The highest-performing paint brands in customer satisfaction also receive high ratings in the application experience across both interior and exterior product lines, according to the J.D. Power 2014 Paint Satisfaction Study.

“Paint brands that show a pattern of high customer satisfaction over time reap the benefits of customer loyalty,” said Christina Cooley, director of home improvement industries at J. D. Power. “A customer’s decision to purchase a specific paint brand is largely based on their prior experience with that brand, primarily regarding application, product offerings and durability.”

The study measures customer satisfaction with interior paint brands and for the first time, exterior paint brands. Satisfaction with paint brands is based on evaluations from customers who purchased and applied interior and/or exterior paint during thepast year, and is measured in six key factors of the painting experience (in alphabetical order): application, design guides, durability, price, product offerings, and warranty/guarantee.

KEY FINDINGS
• Application, specifically, adequacy of paint coverage, is the most important driver of customer satisfaction with interior and exterior paint (34 percent each).
     – Seventy-eight percent of paint customers who purchased interior paint apply it themselves, and 74 percent of those who purchased exterior paint did the same.
     – More than 90 percent of customers who purchased interior or exterior paint indicate the new color covered the previous color (94 percent and 93 percent, respectively).
     – Approximately one-half of customers do not use primer or paint with primer mixed in for their interior or exterior paint jobs (52 percent and 50 percent, respectively).
     – On average, customers apply two coats of paint for both interior and exterior projects (1.67 times each). 
• Customers paint the inside of their homes for a variety of reasons, including remodeling (28 percent), changing the color (27 percent), or repainting due to previous paint condition (26 percent). Exterior painting projects typically address existing paint in poor condition (65 percent).
• Less than one-fifth (15 percent) of customers who purchased interior paint used the Internet as an information resource to help with their project, while a higher percentage (20 percent) of those who purchased exterior paint used the Internet for information.

Interior Paint Brand Satisfaction Rankings
Benjamin Moore ranks highest in customer satisfaction with interior paint brands for a fourth consecutive year, with a score of 815, which is a 15-point increase from
2013. Benjamin Moore performs particularly well in three of the six factors: application, durability and product offerings.
Following Benjamin Moore in the interior paint brand ranking is Sherwin-Williams (808) and BEHR (802). Overall customer satisfaction with interior paint brands is 795 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2014, an increase of 16 points from 2013.

Exterior Paint Brand Satisfaction Rankings
Sherwin-Williams ranks highest among exterior paint brands, with a score of 819, and performs well across all six factors. Following Sherwin-Williams in the ranking are BEHR (804) and Benjamin Moore (803). Overall customer satisfaction with exterior paint brands is 803.
The 2014 Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 8,690 customers who purchased and applied interior and/or exterior paint within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded in January through March 2014.