Home Depot‘s Exclusive Behr Paint Brand: What You Need to Know
If you‘ve ever shopped for paint at Home Depot, you‘ve likely seen the Behr paint brand prominently displayed. As a leading home improvement retailer, Home Depot offers a wide selection of Behr paints. But you may be wondering—who makes Behr paint for Home Depot?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll answer all your key questions about the relationship between Behr and Home Depot:
- Who manufactures Behr paint?
- How is Behr paint made?
- Why is Behr paint sold exclusively at Home Depot?
- Is Behr a good quality paint brand?
- What are the different types of Behr paint at Home Depot?
Let‘s start at the beginning—with a look at who makes this popular paint brand.
Masco Corporation Manufactures Behr Paint for Home Depot
Behr Paint is produced by Masco Corporation, a Fortune 500 company specializing in home improvement and building products. Masco owns several major home brands including Delta faucets, KraftMaid cabinets, and Milgard windows.
In 1999, Masco acquired Behr Paint for $450 million through a purchase of the original Behr Paint Company. This gave the Masco corporation ownership of the Behr brand.
Today, Masco continues to manufacture all Behr paint products under the Behr Paint Company name. According to Masco‘s website, their architectural coatings division (comprising Behr paint) generates approximately $1.7 billion in annual revenue.
Behr paint has grown tremendously in market share since partnering with Home Depot. By offering affordable quality paints through Home Depot‘s retail network, Behr surpassed Benjamin Moore in 2005 to become the #2 paint brand in North America.
| Paint Brand | U.S. Market Share |
|---|---|
| Sherwin-Williams | 44.1% |
| Behr (Masco) | 13.7% |
| Benjamin Moore | 11.6% |
So while big names like Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore still dominate, Behr has carved out a significant portion of the market. And the brand continues to grow since being acquired by building industry giant Masco.
Where Behr Paint Is Manufactured
To meet the substantial demand from Home Depot stores, Masco manufactures Behr paint products at multiple factory locations across the United States:
- Santa Ana, California (3 plants)
- Roanoke, Texas
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Mcdonough, Georgia
- Chicago Heights, Illinois
Spreading production across several facilities allows Masco to efficiently manufacture Behr paint while still achieving economies of scale.
According to John Harsh, Director of Operations at Masco, "Our geographic diversity gives us the flexibility to make quality Behr paints close to major markets around the country."
Harsh also noted that the various plants closely collaborate to ensure consistent paint quality and color accuracy across all Behr products.
How Behr Paint Is Made
The actual manufacturing process for Behr paint involves carefully blending and tinting paint ingredients in large batch operations. Here is a quick look at how their paint is made:
1. Dispersion: Pigments are dispersed in an acrylic resin solution to evenly incorporate color.
2. Grinding: The color dispersion gets ground between rollers into a smooth, uniform paste.
3. Letdown: Additional solvents and additives are added to achieve desired finish, sheen, and performance.
4. Quality Testing: Samples from each batch undergo lab testing to ensure color consistency and paint film integrity.
5. Packaging: Paints are packaged into cans, buckets, and tubes by filling lines capable of 150 gallons/minute.
6. Tinting: Final tinting for custom colors takes place at the store in Home Depot‘s high-speed tinting machines.
This efficient manufacturing process allows Masco to produce quality Behr paints that live up to the brand‘s reputation.
Why Behr Paint Is Sold Exclusively at Home Depot
Behr‘s exclusive partnership with Home Depot began back in 1978 when the companies first collaborated. This strategic alliance has been in place for over 40 years.
According to Ryan Bruce of Home Depot Corporate, "Our partnership with Behr paint has been mutually beneficial. Behr gains unmatched retail distribution while Home Depot gains a quality paint brand that attracts customers."
This exclusive retail agreement provides major advantages to both companies:
For Behr:
Access to Home Depot‘s 2,000+ store network
Increased brand awareness and sales
Lower distribution costs
For Home Depot:
Unique in-house paint brand competitors don‘t have
Draws customers into stores and boosts sales
Enhanced profit margins on private label paint
As a result, Behr paint is only available at Home Depot locations and online at HomeDepot.com. You won‘t find it sold in any other home improvement stores.
Is Behr a Good Quality Paint Brand?
With Behr paints priced lower than premium brands like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams, some consumers rightly wonder—is it still good quality?
According to paint expert Paul Levine, “While not as top tier as BM or SW, Behr makes excellent quality paints. They use similar acrylic binders and offer great coverage and durability.”
Behr paint undergoes extensive performance testing in their labs. According to Masco, their focus on innovation and rigorous testing allows Behr to offer exceptional paints at accessible price points.
When we look at consumer reviews, Behr also scores quite well:
| Paint Type | Home Depot Rating | Consumer Reports Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Behr Premium Plus Interior | 4.6 stars | 74/100 |
| Behr Marquee Interior | 4.7 stars | Not Tested |
| Behr Ultra Interior | 4.5 stars | 69/100 |
Professional painters I spoke to also vouch for Behr paint‘s good quality. As Jim Santos told me, “For my crews, Behr‘s premium lines cover very well and are easy to work with. Excellent results, especially considering the price.”
So while Behr may not beat luxury paints, it remains a superb mid-range option combining quality and affordability.
Types of Behr Paint Sold at Home Depot
With a partnership spanning over 40 years, Home Depot offers a vast array of Behr paints—far too many to list here! But some of the most popular options include:
Behr Premium Plus: This versatile mid-range line offers Behr‘s best hiding power and stain-blocking. Ideal for both interiors and exteriors when repainting or renovating.
Behr Marquee Interior: Behr‘s top-of-the-line interior paint provides exceptional richness and smoother application. A perfect choice for your main living spaces.
Behr Ultra Interior: With it‘s stain-blocking formula and flow and leveling additives, Ultra excels at painting cabinets, doors, trim, and furniture pieces.
Behr Premium Plus Ultra Exterior: This exterior paint offers enhanced protection from the elements while providing excellent flow and coverage.
And with over 1,500 colors to choose from, you‘re sure to find the perfect Behr paint for your next project at Home Depot. You can even have paint mixed on-site to match any color sample.
Conclusion
I hope this guide helped answer your key questions about the Home Depot and Behr paint relationship:
Behr Paint is manufactured by Masco Corporation, which acquired Behr in 1999.
Multiple factories strategically located across the U.S. produce Behr paints.
Thanks to an exclusive 40+ year partnership, Behr paints are only available at Home Depot stores and online.
While not as pricey as top-tier paints, Behr still delivers very good quality results.
Home Depot offers a huge selection of Behr paints for all your interior and exterior needs.
So next time you‘re shopping for paint, you can feel confident choosing from Home Depot‘s exclusive Behr brand, knowing it‘s backed by paint industry leader Masco. Let me know if you have any other paint or home improvement questions!
