bottom of the peeled bubbles?
Jerry…I could see primer (the primer that Sherwin Williams told us to purchase) below the paint that peeled off. I could not see the previous paint. At any rate, I never had this problem with ANY other paint I used. Going by the reviews of the Emerald paint I found online, I am not the only person to experience this. Lesson learned. Now we know what paint to use.
All the professional painters are totally correct about Emerald. I have owned my painting company and I have been painting professionally for 45 years. I’m no goddess, but I also have a PhD and I research the crap out of every product I use. I go through over $100,000 of paint per year. Hands down, Sherwin Williams Emerald is the BEST paint I can buy. The problems you experienced were either a failure of the previous paint (it comes up when good paint goes over it) or something that prevented adhesion made it bubble, such as grease or another substance. I will totally stick with Emerald. My living, and my reputation, depends on it. – Michelle Serpe (Michelle Serpe’s Perfect Painting)
Glad you like the paint.
I used Emerald in my master bedroom 6 months ago and I had no issues. It’s a good quality paint.
What paint did you end up switching to that worked better than Emerald?
We really like Super Paint. We used that to fix this particular room and then used it in the kitchen, hallway and half bath. It covers well and looks great. And no issues!
I just painted my hall and foyer with Emerald and was totally impressed. One coat coverage, no bubbles, no splatter, no odor. I usually use their Super Paint line, but Emerald is now my favorite. I do know that I have been told to use a Purdy 3/8″ roller with Emerald, that it was important. I did use that roller. Not sure if that would have made a difference for you or not.
The rollers are in the basement, but I am 99.9% sure that is what they recommended (we bought what they recommended). I’m glad you had a good experience with it! It was such a headache for us. I would never wish that on anyone!
Nothing wrong with the paint…its all about surface preparation. people think they get just slap paint on a dirty wall and magic will happen. Pro painters spend maybe 2 times as much time prepping a wall as painting it. The bubbles and chipping didnt come from the paint, it came from your walls. To get a truly excellent paint job, was walls with TSP or other paint friendly cleaner, patch ALL loose areas and sparkle small nail holes, prime and then paint. Remember what’s underneath your paint will show through about 2 times more obviously above your paint.
Hi Bill…we prepared our walls according to how Sherwin Williams told us to. The walls were clean, we used their primer that was recommended and the rollers they recommended.
The roller you used was out of balance and allowing air to be funneled into the paint as you rolled I’ve seen this before with defective rollers , either that or you cleaned your walls prior to repainting and the cleaning agent acted with the paint but there’s nothing wrong with emerald paint sometimes it’s not the car it’s the driver
everything was purchased new from Sherwin Williams and was recommended by them. We had no other issues anywhere else in our house and the same process was used, but with different Sherwin Williams paint. I wouldn’t wish the issue we had with Emerald paint on anyone. I’m glad others haven’t had issues. The horror stories I’ve been told are crazy. Some worse than what we experienced.
Leah I do t know why you keep sticking to your feelings when so many professional painters are explaining what happened. I think you could perhaps consider that maybe the “Brady bunch”‘paint job that you covered over when you moved in might have been less than stellar. I know you didn’t notice anything at all and everything looked great. But deep down things were not perfect. My husband has been a scenic painter In The movie industry for 30 years, and as a lead scenic, he took one look and said the same as the other people here. Listen I never like to admit I may have been mistaken but there is no reason. Not to just accept that “hey even thought you did everything right, way below the surface, there may have been problems that the top quality paint found”. You are not being critized. It’s a good paint. The people way before you didn’t do there job. Be gracious and ‘it’s okay to consider other people’s opinions that do this for a living and say thank you. It’s really okay.
Hmm…did you read any of the other comments? At any rate, thank you for your comment.
Did a long google search on emerald. I have to agree here, your walls were not prepped corectly.. is your issue with the paint or the person at Sherwin Williams that gave you poor advice in how to prep your walls? Maybe time to rewrite your post?
