Kelly-Moore Paint Guide for California Homes

If you've driven around Contra Costa County or the East Bay, you've probably passed a Kelly-Moore Paints store. This California-based paint company has been around since 1946, and they've built a strong reputation among homeowners and contractors in the Bay Area. But is Kelly-Moore the right choice for your painting project in Lafayette, Walnut Creek, or anywhere in Northern California?

We're Lamorinda Painting, a fully licensed and insured painting company based in Lafayette, CA. We've been painting homes throughout the East Bay and greater Bay Area for over two decades, and we've used just about every paint brand available. In this guide, we'll walk you through Kelly-Moore's product lineup, how their paints perform in California's climate, where to buy them locally, and how they compare to other major brands. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and our estimates are always free.

Who Is Kelly-Moore and Why Do California Homeowners Like Them?

Kelly-Moore Paints started in San Carlos, California, in 1946. Unlike national brands that operate everywhere, Kelly-Moore focuses primarily on the West Coast, with most of their stores in California, Texas, and a handful of other western states. This regional focus means they understand California's climate, building styles, and homeowner needs better than brands that try to serve every market.

One of the biggest advantages of Kelly-Moore is local availability and service. You can walk into a Kelly-Moore store in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, or San Ramon and talk to staff who know the area, understand local weather conditions, and can recommend products for the specific challenges East Bay homes face—intense summer sun, seasonal moisture swings, and the mix of stucco, wood siding, and Hardie board common in Contra Costa County.

Kelly-Moore also caters heavily to professional contractors. Many painting companies in the Bay Area have accounts with Kelly-Moore because the stores offer contractor pricing, delivery services, and product support. This means their paints are formulated to meet the standards that pros expect: good coverage, easy application, durability, and consistent color matching.

Kelly-Moore Product Lines for California Homes

Kelly-Moore offers several paint lines designed for different budgets and performance levels. Understanding these tiers helps you choose the right product for your project.

Acry-Plex: The Premium Line

Acry-Plex is Kelly-Moore's top-tier paint, and it's what we typically recommend for most interior and exterior projects in Contra Costa County. This line uses 100% acrylic resins, which means better adhesion, flexibility, and resistance to fading and chalking compared to paints that blend acrylic with vinyl or other binders.

For interiors, Acry-Plex offers excellent coverage, smooth application, and a durable finish that holds up to cleaning and daily wear. It's available in multiple sheens—flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss—so you can match the finish to each room's needs. The paint goes on smoothly with a brush or roller, and it dries quickly, which is important in California's dry climate where you want to move fast to avoid lap marks.

For exteriors, Acry-Plex provides strong UV resistance and color retention, which matters on south- and west-facing walls that get hammered by California sun. The paint is formulated to expand and contract with temperature changes, reducing the risk of cracking and peeling. We've used Acry-Plex on wood siding, stucco, and fiber cement in Lafayette and Moraga, and it consistently performs well over 7 to 10 years with proper surface prep.

Dunn-Edwards Partnership Products

Kelly-Moore and Dunn-Edwards merged in 2020, so you'll now find Dunn-Edwards products sold at Kelly-Moore stores. This gives you access to Dunn-Edwards' premium lines like Evershield and Aristoshield, which are also excellent choices for California homes. The merger expanded the product selection available at Kelly-Moore locations, which is a win for homeowners who want more options without driving all over town.

Mid-Tier and Budget Lines

Kelly-Moore also offers mid-tier paints that use acrylic blends rather than pure acrylic resins. These paints cost less but don't perform as well over time—you'll see more fading, lower hide (coverage), and shorter lifespan. For rental properties, garages, or low-traffic interior spaces, these paints can make sense. For your main living areas or exterior walls, we recommend sticking with the premium Acry-Plex or Dunn-Edwards lines.

How Kelly-Moore Paints Perform in California's Climate

California's Mediterranean climate—dry summers, mild winters, intense UV exposure, and seasonal temperature swings—puts unique demands on paint. Kelly-Moore's products are formulated with these conditions in mind.

UV Resistance and Fade Protection

The biggest challenge for exterior paint in California is UV radiation. Sunlight breaks down paint resins and pigments, causing fading and chalking. Kelly-Moore's Acry-Plex exterior paints include UV inhibitors that slow this breakdown. Lighter colors naturally resist fading better than dark colors, but even deep blues, greens, and grays hold their color reasonably well with Acry-Plex.

