Benjamin Moore vs Dulux vs Sherwin-Williams — Honest Comparison From a Toronto Painter

Benjamin Moore vs Dulux vs Sherwin-Williams: which paint is actually worth your money?

Key Takeaways

• Benjamin Moore Aura at ~$120 CAD/gallon earns its premium on saturated colours where Color Lock binds the pigment between coats. Plan on two coats over builder flat regardless of brand
• Dulux Diamond at ~$80 CAD/gallon is the best overall value for standard whites and neutrals where Color Lock has nothing to lock
• Sherwin-Williams Emerald matches BM quality but only buy it during their 30-40% off sales (~every 4-6 weeks)
• For showers and ensuites, Aura Bath & Spa is the spec to demand. Dual mildew + mold resistance, Zero VOC, two coats explicitly required
• Deep, saturated colours cost up to $7 CAD more per gallon across every brand because they need a deep base
• True cost per square foot matters more than sticker price. Every interior wall needs two coats. Anyone promising single-coat coverage is selling, not painting

I've put all three brands on hundreds of jobs across Toronto. Benjamin Moore on a Rosedale Victorian. Dulux on a North York condo flip. Sherwin-Williams on an Etobicoke exterior that takes lake wind all winter.

The paint store won't tell you this part. The brand matters way less than the specific line inside the brand. Benjamin Moore's cheapest paint and their best paint are completely different products that happen to share a logo. Same with SW and Dulux.

Skip the brand loyalty argument. I'll break this down on price, coverage, durability, VOC, and bathroom performance. Line by line, in Canadian dollars.

Don't want to deal with paint selection yourself? That's what we handle on every interior painting and cabinet painting project. We spec the right product line for each surface, buy at contractor pricing (20-40% below retail), and back it with a lifetime workmanship warranty.

If you want the BM-internal comparison instead, see our Aura vs Regal Select vs Ben vs Ultra Spec breakdown.

How much does each brand actually cost in Canada?

Dulux is the only one of the three with straightforward Canadian retail pricing. Benjamin Moore and Sherwin-Williams set US prices, and Canadian dealers mark up 15-30% depending on the store (Prudent Reviews, 2025). That makes apples-to-apples comparison confusing by design. And remember the can is the small number, labour is the bigger half of any quote. For what a full job actually costs in Toronto, see cost to paint a house in Toronto and interior painting cost Toronto.

What you'll actually pay walking into a Toronto store in 2026, in CAD:

The spread is huge. Dulux Lifemaster at $60 per gallon is half the price of Benjamin Moore Aura at $120. The sticker tells you almost nothing about which one is the better buy. What matters is how far a gallon goes, how many coats you'll need, and what base you're mixing into.

Heads-up on deep base pricing: Saturated colours like Hale Navy, Caliente, or deep burgundy cost up to $7 CAD more per gallon across every brand. Deep base holds less white tint so it can carry stronger colourant loads, and the resin-heavy base costs more to produce. A full home repaint with several deep accent walls can quietly add $80-$200 CAD to the paint bill before anyone notices. Always ask which base your quote assumes (pastel, medium, or deep) before signing.

What we stock: On most Toronto projects I default to Benjamin Moore Regal Select. Solid price-to-performance without Aura's sticker shock. For accent walls in deep colours I switch to Aura. On full condo repaints where the budget matters, Dulux Diamond does the job.

Does expensive paint actually cover better?

A gallon of Benjamin Moore Aura costs ~$120 CAD and covers about 350-400 square feet. A gallon of Dulux Diamond costs ~$80 CAD and covers about 400 square feet (Prudent Reviews, 2025). On raw single-coat coverage, the cheaper paint wins. So what are you paying the Aura premium for?

Aura uses Color Lock, and there's a real story here. It is not a one-coat paint. Color Lock binds saturated colourants so the second coat goes on without lap marks, flashing, or colour shift on deep reds, navies, and forest greens. The second coat looks like the first. That's the actual value. Two coats over builder flat is still the floor, no matter what the marketing says.

For whites and pales? Color Lock has no colour to lock. Regal Select at ~$100 CAD or Dulux Diamond at ~$80 CAD gives you the same result. You're not buying anything practical with Aura on Cloud White or Chantilly Lace.

Dulux Diamond and SW SuperPaint take two coats too. On a Hale Navy or a deep terracotta you'll see uneven sheen and lap marks you won't see with Aura. On a Cloud White, identical result.

True cost per square foot (single-coat math, price ÷ coverage):

The chart shows single-coat math, but every interior wall gets two coats. Double every number and the spread tightens. Honest take: on standard whites and neutrals, the cheaper paint actually costs less because the second coat looks the same on every brand. On deep, saturated colours, the Aura premium pays for itself in finish quality, not coat count.