I won’t be rewriting this post. This post is based on my experience with the paint. Is my problem with the paint of the info from the Sherwin Williams employee? Both, I guess. However, after the fact, I did a lot of searching about the emerald paint, as well, and I am not the only person that had a bad time with it. I will stick with the paint from Sherwin Williams that we used in place of the Emerald paint (and have used a few times since this post) and never use Emerald again.
Hi Guys – I know I’m bumping this thread but…….
The bubbles were not due to the new paint or Leah’s prep. The bubbles were due to the previous paint job (13 yrs ago) being applied over a dirty surface. Bubbles like that inside usually indicate a grease spot or spill/splash stain. When these newer, high-quality paints dry, they contract (interior or exterior finishes). Being a good paint, it sticks like heck to whatever is underneath it, and if whatever is underneath it is not sound, the new paint will pull it up as it dries creating a bubble.
As far as the Emerald paint line, while yes, it is a good paint, it is NOT for homeowner use. This is a professional grade product that certainly has its caveats, and is in NO WAY worth the $73 off the shelf price tag that I saw on 6/10. But, here is one catch – I got this gallon of Emerald for $52 plus tax because I’m a contractor. That is a $20 difference between what a homeowner would pay and what I just paid. But they won’t tell you that. Weak-sauce.
There are 2 choices for homeowners who demand a quality product that will take a beating. Benjamin Moore’s Aura line (the Bath and Spa is bulletproof – use it in your kitchen too) that will run you $60ish/gal or the Behr Marquee line which is about $45/gal. Benjamin Moore’s Regal line is also very respectable, but at that $45ish-a-gallon price point the Marquee has better coverage and is a little easier to work with. Don’t waste your time on anything else – I’ve already done all the experimenting for you.
Thank you for your comment. I also appreciate you mentioning that this has nothing to do with our prep. We followed directions. I agree about what you said about Benjamin Moore’s paint. We have friends that use that and swear by it. Thanks again for your comment.
I have used Emerald paint numerous times, and I swear it’s the BEST paint out there! Never has my paint bubbled or streaked. Perfect paint that is extremely washable! Superior paint for busy rooms and little hands. However, I have always painted over matte finish existing paint with the Emerald paint. Makes me wonder what your walls were painted with prior to the Emerald application. Sorry to hear about your hassle, but the Emerald brand doesn’t always produce bad results. I will keep using it as long as it is available.
Not sure what’s going on, I’ve used Emerald Urethane on my trim, I must say, it is a fantastic product! In fact, Most of their products are outstanding! I’ve painted homes 20 plus years ago and they still look like brand new.
Central Florida Custom Builder
The Emerald Urethane paint is a different product than the Emerald paint. The Urethane line is a hybrid intended for trim work and cabinets (or furniture). The regular Emerald paint is formulated for walls. The Emerald Urethane is a superior product (IMO) for wood work and cabinets. I do not have personal experience with the regular Emerald (which is what this blog is about), but do know that it is a different formulation.
Thank you for the information!
I love sherwin williams paint…. and don’t worry… they always make it right…… I didn’t know that paint can freeze…. yes it does…I had kept the paint in my garage since I moved from the west coast to east …. it froze in the winter….. it was like oatmeal …. never used SW replaced 2 gallons of paint… and yes it was emerald…. love SW paint. …. my go to paint store
I totally agree with you…they are an awesome company that will always make things right with their customers! That was our experience too.
My experience with Emerald has been great and it has held up to four Great Pyrennese who regularly lie and run their bodies against the walls. It’s easy to clean and covers wonderfully – walls and trim. We are about to repaint several rooms in our home and I told our contractor I wanted to use Emerald and he agreed it was one of the better paints out there. It is a shame your experience was not what you expected.
