Shopping for exterior paint

[rtz]

Repainting an attached garage. Haven't even begun shopping for paint. I know wallyworld sells it and the big box stores. And then there are "paint stores" of all things. Never been in one.

Is paint, paint and the price is all the same everywhere? Or is there some junk paint out there or some places charging double or triple?

Or should I just save time and get the best price and drive straight to the paint store?

Someone who has recently bought paint or paints for a living; give me a quick crash course if you don't mind. Thanks.

 

[Davefr]

My $.02 worth.

Prep is the most important factor. I'd rather use homecenter paint on a well prepared substrate then premium paint on an improperly prepared surface.

However the best would be to use premium paint on a properly prep'd surface.

When it comes to paint you get what you pay for. Homecenter paint is mediocre. Top shelf paint at a real paint store will perform much better. (ex: Benjamin Moore, Sherwin Williams). The sweet spot is often the line of paint just below their top offering.

I'd avoid anything with the name Behr. The pros have a saying. "It's better to have Bare walls then Behr on the walls." It goes on like molasses and covers like water.

You might also see if there are any regional paints in your area. They are premium quality at decent prices. (ex: Dunn Edwards, Miller, etc)

P.S. This time of year Sherwin Williams runs 30-40% off sales.

 

[Hollywood D]

Sherwin Williams for exterior. About $60 a gallon but if you sign up for their perks program or whatever it is you get coupons every so often for 30% off.

You can skimp ok interior paint since it’s not subject to the wear and tear of the elements. Sherwin Williams exterior will last you around 8 to 10 years before needing a second coat.

 

[GarageGuy89]

I have used all of the above. The big box store paints are **** in my opinion. Go to the paint store and save yourself the headache. It is worth the extra couple dollars. Just remember, most paint jobs sit for decades before someone actually maintains it again. So you are spending an extra dollar or so a year per gallon.

The paint stores can actually match colors, whereas the big box places don't quite get it right, and they play stupid when you do come back and show them.

 

[Daubs]

My brother is a school teacher and paints houses in the summer. He's been doing this for 20+ years. When it came time to paint my house, he said there is only one choice...Sherwin Williams Duration. He sprayed on, then back-brushed the entire house. then did a second coat the same way.

A year later my house got hammer, I mean HAMMERED with baseball sized hail. Insurance replaced my roof, gutters, and many windows...but they could find no damage to the paint / siding.

Nuff said.

 

[steveo1o9]

I am a big fan of Sherwin Williams after going through my house painting room to room. I started with crappy big box store paint and was underwhelmed. I finally went to Sherwin Williams and got the results I wanted. The best thing about a good paint store is they know their products and can make recommendations on the proper paint for your needs. The big box store will just mix whatever you give then and don't care. I have been in Sherwin Williams 3 times this week since they did their 40% off sale rolled into a 30% off sale. The guy at the counter always asks what you're painting to make sure you get the right thing. You certainly don't have to buy the best but don't let saving a few bucks create twice the work down the road.

Also Sherwin Williams creates an account for you and saves all the paint codes you buy so you don't need to keep track of the specific colors you have used over the years. I would imagine most paint stores would do this.

 

[Davefr]

The paint stores can actually match colors, whereas the big box places don't quite get it right, and they play stupid when you do come back and show them.

^^That's a good point.

I've seen how a real paint store will use the computer to initially match your sample but then they'll fine tune the formula by eye until they get a perfect match. (even if they have to scrap some paint in the process). Then they'll store the formula in their computer system for future use. They also keep all their paint matching machines calibrated.

I've found it best to drop off the sample and then come back later to give them time to get it right.

I see professional trades people at HD and Lowes but never in their paint department.

 

[nadogail]

We own a few houses we rent out, been specifying Dunn Edwards without regret.

 

[Stuart in MN]

Spend a little more money for a quality brand. I like Benjamin Moore, but Sherwin-Williams and others are good too. And, remember that no matter what quality paint you use, it won't last if you don't do proper preparation beforehand.

 

[polizei1]

My new construction home was just painted using Sherwin-Williams A-100.

https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/a100-exterior-acrylic-latex

Sherwin-Williams was also used on the interior walls, along with PPG (Porter) for the interior trim, can't go wrong with either IMO. Sherwin-Williams sends me 30-40% off coupons all the time via email if you sign up.

 

[WNYflyer]

For the exterior of my detached block garage I typically buy the next step down from the best from Sherwin Williams. I don't skimp on the exterior that is subjected to our extreme swings in weather. I do too much prep work to mess it all up by skimping on the paint.

 

[yeldogt]

I typically use Ben Moore -- But have used SW paint with great results. The mid grade in each would be fine for a garage. The BM low luster siding paint is very nice and holds up well -- The BM Aura interior paint is superior .. exterior I don't see any difference vs my favorite Moorglo. I prefer the BM oil primers. SW for deck and fence paint/stain.

