Buy Cashmere for the room you look at, not the room you clean. At $70 to $75 a gallon the leveling is what you are paying for, and under raking afternoon light it flattens roller stipple where SuperPaint shows faint pattern. Washability is the trade at 6 out of 10, and there is no real mildew package next to Emerald. Wrong can for a kitchen, a kid-traffic hallway, or a daily-shower bath.
Spec Sheet
- COVERAGE
- 350–400 sq ft / gal at 4 mils wet
- SHEENS
- Flat, Low Lustre, Medium Lustre, Eg-Shel, Pearl
- TOUCH DRY
- About 1 hr
- RECOAT
- About 4 hr
- FULL CURE
- About 30 days
- VOC
- Under 50 g/L; color-cast eco toners add no VOC after tint
- PRIMER
- Self-priming on prepped coated drywall; bonding or stain-blocking primer on glossy or stained surfaces
- SURFACES
- Interior drywall, plaster, primed wood and trim
- SIZES
- Gallon, 5-gallon
- PRICE
- $70–75 / gal at SW stores; sale dips near $55
When It Goes Wrong — and How to Fix It
Streaks and lap marks down a long wall
Why it happens: Cashmere stays wet and workable longer than most acrylics. That open time is what makes it level, and it is also a longer wet edge to manage. A lap mark means one section set before you rolled back into it, or you stretched the gallon thin past its coverage.
The fix: Keep a wet edge and do not stop mid-wall. Load the roller fully, work corner to corner, and stay inside 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon rather than spreading it thin. Flat enamel hides this better than Low Lustre, so pick the flatter sheen on a big uninterrupted wall.
A shiny burnished spot at a light switch or doorway
Why it happens: Washability lands at 6 out of 10. Cashmere is scrubbable the way a finish paint is scrubbable, not the way a kitchen paint is. Repeated hard wiping at the same spot polishes the sheen to a shine faster than Emerald does in the same place.
The fix: Wipe gently and blot rather than scrub. If it has already burnished, re-roll the wall to a natural corner instead of touching in the spot. For walls that get cleaned on a schedule, Cashmere is the wrong tier — step to Emerald at $90 to $100, or take SuperPaint for value-grade durability.
Mildew spotting along a bathroom ceiling line
Why it happens: Cashmere has no real mildew package next to Emerald, and the softer film does not love steam. In a powder room or a low-steam bath it is fine. In a daily-shower bathroom it is a compromise you feel within a year.
The fix: Put Cashmere in the powder room and keep it out of the shower bath. If the room already has it, run the fan hard and expect to repaint sooner. For a wet room, Emerald is the SW answer on moisture and mildew resistance.
A water ring or smoke mark ghosting back through
Why it happens: Self-priming is not stain-blocking. The paint-and-primer formula self-primes over clean, previously painted drywall in good shape, and that is all it claims. Stains, tannin, and slick surfaces are outside that promise.
The fix: Spot-prime with a stain blocker like Zinsser BIN before you roll, and use a bonding primer on glossy or slick substrates. Bare drywall, glossy trim, and big color jumps all want a primer coat first. On a sound repaint, a light scuff is enough.
Application Settings That Work
- PRIMER
- On clean, previously painted drywall in good shape, skip the separate primer — a light scuff is enough and the paint-and-primer formula self-primes there. Prime first on bare drywall, glossy trim, water or smoke stains, or a big color jump. Zinsser BIN for marks, a bonding primer on slick surfaces. Self-priming is not stain-blocking, and that is where most complaints start.
Cashmere vs SuperPaint vs Emerald
These three get cross-shopped at every Sherwin-Williams counter, and the choice is about what the room does, not which paint is better. Emerald is the wall you clean. Cashmere is the wall you look at. SuperPaint is the wall you paint on a budget and a deadline.
| Cashmere | SuperPaint | Emerald | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street price per gallon | $70–75 (sale near $55) | $55–65 | $90–100 |
| Leveling and roller stipple | The reason to buy it. Workability scores 10 out of 10 and the orange-peel mostly flattens out. | Does not level as smooth. Faint roller texture shows under raking light. | Good, but finish is not what you are paying Emerald for. |
| Washability | 6 out of 10. Scrubbable like a finish paint, not a kitchen paint. | Takes harder cleaning than Cashmere. | Hardest scrub in the SW interior line. |
| Moisture and mildew | No real mildew package. Powder room fine, daily-shower bath a compromise. | Survives high-traffic and utility rooms better. | Best moisture and mildew resistance of the three. |
| Hiding wall imperfections | Flat enamel buries skim-coat seams and patch shadows. | Decent, but the roller pattern works against it. | Broader sheen range; hide depends on the sheen you pick. |
| Where it wins | Living rooms, dining rooms, formal entries, primary bedrooms. | Kitchens, hallways, kid rooms — value-grade durability. | Any wall that gets cleaned regularly. |
Formal living or dining room where you will rarely touch the walls: Cashmere, and the $20 you save against Emerald buys a better-looking finish. Kitchen, stairwell, kid hallway, or wet bath: SuperPaint if the budget is tight, Emerald if you want the wall to survive years of cleaning. The mistake is buying Cashmere for a high-abuse room because a designer praised the finish, then watching it burnish in a hallway inside a year.