I am so glad your experience was a good one! I would NEVER wish my experience on anyone ever! It was a nightmare and what made it so frustrating for us is that we did exactly what they told us to do, bought exactly what they told us to buy, and then that happened. Thankfully Sherwin Williams is a stellar company and they made it right in the end!
We got Emerald paint before I could read this review and I was very scared until the job were done, got about 6000sq area painted in my house, Emerald paint is excellent, very nice finish and look, we are so happy with the results, we got issue only in two of the columns where we noticed, paint got some bubbled, contractor sanded them, put wood putty, sanded and paint again and issue were resolved, so it looks like its not paint, it could be just some dirt or old paint something causing this, as I am not professional, so I cannot say much about that, though as per our experience paint worked so great for us, I usually don’t do review, but really wanted to post a response here as paint i so good and this article does not do justice to the paint.
We are so happy we used Emerald paint, it looks so wonderful and had no issue at all.
I’m glad you’re happy with the paint and it, for the most part, ended up working out for you! Unfortunately, if you google “Sherwin Williams emerald paint issues” you will get a lot of not so happy people like I was.
I painted my walls with the Emerald (Matte). I even used the high reflective white base color to cover khaki walls and it covered well. Before I went to Sherwin Williams, I tried Marquee and Premium Plus Ultra. I can absolutely confirm the emerald covered way better and adhered way better, too. That is because the acrylic resins in the Emerald are far superior; as a chemical engineer by trade I can tell you that coatings failures are almost always 99.99% due to applicators using the wrong products for the substrates / environment; a lack of prep in this case and already pointed out by numerous professionals. Sherwin-Williams paints are first rate. Try the Emerald on a new surface per the data sheet and you will realize that it was absolutely not a product failure — though it does not seem like you are even interested in doing so. Not sure why you have a bias. Guess some folks always have to hate on #1.
Thanks for your comment. As I’ve stated before, we followed the exact directions that the employees at Sherwin Williams gave us, as well as used the exact stuff to do the job that we purchased at their store. While I do not like the Emerald paint, I have stated that we have used and like very much, a different type of Sherwin Williams paint. If you google “issues with Sherwin Williams emerald paint” you will find that we are not the only people that have had issues with the paint. I am happy you like the paint, but that does not change our experience. Again, thank you for your comment.
I am unhappy with Sherwin paint inside paint peeled off walls in small spots all over. Outside paint stuck well but changed color completely within 6 months went from pedestrian color to very yellow. Entire two story 4 bedroom house. I hate yellow. They said they could give me a gal of paint. What an I Sault used 20 gal and paid painter. So look disappointed
1) When you brought the paint did you have it machine shaken ?
2) Did you use the paint promptly after purchase?
3 ) Did you keep the paint in a normal room temperature environment?
You can always take your paint back to Sherwin Williams for a free shake by machines if any of the above apply. We did after my Son left paint in unconditioned garage and it Froze !!! After defrosting it was doing same as yours did! We took it up had it machine shaken and rolled it on. It was gorgeous and the paint was a year old! No amount of stick stirring would achieve the smooth even finish a machine shaken does !
Hi Mary, thank you for your comment. To answer your questions, yes to all.
The problem was not the emerald paint. The bubbling would have happened with any paint. The issue was a product used on the walls before you bought it. It deteriorated/ broke down into a dust form. Mostly happens to cheep products in the first place. Culprit is probably from original construction. Primer. The bad smell was probably the gassing off as evidence of the bubbles forming. The broken down particles were now interacting with the chemicals in the fresh paint. Again, this would have happened with any of the Sherwin Williams paint, Benjamin moor paint. You fixed it not by using different paint but you fixed it by pealing off the new and old paint alike. This is the only fix without replacing the walls. You paint walls and if they bubble you peal the fresh paint off after it is dry to the touch. Then you brush off the dust, prime and paint.
Thank you for the information.
