"Percival P. Cassidy" wrote:

I've often seen here recommendations to go to "a real paint store"
rather than to HD or Lowe's.

Does Sherwin-Williams fall into that category? I would have assumed so,
but a couple of days ago in our local one I was SprayTech paint
sprayers, which appear to be relabeled versions of the Wagners that
everybody here disses.

So,

(a) Is S-W not a real paint store?


It depends. Around here, there are two types of SW stores. The strip mall
storefronts that cater to homeowners, and the industrial supply type that all
the contractors use. The products are the same, but the industrial supply place
has a much larger stock and tends to hire people who know what they are talking
about. The strip mall stores have the minimum wage droids working.

As to paint & equipment - in my experience, all the major brands have lines that
are colored water and lines that are quality paints. I assume that SW sells
rebranded hardware just to cater to the homeowner crowd as they certainly don't
manufacture the stuff.