If you have south- or west-facing walls in Walnut Creek or Concord, expect any paint to fade faster than on shaded or north-facing surfaces. Kelly-Moore's premium lines handle this better than budget paints, but all exterior finishes will eventually need touch-ups or repainting, typically every 7 to 10 years depending on sun exposure and surface prep quality.

Moisture Resistance and Breathability

California's rainy season brings moisture, and homes in the East Bay can see mold and mildew growth on exterior walls, especially on north-facing surfaces or areas shaded by trees. Kelly-Moore's exterior paints include mildewcides to resist this growth. The paints are also formulated to breathe, allowing moisture vapor to escape from inside the wall rather than trapping it behind the paint film, which can cause peeling and blistering.

For interiors, Kelly-Moore's paints dry quickly in California's low humidity, which is generally a good thing. However, quick drying can make it harder to maintain a wet edge when rolling walls, so you need to work efficiently to avoid lap marks. Experienced painters know to keep a wet edge and blend sections as they go.

Expansion and Contraction

Temperature swings between day and night—and between summer and winter—cause building materials to expand and contract. Paint needs to flex with this movement without cracking. Kelly-Moore's acrylic paints are designed to stay flexible over time, reducing the risk of cracking on wood siding, stucco, and trim. Proper surface prep (cleaning, scraping, priming) is just as important as paint quality when it comes to preventing adhesion failures.

Where to Buy Kelly-Moore Paint in Contra Costa County

One of Kelly-Moore's strengths is their network of local stores staffed by knowledgeable employees. In Contra Costa County and the East Bay, you'll find Kelly-Moore locations in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, and other nearby cities. These stores offer color matching, custom tinting, and advice on which products to use for your specific project.

You can also order paint online through Kelly-Moore's website and pick it up at a local store, which saves time if you already know what you need. For contractors, Kelly-Moore offers delivery services, which is a big plus when you're managing multiple job sites.

Compared to buying paint at a big-box retailer like Home Depot or Lowe's, shopping at a Kelly-Moore store gives you access to more specialized products and better customer service. The staff can answer technical questions about primers, surface prep, application methods, and drying times—information that's harder to get from a part-time retail employee at a chain store.

Kelly-Moore vs Other Major Paint Brands

How does Kelly-Moore stack up against national brands like Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, Behr, and PPG? The answer depends on what you're comparing.

Kelly-Moore vs Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams is the gold standard for many professional painters. Their premium lines like Duration and Emerald offer exceptional coverage, durability, and color consistency. Kelly-Moore's Acry-Plex competes well with Sherwin-Williams' mid-to-upper-tier products, but most pros agree that Sherwin-Williams' top lines edge out Kelly-Moore in overall performance, especially for challenging applications like cabinets or high-traffic commercial spaces.

However, Kelly-Moore often costs less than comparable Sherwin-Williams paints, and the local service at Kelly-Moore stores is generally better than what you'll find at a busy Sherwin-Williams retail location. For most residential painting projects in Lafayette or Moraga, Kelly-Moore's Acry-Plex delivers excellent results at a more affordable price.

Kelly-Moore vs Benjamin Moore

Benjamin Moore is another premium brand favored by high-end painters and designers. Their paints are known for rich, deep colors and smooth, buttery application. Benjamin Moore's Aura and Regal Select lines are top-tier products that perform beautifully, but they come with a premium price tag.

Kelly-Moore's Acry-Plex is a solid mid-to-upper-tier alternative that costs less. If you're painting a luxury home in Orinda or Danville and want the absolute best color depth and finish, Benjamin Moore is worth the investment. For most projects, Kelly-Moore offers a great balance of quality and value.

Kelly-Moore vs Behr (Home Depot)

Behr is widely available at Home Depot and offers a range of products from budget to premium. Behr's top lines like Marquee and Ultra perform reasonably well, but many professional painters find that Behr doesn't cover as well in one coat, has a thicker, stickier consistency, and doesn't hold up as long as Kelly-Moore or Sherwin-Williams.

Kelly-Moore's Acry-Plex generally outperforms Behr in coverage, durability, and ease of application. If you're a homeowner doing a DIY project, Behr is convenient because you can grab it at Home Depot. If you want better results and don't mind a trip to a Kelly-Moore store, the upgrade is worth it.

Kelly-Moore vs Dunn-Edwards

As mentioned earlier, Kelly-Moore and Dunn-Edwards merged, so you can now buy Dunn-Edwards products at Kelly-Moore stores. Dunn-Edwards has a strong reputation in California, particularly for their Evershield exterior paint, which is formulated for intense sun and dry climates. If you're choosing between Kelly-Moore Acry-Plex and Dunn-Edwards Evershield, both are excellent—Dunn-Edwards might have a slight edge in UV resistance, while Kelly-Moore offers great value.