I’m not a professional painter in that painting is the only thing I do to make my living but I have done lots and lots of professional quality painting as part of lots and lots of larger construction projects. I have used Sherwin Williams Emerald extensively and I absolutely positively can post that it is incredibly good paint and the results that Leah had here, although unfortunate, had nothing to do with problems with Emerald paint or probably even her efforts at prep. The problems that Leah had here were almost definitely a result of the previous paint job (not the one that Leah did originally but the one/s before Leah’s original one). In a weird way lesser paints can handle crappy previous paint jobs better than better paints can (weird huh?). Most likely what happened was the previous paint jobs covered up something greasy or oily and simply absorbed that grease or oil without peeling or popping. Then, Leah came along and diligently prepped and primed. Well, you can’t fix those previous problems that way unfortunately. Then Leah painted with this superb stuff called Emerald and the Emerald totally exposed the previous problems because it yanked the original oil out (along with the original paint, and all the subsequent paints and primers applied above) and proved that previous old paint job to be bad. I am not in any way taking away all the frustration and effort and fatigue that Leah went through; I’m just trying to correct the incorrect conclusion she came to about the Emerald. Trust me that Sherwin Williams Emerald is absolutely amazing paint and no amount of posts online otherwise can counter that because they are all just confirming that poor paints are better at concealing and covering previous poor paint jobs than terrific paints are. To try an analogy, Leah’s conclusion is sorta like saying “hey my expensive custom craft quality peanut butter sucks because it can’t make my moldy bread taste good.” Again I’m not trying to offend Leah, just to educate everyone through my extensive experience with this terrific paint.
Thank you for your extensive response. If you do a Google search on this paint, you will see that I am not alone in my opinion of this paint. While your response makes sense, it does not make sense for my room. We took this room down to the studs, re-drywalled, primed and painted the walls. When we went to repaint, we followed all of the steps given to us by Sherwin Williams…properly preparing the walls to be repainted. I’m glad you like this paint. I do not and will not spend the money on it again!
Leah your post is confusing; in several separate posts above you explained that you primered and painted over walls which were already painted previously but now you are saying you took all the previous drywall out and re-drywalled, primed and painted?
Hi Shaun, when we purchased the house, the walls had a type of wallpapering method on it that I believe someone told me was called “burlapping”. When we went to remove it, we found that it was applied directly to the drywall and, as a result, the wall began to crumble. Thus, needing us to remove the drywall completely to the studs. So the walls were re-drywalled, primed and painted. Fast forward 10-12 years and we decided to repaint. Went to Sherwin Williams and spoke with them. They told us the steps to take with the Emerald paint. Does that make better sense?
I just finished painting a wall in my bedroom with the Sherwin-Williams Williams Emerald paint and it came out perfect. The paint I painted over was a flat paint. Maybe a chemical reaction of some kind was the issue? ??♀️ I’ve had that happen when I was staining wood. I didn’t have any of the issues called out in these reviews. The odor was nonexistent for me. I put it on thick and the only time I smelt anything was when I stuck my nose in the bucket lol. Glad they worked with you on get a paint that worked better.
I’m glad it worked out for you!!
I too spent a lot on Emerald. Wish i had seen this. Washed, primed, FIVE coats later horrible experience. The paint was so thick. Moreso than pudding really. The stick stands straight up in the can. Won’t budge. The paint dried so fast i could no feather & blend in. Left streaks. Also got piecey due to fast drying. Had to pour small amounts. I was very discusted. I LOVE to paint. It’s relaxing for me & i like detail work. I’m picky. I have been painting for 40 yrs. Oil based latex you name it. Wrote a review got a nice email about making it right. I had used my husbands name since it was on the bill when we bought it. When i called like he asked me too he talked down to me & I feel its because i was a female & he felt i could not know about paint. He still said to bring it in. We made an appointment for 3 days later at 4. We drove 20 miles ONE way. We live in a rural area He left at 3:30 we were told. NEVER AGAIN. i painted my house with Behr last year. 2 coats. Beautiful. I even touched up this year & You can’t see where i did that. Should have stuck with Behr. Expensive doesn’t mean better
I’ve owned a painting company and painted for nearly 20 years and while I usually use BM Aura I also work with SW Emerald and can’t say anything bad about either. As for your issue, that’s 100% an issue with the base not the paint. Now if the salesperson told you to clean and prime with an oil based primer, you followed the instructions and you had an issue, that’s on the SW store. Alternately, you may have had an issue with the walls that you missed, it happens. It happens to me sometimes. But bubbling and peeling, especially within a year of applying is always an issue with the base (wall or old paint). Sorry but that’s just the reality.
