Sherwin Williams CR

I have a huge parking lot to restripe, will Sherwin Williams CR hold up? I have been using there regular oil base and I am not happy with the fading. I figured there CR would not only be more durable, but the color would probably hold up longer. I really need some help from someone who has used the Sherwin Williams CR (yellow) lately. Need help quick.

I used about 50-60 gallons of SW yellow CR(lead free) back in April. Not my usual brand, but I got it from a striper I bought out. Anyway, it faded out considerably in 90 days. Being that Aexcel CR has recently gone lead free, my local vendor did some test stripes on their lot (SW verses Aexcel) and again the SW faded out quite a bit. I was at the local SW industrial store last week, trying to match a concrete stain and I mentioned it to the salesman. He flat out told me, that they(SW) can't seem to get their formula right. I fear that the lead free paint, regardless of brand is going to result in reduced color retention. I guess the trade off is worth it, from a health standpoint. If your looking for a more durable paint, I recently switched to Aexcel's acrylic "gorilla" paint and I can't believe the difference. We went to a lot last night, that was painted on June 6,2006 and you'd swear it was painted in the last week. This is a 24 hour fast food (high traffic) business. After using CR for eight years, it took some getting used to, but this stuff is amazing.

I agree with what barnett says. We've tried SW alkyd and SW CR - both fade quickly and considerably. The yellow turns toward a chalky yellow/white. We use Aexcel CR and latex almost exclusively, depending on the type of job we have. For us, we like the color retention of Aexcel much better but also fear that the lead free Aexcel paint will suffer the same fate. Only time will tell. P.S. We will use SW, but only in a pinch. It fades and costs more.

SW CR flat out Sucks!!!. Parking lots that we striped a year ago look like crap. The CR has turned a chalky pale yellow, In fact one of them almost looks white. Our local sales rep told us about the formula foul ups. No excuse, SW should find a new batch of chemists. We have used an Ennis paint that is much like the gorilla traffic paint. It has held up really well. It is an acrylic paint that has to be cleaned out after each use. It sets in about 6-8 minutes at night. It is more expensive than SW CR but is worth it to keep clients satisfied. We have had good luck with the Ennis CR also. Bushman where are you located?

Bushman, where are you located?

Domingo, Have you used Ennis CR red? If so, how is it holding its color?

I am located in Louisiana.

I have never had a problem with SW CR yellow. I just re-painted 4 miles of line that's been down 2 years and it was worn, but still yellow.

STRIPES, I have not used the Ennis CR in Red. I am using SW for the red in Oil base....one more price increase on it and I will not be buying that from them either. I am currently at 20.32 a gallon for the red. I started buying it at 12.75 and in the last 2 years it has been increased to the current price. The paint that we were using at one time that I was satisfied with was from Standard Paints in Mansfield. The only complaint I had on it was overspray/fogging. As far as durability it was great in our experience. No fading on the yellow like SW.

We have used SW CR with no problems. You might ask the rep if there is a different option, since they do make many different lines. Since their prices have increased so much, we have switched to ICI, wich uses Axcell that is private labled for them. It has great color retention.

Domingo, you shouldn't be paying that much for your red, you might gain time buying it and having it shipped if you use quite a bit. We are in the process of switching from BUYING FROM LOCAL SUPPLIERS AND SW when we are out of town, to buying from a mfg., and having it shipped.

Today, I had a small parking lot to stripe, new layout, fresh asphalt. Nothing new, but I thought you guys might find this interesting. I was out of Ennis Paint. I bought a 5 of SW White CR. I started striping and was not thrilled because I could see the asphalt through the paint, This is one of the main reasons I stopped using SW. I was having to do 2 passes over each line. I typically use a 319 for new layouts because of the porosity of the asphalt. Today, I had only 317's with me and could not find a 319 in my tool box. I got a call from my wife that my paint was in, so I went and picked up a 5. Switched buckets from SW to Ennis, Emptied the Gun hose of SW and started striping again. Lo & Behold, Great Coverage with the Ennis Paint, No 2nd passes to cover the asphalt. I am going to place a large order and only buy Ennis CR from here forward. Another dissatisfied SW Client. They can't produce a good paint, lousy service in their stores for parts and accessories and we're getting ready to buy a new 3900. It won't be from them. We now have a good airless service center 30 minutes away. The only thing I will be buying from SW is red oil base. If it goes up in price again, I won't buy that either. The CR from SW is costing me 15.68 a gallon. The Ennis CR is 2/3 of that. Domingo

The crazy thing with SW is the inconsistency. We will have great runs with their paint, then all of a sudden we get crap, almost like it came from a completely different plant with a different formula. The thing that sucks, you get almost no help from the stores. The guys at the show are more than willing to help, its just that when you have the problems you cant ever find those guys.