The bottom line: Kelly-Moore is a strong regional brand that competes well with the big national names. You get quality products, local service, and pricing that's often better than Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore.

Tips for Choosing Kelly-Moore Paint for Your California Home

When you visit a Kelly-Moore store to buy paint for your Lafayette, Walnut Creek, or Contra Costa County home, keep these tips in mind:

Stick with Acry-Plex for main living areas and exteriors. The premium line is worth the extra cost for rooms you see every day and exterior walls that face harsh sun and weather.

Ask about color consistency. Kelly-Moore uses computerized color matching, but pigment batches can vary slightly between gallons. For large projects, buy all your paint at once and have the store mix it together (called "boxing") to ensure uniform color.

Choose the right sheen. Flat or matte finishes hide wall imperfections but are harder to clean. Eggshell and satin are good all-around choices for interior walls. Semi-gloss works well for trim, doors, and moisture-prone areas like bathrooms and kitchens. For exteriors, flat or low-luster finishes are typical for siding, while semi-gloss is common for trim and doors.

Don't skip primer. Even with a high-quality paint like Acry-Plex, you need to prime bare wood, patched drywall, and stained or heavily textured surfaces. Kelly-Moore offers primers designed for different substrates—ask the store staff which one to use for your project.

Consider the color in California light. Paint colors look different in Northern California's bright, clear light compared to cloudier climates. Test your color choices with sample pots on the actual walls or siding before committing to full gallons. Look at the samples in morning light, midday sun, and evening shade.

Why Hire a Professional Painter Instead of DIY?

Kelly-Moore makes quality paint accessible to homeowners, and many people successfully tackle DIY painting projects. However, professional painters bring experience, tools, and techniques that make a big difference in the final result.

We've been painting homes in Lafayette, Moraga, Orinda, and throughout the East Bay for over 20 years. We know how to prepare surfaces properly—scraping, sanding, caulking, and priming—so the paint bonds well and lasts. We have the equipment to handle two-story exteriors, high ceilings, and intricate trim work safely and efficiently. We protect your furniture, floors, and landscaping, and we always leave your home spotless when the job is done.

When you hire us, you get access to contractor pricing on paint, which can offset some of the labor cost. We also know which products work best for specific applications—when to use Acry-Plex, when to upgrade to Sherwin-Williams, and when a mid-tier paint makes sense. Our attention to detail sets us apart, and we're fully licensed and insured.

If you're considering a painting project and want to explore whether Kelly-Moore or another brand is right for your home, we're happy to walk you through the options during your free estimate.

FAQs About Kelly-Moore Paint for California Homes

Where can I buy Kelly-Moore paint in Contra Costa County? Kelly-Moore has stores in Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, San Ramon, and other East Bay cities. You can also order online and pick up at a local store.

Is Kelly-Moore paint good quality? Yes, especially their premium Acry-Plex line. It competes well with mid-to-upper-tier products from Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore, often at a lower price point.

How does Kelly-Moore paint perform in California's climate? Kelly-Moore formulates their paints for the West Coast, so they handle UV exposure, dry heat, and seasonal moisture well. Their Acry-Plex exterior paint is a solid choice for California homes.

Can I use Kelly-Moore paint on stucco? Yes, Kelly-Moore's exterior paints work well on stucco, which is common in California. Make sure the surface is clean, properly primed if needed, and free of loose material.

Is Kelly-Moore cheaper than Sherwin-Williams? Generally, yes. Kelly-Moore's premium Acry-Plex costs less than Sherwin-Williams' top-tier products like Duration and Emerald, while still delivering excellent performance.

Do professional painters use Kelly-Moore? Yes, many contractors in California use Kelly-Moore because of their contractor support, local availability, and strong product performance.

Can I color-match Kelly-Moore paint to another brand? Yes, Kelly-Moore can match colors from Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore, and other brands using their computerized color-matching system. Bring a sample or color chip to the store.

Ready to Paint Your California Home?

Choosing the right paint brand is one part of a successful painting project. Proper surface prep, skilled application, and using the right products for your specific surfaces are just as important. Whether you decide on Kelly-Moore, Sherwin-Williams, or another brand, we can help you make the best choice for your budget and goals.

We offer high-quality painting services at affordable prices, and we're based right here in Lafayette, serving the entire East Bay and greater Bay Area. Give us a call at (925) 890-0361 or email us at lamorindapainting@gmail.com to schedule your free estimate. Let's transform your home with a fresh, durable finish that lasts for years.