Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, has produced quality paint since 1883, when the young Benjamin Moore, a recent Irish immigrant, began his paint business venture with his brother, William, in a small building in Brooklyn, NY.

The brothers began manufacturing a product called Calsom Finish, a calsomine coating for walls and ceilings. The company made a profit the very first year. William left the organization and Robert Moore, another of Benjamin's brothers, contributed $2,000 and joined the venture. Shortly afterward, the present New Jersey Corporation was organized, and the firm moved to Newark, NJ.

Throughout the 20th century, new products developed rapidly, including washable flat finishes, lead- free paints, and latex-based products. While steady growth marked the first half of the century, the post WWII period experienced dramatic results. Currently, Benjamin Moore & Co., now headquartered in Montvale, NJ, produces paint in manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States and Canada.

Today, Benjamin Moore & Co. continues to develop and produce new paint products, such as Eco Spec®, a solvent-free, low odor, low VOC, water-thinnable coating system that utilizes our own advanced materials technology.

And while product offerings have expanded and changed, Mr. Benjamin Moore's original philosophy for guiding the company remains in effect to this day:

"First . . . a fair deal for everyone.

Second . . . the giving of value received without any graft or chicanery.

Third . . . a recognition of the value of truth in the representation of our products and an effort at all times to keep the standard of our goods up to the highest mark.

And last . . the practice of strict economy without the spirit of parsimony, and the exercise of intelligent industry in the spirit of integrity."



Research and Development

One reason Benjamin Moore & Co. consistently delivers the kind of quality that customers have known & rely on is the ongoing, rigorous, scientific testing to which all our products are subjected.

More than one hundred chemists, chemical engineers, technicians and support staff maintain Benjamin Moore & Co.'s stringent product standards as well as develop new products. Our technical staff operates out of eight team-based laboratories at the company's 80,000 square foot Technical & Administrative Center, located in Flanders, NJ. Each lab, equipped with state-of the art instruments, focuses on a specific area of coating expertise. Together, they develop all Benjamin Moore paint formulas. All the laboratories work along with Benjamin Moore & Co.'s manufacturing plants and marketing department to address the varied needs and demands of the professional, commercial, industrial, and do-it-yourself markets.

The Analytic Laboratory uses sophisticated instruments and technologies to analyze new and existing Benjamin Moore paint formulations as well as those of other manufacturers.


The Competitive Evaluations Laboratory tests Benjamin Moore's exterior products, as well as competitive brands at two exteriors testing stations (referred to as "farms") -- one in New Jersey, the other in Florida. Weather extremes work their worst on over 20,000 exposed test panels painted (or stained) for periods of time up to 15 years. The panels are analyzed and existing formulations maintained or new formulations developed. Competitive product claims are tested in this lab as well.

The Central Process Lab audits the quality of all Benjamin Moore & Co. products. (This is in addition to the batch testing conducted every day, at each Benjamin Moore plant, on all products as they come off the production line.)

The Latex Coatings Laboratory and the Solvent Coatings Laboratory develop new latex- and solvent-based coatings and continually test and enhance the performance capabilities of existing products while ensuring that these products meet or exceed environmental regulations, customer expectations, and stringent company standards.

The Industrial Maintenance Finishes Laboratory develops high-performance coatings designed to fight corrosion in industrial applications, such as in factories, on tanks, etc.

The Polymer Laboratory is where most of the actual research at Benjamin Moore & Co. takes place. It is here that almost all of the binders used in our products are developed and/or improved. Most paint companies buy their polymers from outside sources. But our in-house production provides superior quality assurance by allowing us to tailor binder formulations for our specific requirements.


The Color Assurance Laboratory provides factory standards that ensure the consistency of Benjamin Moore's ready-mixed colors. These standards are distributed to all plants. Color Assurance also monitors the accuracy of all the chips on our company's color cards used in color merchandising.

The Color Technology Laboratory developed the industry's first computerized color matching system that became the industry's standard and continues to enhance our color matching capabilities. Here scientists review and evaluate new color matching equipment and technologies.

The Color Development Laboratory maintains the prescriptions for colors, and periodically reexamines formulas for existing colors and develops formulas for new colors. It is here that new colorants are developed.


At our Exterior Testing Facility, more commonly known as the Test Farm, we evaluate the performance of over 25,000 coating samples as they do battle with extreme conditions.

Vital Test Farm data can be rapidly incorporated into the company’s day-to-day research and development activities, because it is literally just steps away from the labs where Benjamin Moore & Co. paint is tested and formulated. The farm is easily accessible to every Benjamin Moore & Co. chemist, making it a valuable source of R&D inspiration and information. Chemists can visit the facility throughout the day to gauge how their coatings are performing. Sales and marketing staff also use the farm as an essential resource for product information.