Chris on why the brand matters less than the tier, and how to tell the tiers apart.
Chris Heerdegen owns OnDemand Painters and has been in the trade since 2001. The written breakdown below covers everything in the clip.
What Is the Best Brand of Paint? Read the Mils, Not the Label
There is no single best brand. Every major manufacturer sells a bad, good, better, and best tier, so a premium line from one brand will outperform the budget line from another. The way to compare across brands is the product data sheet (PDS), specifically the dry film thickness in mils. That number tells you how much paint is actually left on the wall.
This is the question Chris Heerdegen says he gets more than any other, and the honest answer is that the question itself is slightly wrong.
Key Takeaways
- Brand is the wrong unit of comparison. Tier within a brand is what matters.
- Every major manufacturer sells a range from budget to premium.
- The product data sheet (PDS) is published online for every product and is the objective spec.
- Look for dry film thickness, measured in mils (thousandths of an inch).
- Higher dry film thickness means more paint stays on the wall, which drives durability and coverage.
- Reading the mils tells you whether you are overspending or underspending.
Why “Best Brand” Is the Wrong Question
“Most brands have a bad, good, better, best level of paint.”
Every major manufacturer runs a full ladder of products. There is a contractor-grade line for volume work where cost per gallon dominates, a mid-tier for general residential, and a premium line with better resins, better pigment load, and better coverage.
The consequence: the top tier of a “cheaper” brand routinely outperforms the bottom tier of a “premium” brand. So brand loyalty tells you almost nothing about what you are getting. Two people can both say they used the same well-regarded manufacturer and have bought products that behave completely differently.
What you actually need is a way to compare across brands and tiers on the same axis.
The Product Data Sheet
Every paint product has a PDS published online, usually findable by searching the product name plus “product data sheet” or “PDS.”
Chris is upfront that they are not friendly documents:
“They look really confusing. There’s a bunch of numbers, but what you’re looking for is drying thickness.”
A PDS covers solids by volume, VOC content, recommended spread rate, recoat times, application methods, thinning, cleanup, and substrate guidance. Most of it is irrelevant to a homeowner choosing between two cans. One line is not.
The Number That Matters: Dry Film Thickness in Mils
A mil is one thousandth of an inch. The PDS will state a recommended wet film thickness and a corresponding dry film thickness, usually as a range.
Dry film thickness is the useful figure, because it is what remains after the water or solvent evaporates. It is the paint that is actually still on your wall doing work.
“Look at how thick it dries, and that’s a really good indicator that you’re not overspending or underspending on your paint.”
This works as a comparison tool because it collapses a lot of hidden quality differences into one number. A paint with a higher dry film thickness at the same spread rate is carrying more solids — more binder and pigment, less water. More solids generally means better hiding, better durability, and better resistance to scrubbing and weathering.
It also explains a frustration people run into with cheap paint: a bargain gallon can require an extra coat to hide, which means you spend more on labor and time than you saved on material. Comparing dry film thickness catches that before you buy.
How to Use It in Practice
- Shortlist two or three products in your price range, across whatever brands are convenient to you.
- Search each product name plus “product data sheet.”
- Find the dry film thickness range, usually expressed as something like “1.4 to 1.6 mils dry.”
- Compare like for like, at the same recommended spread rate.
- If one product is meaningfully cheaper but also meaningfully thinner, you have found where the saving came from.
Note the spread rate caveat: a paint can post a good dry film thickness at a low spread rate, meaning you get fewer square feet per gallon. Always read the two numbers together, because thickness at the cost of coverage is not a bargain.
Why This Matters More Than One Coat vs. Two
Film thickness is the same idea underneath the coats question. Two coats exist to build adequate dry film thickness, which is why a second coat roughly doubles longevity — see one coat or two coats of paint.
Choosing a paint with a healthier dry film thickness per coat and applying two coats are complementary, not alternatives. The product spec sets the ceiling; the number of coats determines how close you get to it.
What About the Rest of the Label?
Marketing terms on the front of a can — “premium,” “advanced,” “ultra,” “one-coat coverage,” “paint and primer in one” — are not standardized and are not comparable between manufacturers. They are positioning within that brand’s own ladder, not an industry measure.
The PDS is the manufacturer making specific technical claims in a technical document. That is a materially different kind of statement from the front label, and it is the one worth reading.
Related: why use primer covers why “paint and primer in one” does not replace an actual primer on bare or porous surfaces.
The Short Version
Stop asking which brand and start asking which tier. Pull up the product data sheet, find the dry film thickness in mils, and compare that against the spread rate and the price. It is a five-minute check that tells you more than any amount of brand reputation.
If you would rather not do the research, get a free quote — we specify the paint as part of the estimate and can tell you exactly what is going on your walls and why.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best brand of paint?
There isn’t one. Every major manufacturer sells a range from budget to premium, so the tier you buy matters more than the brand name. A premium line from one brand will typically outperform the budget line from another.
What is a PDS sheet for paint?
A PDS, or product data sheet, is the technical specification a manufacturer publishes for each product. It lists application details, spread rate, recoat times, and film thickness. They are freely available online and are the objective way to compare products across brands.
What is dry film thickness in mils?
A mil is one thousandth of an inch. Dry film thickness is how thick the paint layer measures once the water or solvent has evaporated, which is the paint that actually remains on the surface. A higher dry film thickness generally indicates more solids, better hiding, and better durability.
How do I compare paint quality between brands?
Find each product’s data sheet and compare dry film thickness alongside the recommended spread rate, at similar price points. Thickness alone is not enough, because a paint can achieve it by covering less area per gallon.
Is expensive paint worth it?
Often, but not automatically. Cheaper paint with a low dry film thickness can need an extra coat to hide, which costs more in labor and time than the material saved. Checking the data sheet is how you tell whether the higher price is buying real solids or just positioning.
Does the brand of paint really matter?
Less than most people assume. What matters is the tier within the range, the dry film thickness it achieves, and whether it suits the surface you are painting. Those are all knowable from the product data sheet regardless of the name on the can.
Chris Heerdegen
Chris Heerdegen is the founder and owner of OnDemand Painters, a painting and finishing company serving six metro markets across the Midwest and Florida. With over 20 years in the industry since 2001, Chris built OnDemand around a simple idea: answer the phone, show up when you say you will, and do the kind of work that earns a review.
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