Real example: Last month I painted a 12x14 bedroom in a Midtown Toronto condo in Hale Navy. Two coats of BM Aura used about two gallons, roughly $240 CAD in paint, and the finish was even under raking light. Same job in Dulux Diamond would have run about $160 in paint and probably needed a third coat to even out the navy. On saturated colours the cheaper paint doesn't save you money. On whites it does.

That math only holds for colours with strong pigment. For standard whites and light neutrals, two coats is two coats no matter the brand. At that point Dulux Diamond wins on price. No question.

How do they hold up? Durability and washability compared

Premium paint lasts 8-10 years on bedroom and living room walls in normal household traffic. Budget paint can last 3-5 years before it looks flat and worn (Benjamin Moore Regal Select product page, retrieved 2026-05-26). Kitchens and bathrooms cut those numbers almost in half because of moisture, grease, and constant cleaning. Maintenance and household traffic matter more than the paint tier itself.

Quick rundown on each:

Benjamin Moore Regal Select uses an alkyd-modified acrylic formula. It self-levels well (almost no brush marks), resists scuffing, and washes without burnishing. I've put it in kids' bedrooms and cleaned marker off the wall a year later without touching up. That's what I mean by durability.

Sherwin-Williams Duration uses a moisture-resistant formula that handles steam and humidity. In kitchens where grease splatter is constant, SW Emerald's stain resistance is on par with BM Regal (Sherwin-Williams Emerald product page, retrieved 2026-05-26).

Dulux Diamond does fine for normal wear. Washable, holds up to everyday life. Where it falls short is self-levelling. You'll see more roller texture on close inspection than with BM Regal. For a rental unit you're repainting every few years anyway, that's not a dealbreaker. For your forever home, where the walls need to look right from arm's length, spend the extra $20 per gallon.

Interior painting returns 107% ROI on resale, and 80% of real estate agents say fresh paint helps a sale (HomeLight, 2023). That ROI number assumes the paint still looks good when buyers walk through. Cheap paint showing wear after two years? You're paying to paint twice.

If you're unsure which finish to pick, we break it down in our paint finishes guide.

What about Aura Bath & Spa for bathrooms?

For showers, ensuites, and any room with daily steam, Aura Bath & Spa at ~$120 CAD per gallon is the only line I spec. Per BM's current spec sheet, it carries both mildew-resistant and mold-resistant coatings as separate listed features, is Zero VOC, and BM explicitly recommends two coats with no "1 or 2" hedge (Aura Bath & Spa product page, retrieved 2026-05-26). That dual mildew + mold listing is what separates it from the bathroom paints at Sherwin-Williams and Dulux.

How it compares to SW Bath Paint and Dulux Kitchen & Bath

Sherwin-Williams sells a dedicated Bath Paint with anti-microbial additives that resist mildew growth. It's a credible product. What it doesn't list on the current spec sheet is the separate mold-resistant coating Aura Bath & Spa carries (Sherwin-Williams Bath Paint, retrieved 2026-05-26). For a powder room or low-humidity bathroom that won't see daily shower steam, SW Bath Paint at ~$95 CAD per gallon works fine.

Dulux markets a Kitchen & Bath product for high-humidity rooms with mildew-resistant additives in the film. Like SW Bath Paint, it does the basic job in a powder room. Where it falls short is in a daily-use shower enclosure where condensation pools in the corners. The film just doesn't carry the same dual-coating chemistry.

Why the matte finish matters

Aura Bath & Spa comes in a matte that looks nothing like the chalky high-gloss most builders slap on bathrooms. Aesthetically that's a big deal. The matte hides drywall imperfections that gloss telegraphs, and the Color Lock resin underneath gives you washability that flat paint historically didn't have. You get the look of matte with the wipe-down behaviour of eggshell.

What I actually spec for bathrooms: Powder room with no shower? Regal Select in eggshell, ~$100 CAD/gal, holds up fine. Family bathroom with a tub-shower combo? Aura Bath & Spa, ~$120 CAD/gal, matte finish, two full coats including the ceiling. Master ensuite with daily steam? Bath & Spa, no question. The extra $20 a gallon is the cheapest insurance in painting against the black mildew streaks that show up in grout lines and ceiling corners two years after a bad bathroom repaint.

Best use cases by line

How do you read a paint spec sheet?

Four numbers tell you everything that actually matters on a paint spec sheet. Ignore marketing copy that says "premium," "advanced," or "luxury." Those are sales words, not specifications. Look at VOC content, scrub cycles per ASTM D2486, coverage rate, and sheen options (Master Painters Institute architectural standards, retrieved 2026-05-26). Anything else is noise.

