Sherwin-Williams Paint Store

I’m a complete DIY novice, and my husband and I just bought a house that needs a LOT of work. Second project on the list was painting the 45-​year old kitchen cabinets. I’m the type of person who researches everything to death, and from what I read online, painting your kitchen cabinets is a beast of a task and using «good» paint is key. I read that Sherwin Williams ProClassic line was great for cabinets, so I headed there for the first time in my life. When my husband and I walked in on a Friday night, it appeared deserted. No employee in sight, though we heard some rumbling in the back. After a few minutes of waiting, we finally walked to the back and found the lone employee on duty. He was somewhat helpful, and agreed that the ProClassic line was best. I got a color sample to make sure I liked the color, and left.
Came back a few days later to purchase primer and paint. This time there was a lone female working. I mentioned that I thought I might want to go with oil paint because I’ve read it holds up really well even if application is messier, and she basically said «no way do you want to do that». Okay, no problem– you’re the expert. I mentioned that I read that there’s a Sherwin Williams alkyd paint that is great for cabinets. Nope, she said. Alkyd paint is ONLY with oil. No such thing as latex Alkyd paint. I thought I might have been confused– after all, I have 30 projects on my list and maybe I got them confused. And she’s the expert. So I walked out with a few gallons of Primer and ProClassic latex paint.
Fast forward two weeks. I have severely underestimated this task. What I thought may be 15 – 20 hours is looking more like 50 (and I work full time) so nearly every weeknight and weekend has been spent removing hinges and knobs, sanding (and sanding, and sanding… did I mention how much sanding is involved when you paint cabinets?), cleaning, priming, priming again, sanding, cleaning, and (finally!) applying the «real» paint. In an empty house waiting major renovations. I noticed that despite the ProClassic line being self-​leveling, it kept leaving brush strokes and foam strokes on the cabinet boxes (the doors which I painted horizontally ended up okay). I do a little Googling to see if I can figure out a fix and stumble upon a blog where… they recommend using ProClassic ALKYD paint! They even have a picture of the can and everything. Funny enough, this blog had a rant where they had mistakenly been given the «regular» ProClassic paint and didn’t discover it until they were halfway through painting and it was horrible. Apparently the waterbased ProClassic ALKYD is much better for cabinets and supposedly dries hard as oil.
I’m livid. I specifically asked for this paint and was told there was no such thing. I trusted the «expert». And I’ve spent about 40 hours on this project. My main concern with painting the cabinets from the get-​go was that they hold up well and I use the best paint available to ensure no chipping or tackiness, and I let that be known to the two associates I dealt with at Sherwin Williams. The thought of starting over with the «right» paint brings tears to my eyes so there’s no use to even try to return the paint and get the correct stuff (it’s ¾th gone now anyway). I just want the world to know how unhappy I am with Sherwin Williams and how the employee I dealt with doesn’t even know their own product.
I’ll give it an extra star for this being SLIGHTLY my fault (maybe I should have second-​guessed the expert or jumped online at the store?), for having some pretty colors, and for having a kids area. Kept my LO entertained while I bought my paint. However, I’m so upset with my experience there that we’ll be going to Benjamin Moore when it comes time to paint the entirety of our house inside and out next month.

I called this store to get directions & explained that I needed to get one paint chip. Arrived 2 minutes before it closed & they locked the door @ stood looking at me. It would have taken me less than 30 seconds to get the chip. He could have told me that on the phone if he did not want to help a customer. Bad customer service.

I was at this location this morning. I could not get an associate to help me. There were three associates working., two of which, were standing around. There was not one other customer in the store at the time. I was in the store for almost 10 minutes. I was not spoken to, or, even acknowledged, for that matter. Customer service is very important! Without customers, you don’t have a need for the business. I’m disappointed in the way I was treated. I’m very offended by this. I love Sherwin William’s paint, but will never visit this location, again!

I recently stopped by Sherwin Williams to get a paint sample for my new salon. I brought in a paint chip from another paint brand. Nikole was very helpful and patient helping me get the color just right! The store was very busy but she took her time and didn’t make me feel rushed. I am very happy with the color she made. If you need paint or have painting questions I would recommend this store!

I’ll admit I only shopped their clearance paints, which are $ 2 cheaper than Home Depot’s and 5x better. The guys (and one woman) behind the counter were very helpful with suggestions for painting over certain colors, and I probably bought 4 – 5 gallons here. I visited one other Sherwin Williams over in Apex, and the Cary store was SOOOO much better.