Sherwin-Williams Duration Review

We are continuing our ongoing series reviewing the top paint products from the largest manufacturers. Today, we will look at Sherwin Williams’ Duration – one of their top-of-the-line interior paint products (bested only by Emerald). We will look at some of the major features of the product and explore how well it covers, how durable it is, and whether or not the price is worth it.

SHERWIN WILLIAMS DURATION – MAJOR FEATURES

• Mold and mildew resistance
• Covers 250-300 square feet
• Lasts up to 8 years

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COVERAGE

Let’s first look at the coverage of Duration. Coverage refers to how well the paint spreads on a surface. Better coverage translates to fewer paint gallons needed to finish a job. 

In terms of sheer coverage, Duration actually underperforms its competitors and even Sherwin Williams’ slightly lower-tier Superpaint. A gallon of Duration will yield between 250-300 square feet. That’s well below the 400-450 square feet from Benjamin Moore’s Regal Select. PPG’s Prominence offers a similar coverage at around 400 square feet. 

Coverage is by no means the only factor when buying paint, but it does mean you will need more gallons of Duration to finish any project. The one benefit of needing more paint is the product will shell up better, meaning you will have a smoother finished product compared to a product that doesn’t have as much overlapping paint. We explore that more in our post comparing the Color of the Year from all the major brands.

COLOR SELECTION

All three brands have a wide array of color options for consumers, and all of them can color match another brand’s offerings. The reason we mention color in this review is because of the vinyl-safe options. Finding a vinyl safe color is important since vinyl is one of the most common exterior siding options.

However, you have to be careful with what paint you use on vinyl, as using the wrong paint can create irreparable warping and damage to the siding. PPG only offers a handful of vinyl-safe colors, while Benjamin Moore offers a more robust 75 color options.

Sherwin Williams, though, offers over 100 vinyl-safe colors. That makes Sherwin Williams (and Duration by default), the go-to option if you plan on painting a vinyl exterior. 

DURABILITY

There are several factors that affect a paint’s durability. We painted strips of each product in our office and put them through several different tests, including scuffing with our feet, trying to burnish the paint with our fingers, and even scrubbing the surface with a magic eraser (which we never recommend doing).  

Between Duration, Regal Select, and Prominence (formerly Manor Hall), Duration performed right in the middle. It held up a lot better to scuffing than Prominence, though not near as well as Regal Select. We found more of Benjamin Moore’s product came off with the magic eraser, though, whereas we barely noticed any loss on the Duration. Duration does burnish worse than the other two products, at least in our experience. 

In terms of sheer durability, Regal Select is the big winner here. However, Duration is still an incredibly durable product, especially in high-traffic areas where it is likely to get bumped and knocked. 

CONCLUSION

Duration is a solid product, especially if you’re looking for something with a smooth finish that resists bumps and burnishes. However, the coverage doesn’t match its PPG and Benjamin Moore competitors. As an exterior paint, though, it’s a great option if you’re looking to paint vinyl because of the wide color selection. 

In short, Duration does not stand out in any one category compared to other brands, but it does all things very well. It’s a great option for home interiors and exteriors. 

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