What It's Good At
- +Leveling roller stipple flat, even on a long wall under raking afternoon light
- +A velvety low-sheen look in Flat enamel and Low Lustre that flatters warm greiges and deep muted colors
- +Burying minor drywall flaws, skim-coat seams, and patch shadows in an older house
- +Self-priming a clean repaint, so the job collapses into one product
- +Low odor at under 50 g/L, with eco toners that add no VOC after tint
- +Touching up nearly invisibly in Flat enamel inside the first month
What It's Not Good At
- −Scrub resistance — 6 out of 10, and it burnishes at switches and doorways
- −Steamy bathrooms; no real mildew package next to Emerald
- −Forgiving a distracted painter — the long wet edge records a lap mark
- −Price for the tier, at $70 to $75 a gallon for SW's mid-durability rung
- −Kitchens, stairwells, and kid-traffic hallways
Honest Alternatives
Same brand, one rung down, about $15 less a gallon. Scrubs harder and survives high-traffic rooms better, but it does not level as smooth and you will see faint roller texture under raking light. The right pick when durability beats finish, which is most utility rooms.
The top of SW's interior ladder. Better scrub, better stain and mildew resistance, broader sheen range, about $20 to $25 more a gallon. The right pick for kitchens, baths, and any wall you clean regularly, where Cashmere's softer film gives out first.
The cross-brand answer if you want Cashmere's smoothness in a paint that also scrubs like a premium wall. Deeper color depth in dark tones and a more durable film, at a higher price and only at BM dealers.
Cashmere Questions, Answered
Is SW Cashmere worth it over SuperPaint?
For walls you look at more than you wipe down, yes. Cashmere lays down smoother, hides roller stipple better, and reads more velvety in low lustre. SuperPaint costs about $15 less and scrubs harder, so it wins in kitchens, hallways, and kid rooms. For a formal living room, dining room, or primary bedroom, Cashmere's finish is the upgrade you will actually see.
Does Cashmere need a separate primer?
On clean, previously painted drywall in good shape, no. The paint-and-primer formula self-primes there and a light scuff is enough. On bare drywall, glossy trim, water or smoke stains, or a big color jump, prime first. Use a stain blocker like Zinsser BIN for marks and a bonding primer on slick surfaces. Self-priming is not stain-blocking.
Is Cashmere good for bathrooms and kitchens?
It is a maybe, not a yes. In a powder room or a low-steam bath it is fine in Low Lustre or Pearl. In a daily-shower bath or a grease-heavy kitchen, Emerald or SuperPaint hold up better to scrubbing and moisture. Cashmere is a low-traffic-wall paint first. Push it into a wet, high-abuse room and you give up its main reason to exist.
Why do Cashmere walls look streaky or show lap marks?
Cashmere stays wet and workable longer than most acrylics, which is what makes it level so well. The flip side is a longer wet edge to manage. Lap marks usually mean you let one section set before rolling into it, or you over-spread thin. Keep a wet edge, load the roller fully, and do not stretch a gallon past its coverage. Flat enamel hides this better than Low Lustre.
Cashmere or Emerald, which should I buy?
Emerald is the wall you clean, Cashmere is the wall you look at. Emerald resists stains, mildew, and moisture and scrubs harder, so it holds up in kitchens, baths, and busy halls. Cashmere lays flatter and gives a softer low-sheen look. If the room is a formal living or dining space you rarely touch, the $20 you save with Cashmere buys the better-looking finish.
How many coats of Cashmere do I need?
Two on most repaints. Coverage scores 8 out of 10, so a normal color-to-color job covers clean in two coats. A big color jump can want three. Budget your gallons at two-coat coverage — 350 to 400 sq ft per gallon — and do not stretch the last gallon thin, because thin spreading is one of the two things that leaves lap marks.
Which Cashmere sheen should I pick?
Flat enamel for walls with age you do not want to skim-coat; it buries seams and patch shadows and touches up nearly invisibly. Low Lustre for the velvety look most people are actually after in a living or dining room. Pearl or Low Lustre in a powder room. Skip Cashmere entirely for a daily-shower bath regardless of sheen.
Does Cashmere burnish?
Yes, faster than Emerald in the same spot. Repeated hard wiping at a light switch or a doorway polishes the sheen to a shine. That is the trade for the leveling, and it is why the washability score sits at 6 out of 10. Wipe gently, and if a spot has already burnished, re-roll the wall to a corner rather than dabbing at it.
What does Cashmere cost, and can I pay less?
SW lists it around $70 to $75 a gallon, but runs 30 to 40 percent off sales often enough that it drops near $55. Ask the counter about contractor pricing too — even a homeowner can usually open a pro account in a few minutes. On a whole-room or multi-room job the 5-gallon bucket drops the per-gallon cost further.
Ask a Question
Mid-project with Cashmere? Stuck between two cans?
Ask Maya below — every question gets a real reply, usually within a day. Rolled Cashmere in a living or dining room lately? Tell us the sheen, the color, and how the wall reads under raking afternoon light.