VOC content (grams per litre)

Lower is better for indoor air quality. The EPA classifies anything under 50 g/L as "Low VOC" and anything under 5 g/L as effectively "Zero VOC" for labelling (US EPA, 2024). Most 2026-spec premium paints come in under 50 g/L. Aura Bath & Spa and BM Ben are now Zero VOC. If anyone in your home has asthma, allergies, or chemical sensitivity, this is the first number to check.

Scrub cycles (ASTM D2486)

The most useful durability number on any spec sheet, and almost nobody reads it. ASTM D2486 counts how many wet-scrub cycles the paint film survives before the substrate shows through. Premium lines clear 500-1000+ cycles. Budget contractor paints often fail at 100-300. Higher number, more washing the wall takes before you see burnishing or film breakdown.

Coverage rate (square feet per gallon)

Manufacturers list 350-450 sqft per gallon. That number assumes ideal application over a primed, uniform surface. In real conditions over builder-grade flat, expect 80-90% of the stated coverage on coat one and full coverage on coat two. Always budget two coats.

Sheen options

Matte hides drywall imperfections. Eggshell and satin balance washability with low glare. Semi-gloss and gloss go on trim, doors, and high-moisture rooms. Premium lines offer all five sheens. Budget lines often skip semi-gloss or restrict deep-base availability to certain sheens.

What dealers won't volunteer: Spec sheets are published per sheen, not per line. A "Regal Select Eggshell" spec sheet shows different VOC and scrub-cycle numbers than "Regal Select Matte" from the same line. Ask the dealer for the spec sheet that matches the exact sheen you're buying, not the line in general. The numbers can swing 20-30% between sheens inside one line.

Which brand is safest for air quality?

Indoor VOC concentrations run 2-5 times higher than outdoors per the US EPA, and up to 1,000 times higher during and right after painting (US EPA, 2024). A 2024 peer-reviewed study found 52% of paint workers reported respiratory symptoms from VOC exposure (PMC/NIH, 2024). I mention it because most homeowners don't think about it until they're lightheaded in a freshly painted room with the windows closed.

VOC levels vary a lot inside one brand. As of 2026, Benjamin Moore has tightened VOC across all four lines. Aura, Regal Select, Ben, and Ultra Spec 500 now list VOC content under 50 g/L on the current spec sheets, and Ben is formulated as Zero VOC. Aura Bath & Spa is also Zero VOC. The old comparison showing Aura at 2 g/L versus Regal at 48 g/L came from a previous formulation (Benjamin Moore Aura technical data, retrieved 2026-05-26).

The low/zero-VOC paint market is projected to hit $17.83 billion by 2032, growing 6.9% a year (Grand View Research, 2024). Every brand now has at least one low-VOC line they didn't have five years ago.

If you read certification labels, here's what to look for. Benjamin Moore Eco Spec carries Green Seal and Asthma & Allergy Friendly certifications (Green Seal, 2024). Sherwin-Williams Harmony has GREENGUARD Gold and actively reduces formaldehyde in indoor air. Dulux Lifemaster Zero VOC gives you true zero VOC at the lowest price of the three.

If someone in your household has asthma or allergies, go with BM Aura, Aura Bath & Spa, Ben, or Dulux Lifemaster. An extra $40 a gallon for near-zero VOC is cheap insurance on a condo someone has to breathe in for the next decade.

Where do you buy each brand in Toronto?

Distribution differs sharply by brand, and it affects what you pay, how accurate your colour match is, and whether you get good advice at the counter. Benjamin Moore sells only through independent dealers (about 25 across the GTA). Sherwin-Williams sells through ~20 company-owned stores. Dulux is sold through Dulux stores and Home Hardware, which makes it the easiest brand to find on a Saturday.

Benjamin Moore only sells through independent dealers. In Toronto that's places like Centreville Paint & Décor, Crown Decorating Centre, and some Home Hardware locations. You won't find it at Home Depot or Lowe's. The tradeoff is the smaller stores tend to have staff who actually know paint, which matters when you're trying to nail an undertone. BM also has the biggest colour library at 3,500+ shades.

Sherwin-Williams runs the opposite model: company-owned stores, about 20 across Toronto proper. The reason to shop here is the sales. They run 30-40% off promos every 4-6 weeks. At 40% off, Emerald drops from ~$105 to roughly $63 CAD per gallon. I've seen homeowners stock up during a sale and save hundreds on a full house repaint. About 1,700 colours in their system.

Dulux is the easiest brand to find. Their own Dulux Paints stores plus Home Hardware. If you need paint on a Saturday afternoon and don't want to drive across town to a specialty dealer, Dulux is probably your closest option.

