WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA — Application drives customer satisfaction with paint brands, while availability and courtesy of staff drives customer satisfaction with paint retailers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Interior Paint Satisfaction Study^SM.

The study measures customer satisfaction with both interior paint brands and the retailers where the paint was purchased. Satisfaction with paint brands is based on evaluations from customers who purchased and applied interior paint during the past year and is measured in six key factors of the painting experience: application, product offerings, durability, price, design guides and warranty/guarantee. Satisfaction with retailers is measured across five key factors of the paint shopping and purchasing experience: facility, selection, staff, services provided and sales/promotions.

Application continues to be the most important driver of satisfaction with paint brands at 25 percent. Satisfaction with retailers is driven primarily by store staff (27 percent).

“With 83 percent of customers reporting applying the paint themselves, it is not surprising that customers are more likely to be satisfied and achieve their desired results when they are able to talk to a professional about their painting project and get the advice they need,” said Christina Cooley, Director of the Home Improvement Industries Practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “The challenge for retailers is to make sure they have the staff available and support their associates with training to help their customers be successful in their projects.”

Overall customer satisfaction with interior paint brands averages 779 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2013, an increase of three points from 2012. Benjamin Moore ranks highest for a third consecutive year, with a score of 800, which is a 10-point increase from 2012. Benjamin Moore performs particularly well in four of the six factors: application, durability, product offerings and design guides.

Following Benjamin Moore in the paint brand rankings is Sherwin-Williams (790), achieving the highest score in warranty guarantee, and BEHR (788), achieving the highest score in price.

Sherwin-Williams ranks highest among paint retailers with a score of 820 and performs particularly well in three of the five factors: services provided, staff and selection. Following Sherwin-Williams in the rankings are Ace Hardware (801), achieving the highest score for facility, and Menards (786), which achieved the highest score in sales/promotions. The overall customer satisfaction average with interior paint retailers is 782.

The 2013 U.S. Interior Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 6,800 customers who purchased and applied interior paint within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded in January and February 2013.