When I was just painting rooms in my own house as a hobby, I used Behr, and not the most expensive Behr (this was back in the late 90s). To *me* it looked good, and I learned to paint a deep, dark red a nice, solid tone without roller marks with it (one of the most difficult colors I’ve ever painted). Only took 3-4 coats! All the “for other people” painting I did was light colors, usually the same color they already had on the walls, to just “refresh” the room. Also had no problems.
Fast forward. Bought a historical home and decided I was going to restore it. This led to me starting my own remodeling company because of all the problems with contractors that I had to fix on my own (because they didn’t stand behind their work, and I couldn’t afford to pay a second contractor to do the same job).
Anyway, I was doing the painting. Decided I’d like Behr 15 years earlier, so I would use the TOP of the line Behr, pay a high price, and it would be PERFECT. This dining room would be a deep, dark red (I have a thing with dark red dining rooms). OMG, 3 coats, and I could still see roller marks. I left wet lines, I didn’t roll it out too much and so on. And I couldn’t get the roller marks out. I finally bought a couple shades deeper red from SW, made a glaze and glazed the walls with that to give them an aged look and cover the imperfections in the paint.
Thinking it was just the dark red, I bought Behr in 5 gal buckets for the rental we’d bought that I was now remodeling on my own with my itty bitty crew (who I won’t let touch a paint brush, but they are great for tile and flooring and plaster repair). The colors were light for the most part, except for the sage in the LR, so they looked fine. As it happened, I got two shades of paint that looked more like a light cream and the other a light yellow. On the walls, they both looked yellow. So I had one of the guys run down to SW to get a light cream for one of the hallways and bathroom so it was not also yellow, and I got the Duration.
I noticed a difference in the way the Duration rolled on, and its end result look. I really liked it. But holy cow, it was expensive.
FF another year. I’m rocking the remodeling. We’re working on our 2nd historical rental home that needed far more work than the first one. I still had a lot of Behr paint (we’d bought 3 properties in short succession, so it was a bulk paint buy). But the paint had frozen sitting in front of an exterior door with a gap at the bottom (long story), so I didn’t have the paint for the LR and DR, and I’d never bought paint for the back room.
SW had a 40% off sale, and I was too lazy to drive to HD and SW was right around the corner, so I got a lovely “Garden Sage” in the Emerald for almost $30.00 off/gal. I love this particular old house (it looks like a fairytale cottage), so getting the Emerald rather than the Duration was something I was willing to try. I’m also wagering this particular area of the city is going to boom because of the renewal going on in the downtown area, with this side of the city being the one where people with money still live, and that didn’t experience the downturn to the degree the other areas did. And I fully intended to charge a premium rental price (about 50% higher than the other rentals), so quality in appearance and materials was the order.
These old walls had been extensively repaired, primed with Kilz (original), and thus began my first experience with Emerald. It scared the heck out of me when I first poured it into the roller tray. It was thick like pudding. But OMG, it went on like butter. The Garden Sage after 2 coats was positively gorgeous. No roller marks, no brush marks, no anything negative. Of course you still have to paint correctly to get the good results, but it’s a very forgiving paint if your actual painting is less than perfect. The coverage is excellent and even.