Pro tip: Benjamin Moore's Gennex colourant system is now listed on all four main lines (Aura, Regal Select, Ben, Ultra Spec 500), not just Aura. Even when you tint a low-VOC base to a deep colour, the VOC count doesn't spike from the colourant itself. Older guidance treating Gennex as Aura-exclusive is out of date. Same colourant chemistry, different resin systems.

So which paint should you actually pick?

I've used every product on this list on real jobs. Here's how I match line to use case in 2026.

Benjamin Moore Aura (~$120 CAD/gal) is the one I reach for on bold or saturated accent walls where Color Lock keeps deep colours uniform between coats. Also the pick if someone in the home has allergies or chemical sensitivity. If you're particular about colour, BM's 3,500+ palette is hard to beat. Two coats either way. Aura just makes the second coat look like the first on tough pigments. For accent wall picks, see our accent wall guide.

Benjamin Moore Aura Bath & Spa (~$120 CAD/gal) is the bathroom and shower spec. Dual mildew + mold resistance, Zero VOC, matte finish, two coats explicitly required. Worth every penny over standard bathroom paint in any ensuite with daily steam.

Benjamin Moore Regal Select (~$100 CAD/gal) is my default for most jobs. Best all-around performance without the Aura price tag. Self-levels well on trim, built-ins, and wainscoting. Stain Release Technology lets you wipe coffee, ketchup, and marker without burnishing. If you're painting your forever home and want the finish to last, this is the one.

Dulux Diamond (~$80 CAD/gal) makes sense on a full condo or home repaint where the budget is real. For standard whites and light neutrals it performs close to the premium brands. Good pick if you're prepping for sale and need the place to look fresh, not necessarily perfect ten years out.

Sherwin-Williams Emerald (~$105 CAD/gal, or ~$63 on sale) is a strong product I'd never buy at full price. Wait for the 30-40% off sales. Duration and Emerald both handle Toronto exterior weather well, and at sale price you get premium quality for mid-range money.

Dulux Lifemaster (~$60 CAD/gal) is the budget pick. Painting a rental between tenants? This. Need zero-VOC at the lowest price? Also this.

Can you mix brands in one home? Yes. I do it on most projects. Aura on the statement wall, Regal Select on the rest of the main floor, Aura Bath & Spa in the ensuite, Diamond in the basement. Match the product to the surface, not the logo on the can.

What matters more than the paint brand?

The painter holds the brush. Prep and craft decide the finish more than which can the paint came from. A $120 CAD/gal Aura job rolled by someone who cuts in once and rolls once will fail within a year with picture-framing, the dark frame defect that shows up around every wall. A $60 CAD Dulux Lifemaster job done with proper sanding, priming, two cut-ins, and two full roller coats will outlast the bad Aura job by years.

Prep is the part nobody markets. Sanding glossy trim before painting. Filling nail holes and dings with proper filler. Priming bare wood, water stains, and major colour changes with real primer (Zinsser BIN for stains, BM Fresh Start for drywall) instead of relying on "self-priming" topcoat. Caulking gaps between trim and wall before paint. Boxing cans together so the colour is identical across the whole job.

That's the work that decides whether a $5,000 repaint looks $5,000 ten years later. Paint tier matters. Painter skill matters more.

If you're sweating the brand decision, you're solving the wrong problem. Pick a competent painter first, ask which brand they prefer for each room, let them spec the product. That's the order that produces a great paint job.

If you're not sure which paint makes sense for your project, that's what the quote is for. I'll walk through your space, look at the walls, and tell you exactly what product line I'd use in each room and why.

Call us at (416) 875-8706 or request your free quote. If I don't answer right away I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Not sure where to start with colour? Here's our paint colour guide.

The bottom line

The brand on the can matters less than the product line inside it. A $60 CAD gallon of Dulux Lifemaster and a $120 CAD gallon of Benjamin Moore Aura do completely different things. Both are right for the right job. Aura Bath & Spa belongs in bathrooms. Regal Select belongs on trim and main living areas. Dulux Diamond belongs in rentals and budget repaints.

Pick based on what your walls need: the colour, the traffic, the moisture, the air quality, the budget. Not the closest store or the brand your neighbour swears by. Then hire a painter who treats prep as seriously as the topcoat.

If you'd rather not think about any of this, that's what I do for a living.

About the author

Chad Caglak is Co-Owner and Lead Painter at HomePaintersPro Toronto. Over 20 years in residential painting across Toronto, with hands-on specification work across Benjamin Moore, Sherwin-Williams, and Dulux product lines. Chad writes the cross-brand and BM-specific product guides on this site, drawing on hundreds of completed Toronto interior and exterior projects. Reach him directly at (416) 875-8706 or through the contact page.