Who Owns the Major Paint Brands? Sherwin-Williams, Glidden, Behr, Benjamin Moore and Florida Paints

The architectural-paint market is highly consolidated, but “almost every paint brand belongs to three companies” is no longer an accurate map of the U.S. market. Sherwin-Williams owns many familiar brands; Behr belongs to Masco; Benjamin Moore belongs to Berkshire Hathaway; Florida Paints remains family-owned; and Glidden and several former PPG architectural brands in the U.S. and Canada now sit inside The Pittsburgh Paints Company, owned by American Industrial Partners.

Sherwin-Williams Owns Far More Than the Sherwin-Williams Store Brand

Sherwin-Williams lists Valspar, HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy, Krylon, Minwax, Thompson’s WaterSeal and Cabot among its well-known brands. Sherwin-Williams-branded architectural products are sold through company-operated stores, while many of the other brands appear through home centers and other retail channels.

Glidden Is a Good Example of Why Old Ownership Charts Go Stale

PPG sold its U.S. and Canadian architectural-coatings business on December 2, 2024 to American Industrial Partners. The acquired business was renamed The Pittsburgh Paints Company. Its portfolio includes Glidden, Pittsburgh Paints & Stains, Olympic, Liquid Nails, Homax, Manor Hall and Flood, among others. PPG remains a major global coatings company, but describing Glidden in the U.S. as simply “a PPG paint brand” is now outdated.

Behr and Kilz Sit Under Masco

Masco identifies Behr Paint Company as part of its decorative architectural-products business and lists BEHR and KILZ as its principal coating brands. That corporate relationship does not mean every BEHR or KILZ product is interchangeable; each product still has its own substrate, preparation and application requirements.

Benjamin Moore Is a Berkshire Hathaway Company

Benjamin Moore states that Berkshire Hathaway acquired the company in 2000. Its distribution model remains distinctive: Benjamin Moore sells primarily through independently owned retailers rather than a company-store network like Sherwin-Williams.

Florida Paints Is Still Family-Owned

Florida Paints says it is owned and operated by the Strube family, whose paint-manufacturing history began with Color Wheel in 1960. That makes it a useful counterexample to the idea that all regional architectural paint has disappeared into multinational ownership.

INSECO Is Another Independent Florida Counterexample

INSECO, short for International Sealants and Coatings, says it was established in 1996 and operates as a boutique specialty-coatings manufacturer. The company manufactures and distributes from Fort Myers, Florida. Its catalog is different from a conventional house-paint line: it includes products for pavers, concrete, wood, roof coatings, primers, sealers, cleaners and other specialty surface applications. That makes INSECO another reason the “three companies make everything” shorthand is misleading.

Florida Regional Names Have Different Ownership Stories

Richard’s Paint describes itself as a family-run manufacturer based in Rockledge, while Acrylux says it still manufactures at its Fort Lauderdale factory. Gardner-Gibson is different: it began in Tampa but was acquired by ICP Group in 2021, and ICP now groups Gardner, Black Jack, APOC and DYCO in its specialty-products portfolio. Tropical Roofing Products operates a Hallandale manufacturing facility focused on roof systems. See Florida Paint & Coating Manufacturers Worth Knowing for the current regional map.

Does Ownership Tell You Which Paint Is Better?

Not by itself. Corporate ownership can explain distribution, brand families and acquisitions, but it does not tell you whether a specific coating is appropriate for chalky stucco, new masonry, a previously sealed surface, a metal roof or a pool deck. Compare the actual product data sheet, substrate list, preparation instructions, film build, dry/recoat limits and warranty.