2021 test8 productsHome & Cleaning
Which Spray Paint Brand Wins?
We compared 8 spray paint options head to head. Rust-Oleum Professional came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video. Shoppers cross-shopping rust oleum spray paint, fabric spray paint, rust oleum paint and krylon fusion all in one spray paint land here for the head to head that settles it.
Winner
Rust-Oleum Professional
Price shown in test: $5.98 for 15 oz
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Runner-up
Valspar
Price shown in test: $9.77 for 12 oz
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Initial Gloss | Initial Chip Resistance | Chip After 1 Year | Initial Scratch Resistance | Scratch After 1 Year | Fade After 1 Year | Rust Blocking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rust-Oleum Professional$5.98 for 15 oz | best initial gloss of all brands, very high gloss and very smooth finish | 4.44 mm of paint loss, small amount of loose paint around the impact | increased to 4.92 mm | 2nd best (behind Valspar) on the Mohs hardness scratch test | performed the best so far but the scratch did reach the primer layer in a few small areas; Valspar performed slightly better | done by far the best so far with a still-clear can reflection; finished essentially tied for first, performing nearly as well as the top-ranked Seymour | did a terrific job blocking rust on wire brushed bare metal with no primer, no bubbles at all; one of only two brands (with Valspar) that performed well at this |
| 2Seymour High Tech spray paint$10.87 for 12 oz | did a very good job, looked about the same as the Valspar | 4.16 mm of paint loss, almost no loose paint | increased to 5.73 mm, the largest chip after a year of any brand despite the good UV retention | 7th of 8 brands on the Mohs hardness scratch test | looked by far the best yet, the scratch didn't quite make it down to the primer | done by far the best so far, still looked very bright and glossy; finished in first place for gloss/fade retention | not tested |
| 3Valspar Anti-Rust Armor$9.77 for 12 oz | better than Color Place and Krylon but not quite as good as Rust-Oleum 2X or Rust-Oleum Pro | 4.85 mm of paint loss, very small amount of loose paint | decreased slightly to 4.76 mm, one of the few brands to improve | 1st place, best of all 8 brands on the Mohs hardness scratch test | performed slightly better than Rust-Oleum Pro, with only a couple of areas reaching the primer | performed very well, finished in third place for gloss/fade retention | performed nearly as well as Rust-Oleum Pro on the bare metal rust blocking test, only a couple of very small areas with rust |
| 4Rust-Oleum 2X Painter's Touch 2X Ultra Cover$3.96 for 12 oz | 2nd best initial gloss, a very clear can reflection | 4.92 mm of paint loss, the worst chip resistance of all 8 brands initially | remained close to the same at 4.96 mm | 3rd place on the Mohs hardness scratch test | UV exposure hurt it, but it still performed better than Color Place; Krylon experienced more damage than it | 4th place for gloss/fade retention | trapped moisture under the paint on bare metal, allowing aggressive rust bubbles to form, a poor result |
| 5Krylon ColorMax paint and primer$4.29 for 12 oz | better than Color Place but not as good as Rust-Oleum 2X | 3.45 mm of paint loss, the best chip resistance of all 8 brands initially | remained close to the same at 3.44 mm, among the best after a year, though behind Color Place's post-degradation 3.25 mm | 6th place on the Mohs hardness scratch test | experienced quite a bit more damage after a year of sun exposure, though still less than Color Place; worse than Rust-Oleum 2X | the sun really took a toll on the Krylon paint, badly faded and rubs off very easily | rust bubbles were smaller in diameter than Rust-Oleum 2X's but the total amount of rusting was about the same, a poor result |
| 6Majic Paints Diamond Hard spray enamel$12.50 for 11 oz | did not do very well compared to most other brands, finishing behind Seymour | 3.84 mm of paint loss, nearly as good as Krylon, 2nd best initially | increased to 4.46 mm, finished 4th best after a year | 4th place on the Mohs hardness scratch test | didn't hold up nearly as well as some other brands, the scratch cut deep into the primer | finished 5th place for gloss/fade retention, experienced quite a bit of fading | experienced heavy rusting across the entire panel, similar to Color Place, a poor result |
| 7Sherwin-Williams Work Day, industrial$15.02 for 10 oz, the most expensive paint tested | finished next to last place, just ahead of Color Place | 4.36 mm of paint loss, about average | increased slightly to 4.4 mm, tied with Krylon for the best result after a year of the paints that did not already have pre-existing surface flaking | 5th place on the Mohs hardness scratch test | experienced a lot of damage, similar to Majic | really struggled, seemed just as faded as Color Place, tied for worst | the paint flaked away, resulting in far fewer visible rust bubbles than some brands, but was not named among the two brands that performed well |
| 8Color Place96 cents for 10 oz, the least expensive paint tested | worst of all 8 brands, no good reflection | 4.05 mm of paint loss after removing a paint flake | decreased to 3.25 mm, the smallest chip of all brands after a year, though the panel had already badly faded and the paint was rubbing off, which may explain the smaller apparent chip | worst of all 8 brands, the Mohs pick scraped all the way through to the primer layer | experienced a lot more damage after a year of sun and weather exposure | badly faded, paint rubbing off on contact | a lot of rust formed and the paint flaked away instead of forming rust bubbles like other brands, a poor result |
How it was tested
- initial gloss and finish appearance
- impact/chip resistance from a .177 caliber ball at 238 mph, initial and after 1 year of outdoor exposure
- Mohs hardness number 9 pick scratch test with 158 g of weight, initial and after 1 year of outdoor exposure
- 1 year of real-world sun and weather exposure on a Ford Ranger hood
- rust blocking on wire brushed bare metal with no primer applied
“Regarding this showdown, rustoleum pro definitely seems like the best all-around paint.”