I painted the garage door after sanding a hideous blue paint, primed and painted it with Emerald exterior paint. Loved using it. Had some bubbles. I suspect it was either because those areas should have been sanded more or because it was too hot and the sun was directly on the garage door. I scraped the bubbles, sanded around where it peeled to smooth the edges and repainted, and 2 years later, no problems.
We then bought the house my parents built. Previous owners were the kind who did not fix and replace, but just quit using whatever broke. They also used cheap white paint – in a 4000 sq ft custom built English Country House. It was imperative I paint as much as possible before moving in so it felt like home again, rather than an apartment (cheap white wall paint and old cream colored carpet with stains and wear). I used the Emerald everywhere I painted. I painted a very dark, deep green in the formal living room, a dark red in the dining room, a darker brick shade in the kitchen, a super light pink in the foyer (pink means “welcome”) – which they custom lightened at SW because the thought of cotton candy on the walls was appalling, and a darker beige in the breakfast nook by the kitchen that gave the room with the brick fireplace and wood beam mantle a nice rustic look. I couldn’t have been happier with the results. We still have quite a bit of painting to do, but I have the SW in my basement ready to use when I have the time.
All this long winded story to show my progression to SW Emerald and my results. Though I paint professionally, I’m sure some of the guys on this thread know way more than I do. But I do know they are right about what’s under the paint and prep. I hate prep. It’s very time consuming. But it is the difference between an OK job and a great job. I wipe down decent walls with very warm water only. If the walls are dirty, I use TSP and then rinse (I know you’re not supposed to need to rinse, but I do anyway). If the walls are greasy, I use a degreaser, then TSP and then rinse. If old cupboards need painted, I sand them down, use the SW super bonding primer, and then an enamel (this is one place I still use Behr – I’ve had good results with their white enamel, and it is much less expensive than the SW, and I’ve made cupboards made out of subflooring and plywood that some hillbilly put together look beautiful).
Today I’m going to try the SW Rejuvenate for the first time on a terrible exterior paint job that peeled like crazy over 10 years because they didn’t prep (at all, I think) on wood siding to help even it out before painting. I’ve scraped and sanded the areas that need it. Every day is an adventure.
Having been a “Paint my own house” girl once upon a time, and then working my way up to doing it for other people, I have read the reviews of both Behr and SW online (really every product I use for the first time I read the reviews). You will find people thrilled with a particular paint and others who hate it – and at the end of the day, those reviews are based on personal experience and a lot of variables. You will find some really horrible reviews of Behr and Benjamin Moore, as well.
Your living room looks really nice btw.
Thanks! We love the room a lot!
I also will never use SW paint again. Worst coverage ever and I’ve been painting for 50 years. Originally I painted a home with Olympic brand paint and it covered evenly and perfectly in two coats. No banding or brush / roller marks even with bright natural light viewed at a side angle . Lasted 14 years until grandkids entered the picture. Decided to try the “better” Sherwin Williams Duration based on a contractors recommendation and have regretted it. After 4 coats this stuff won’t blend. I can see the roller marks and dark spots. Never saw those with the Olympic. So far no peeling but it’s only been a few days. If the marks remain I’m back to Olympic. I’m going back anyway since I’m no fan of painting a wall with 4 coats. Just hope the big box store has someone matching paint that is older that 17. Did I mention that SW could not even match their own paint shade even using the originally purchased can from a week earlier? It was a darker shade requiring an entire wall to be repainted. So, it’s not just the Emerald that has a problem. This has been such a bad experience I will never use SW again or use any contractor bent on it no matter what the SW apologists say in their comments. Companies change over time. Just not for the best at SW
I have used Sherwin Williams emerald paint for a long time and in fact painting my kitchen right now with it and it’s always been fantastic. I used Behr paint in my moms house and had the same thing happen. I am wondering if you had old oil paint under it and that caused it to bubble? Like the pro said, you can find pages of complaints on any paint. Prep and knowing what all you are covering is key. I hope you have better luck next time with your painting.
I’m glad you’ve had a good experience with it.
I had these bubbles in my house and I know your frustration. I went bananas trying to figure out what caused the problem. My issue was not the paint, it was the joint compound I used. I used the low dust joint compound and in areas where it had to be thick it absorbed moisture from the paint and the paint stopped adhering to it. I’m telling you, I reprinted a ceiling with oil base primer, I talked to the paint stores around me, heck I sold paint when I was a teenager, nobody seemed to nail down it was my joint compound. No I just use spackle to patch small stuff or the joint compound with the green lid – the normal stuff that makes a lot of dust. I make sure I toss the stuff if it’s over a month old, don’t keep it around. It can smell and get moldy. I was ready to rip the walls down and saw someone’s review of the low dust stuff on that orange Big box store’s website mentioned bubbles. I realized it was the culprit for me too!
Thank you for the information! Have a great day.
I’m in the process of a 3rd coat on a bathroom with Sherwin Williams Emerald. I hired a professional painter 16years in the business. After the 2nd coat it was obvious that the paint wasn’t covering well at all. I took pictures and my local dealer basically said you need 3-4 coats. So I had to buy another gallon. My fault that it needed 3-4 coats because it had a red pigment? I bought 29 cans of other paint and just one of the Emerald. The other bathroom is fine . All the others-Duration were fine. The walls were sealed before painting. Don’t use this especially if it’s in the RED family, which is how I feel now .
I’m sorry that happened to you 🙁 So frustrating. We just picked up more paint for another room (Super paint, I think it was) and it’s going on well! I don’t care what anyone says about Emerald being amazing. That was NOT our experience and from the looks of the Google searches I have read after the fact, we are not the only ones that don’t like that paint. Take care!
I have used Emerald Satin many times and trim paint and LOVE it! It goes on so smooth and glows. Also, the trim paint levels out beautifully. Sorry you had such a bad experience.
I’m really glad it worked for you!
lol this is 100% prep issue. Did you not sand and wash the walls before application ? Or rather, wash with too much soap on the water ?
We 100% followed exactly what the staff at Sherwin Williams told us to do. We even purchased the exact stuff they told us to use.
I just found this post because I was looking to see if other people had the same issue I’m having. This was on and old buffet and I used the exact techniques the store told me to use and their super duper Extreme Bond primer that goes over everything and I’m having TONS of issues with the Emerald paint they recommended I use. I’ve used the Emerald trim paint before and had great results…and it’s just endless issues this time. I think there is probably a batch issue and they didn’t want to own it. Or maybe the primer is a problem. I spoke to the guy at the store 2 days ago and he suggested many of the same things others have heard excusing it, so I tried a heavier coat today as he advised and had more of the same, now with more dripping, LOL. I told him the coat was not too thin before. but he insisted it MUST be. I told him then the paint was super thick. Unusually thick. I tried rolling on when I first started this project, and then brushing on more recently because it simply wasn’t covering even after 2 coats…no matter what I did it was just not adhering properly, and then it drips so it definitely isn’t too light of a coat. There’s something wrong with the consistency of this batch, It’s also super streaky color-wise, even though I JUST had them color that 2nd quart I’d bought on sale in the recent past and they JUST shook it up when they mixed it. Something is wrong. This buffet project is probably ruined. I’m not going through the trouble of sanding off 4 coats of paint AND primer and doing the whole thing again. Forget it. What a nightmare and waste of time and a lot of money. Would not recommend.
I’m sorry this happened to you. The only thing I can guess from my experience and hearing the experience of others is maybe the people in the store are not giving the correct directions. If we are buying ALL of the products they are saying to buy to do the job, and preparing the walls exactly as they state, and we are still having issues, then the issue is on them and the paint. Honestly, when we used something other than the Emerald paint, it worked better.
I hope you have better luck next time with your painting.