Painting is all about proper prepping and getting used to using a particular paint -- someone who uses a particular paint all the time gets good at application

 

[jfrey123]

I used to work for ICI/Dulux (before Azko Nobel bought them), in a store mixing before I became a sales rep. My experience has taught me *every* brand has cheap **** and decent midrange stuff.

Prep is 90% of the job with any paint. Do good prep and you’ll get ten fold better results. Remove all old flakey material and dirt, spot prime bare spots, etc. Then apply TWO coats of your new paint, even if one coat covers it. As that first coat wears, the second coat remains to extend the life of the job. You also want to pick a sheen, either an eggshell or a satin, for extended durability and weather resistance.

Avoid Wal-Mart and similar. They don’t make their own paint, meaning one of the real manufacturers made it for them and put a Wal-mart label on it, and if Wal-Mart can then afford to price it below a paint shop’s brands, it’s obvious QC and raw material quality were sacrificed.

 

[Platonic Solid]

Let's take this to the next level. I've done lots of painting in my life and learned many years ago not only to use quality paint, but quality paint brushes. A good quality brush makes the job go twice as fast and look twice as good. With a steady hand and a quality brush, you don't need to tape things off. Example - The right way to paint a window is not to use tape and let a tiny bead hit the glass to create a seal.

I've never worked with a sprayer, but would be interested in any sprayer recommendations and whether it's worth the investment.

 

[rburke65]

Sherwin Williams bent over backwards to match a paint to a decal I hade for a project.

 

[evintho]

I'll be painting my home exterior in September using Sherwin-Williams. All SW stores will be running a 40% off sale on all paints and stains Sept. 21-24.

 

[Lynden]

My parents live in a large retirement community in Northern California. The houses get painted every 8-9 years, whether they need it or not. The painter uses Kelly-Moore AcryShield.

 

[Davefr]

I've never worked with a sprayer, but would be interested in any sprayer recommendations and whether it's worth the investment.

You can probably train a Rhesus Monkey to spray paint.

But, to achieve a consistent paint film thickness, (as specified by the paint manufacturer), across all parts of the substrate requires a high level of skill/experience.

You can walk away from a sprayed paint job but in a couple years it can look like **** unless it was done right.

As a newbie, if you want to spray then use the sprayer to apply the paint and then backbrush or backroll. That will make a huge difference.

The other issue with spraying is that everything in the area needs to be covered/masked and that's very time consuming. (including you neighbor's car.)

 

[brokeboater]

I've painted many a house but all my own personal houses and business properties. I am big on prep so I concur with the folks saying prep is more important that paint. I've had, with one exception, excellent results with the better quality big box paint. I painted the place I'm in now seven years ago, SmartPanel siding with kiln dried cedar trim. Prime then two coats. I use Behr on the siding because that's the color the sig wanted, then Lowe's Storm Coat primer and semi-gloss trim. Zero issues in seven years here. The only bad experience I had was painting a commercial building I was in. It was Home Depot paint but I'm not sure is was Behr, I may have cheaped out and that may have been the problem. Whatever it was I couldn't get any of that paint to cover. It would seem to go on then the pigment would disappear as it dried. I probably put on four coats and it still looked like ****. But that was the only issue I've ever had with big box paint.

 

[nh_yota]

I use Ben Moore because that's what the local paint store and hardware stores carry, and it's always worked well for me. There's a Sherwin Williams store in town also but it seems like they only cater to the pros. I've used big box store paint in the past and was never impressed with it.

As other people have said, each brand usually sells three levels of paint - cheap, mid-range and expensive. You need to look at it this way - if a gallon of cheap paint costs $25 but it takes two coats and a gallon of expensive paint costs $50 and only takes one coat - even though the cost is the same you will save labor using the expensive paint.

 

[yeldogt]

The OP is asking about paint ... painting and results is a whole other thing. I see a lot of bad paint jobs that have nothing to do with the paint ...

great paints jobs are very rare ..

 

[555]

Sherwin Williams purchased at the paint store has been our best paint. Great color matching and they can provide advice when needed.

 

[hamnajain]

I have been planning to repaint my car garage here in Dubai for a long time.I have visited many popular paint showrooms and took the valuable opinions from various paint consultants before repainting my garage.Then last month, I have repainted my car garage with exterior texture paints as it will enhance the durability of the external garage wall surfaces. The exterior texture paints offers immense resistance against heat,UV rays,water,wind,fungus etc. and requires very less maintenance. Two paint experts repainted my garage with brushes,rollers,trowels etc and gave a perfect finishing on the garage wall surfaces by hiding the imperfections on the same.

After repainting my car garage, I find it very easy to clean my garage wall surfaces with a little water and it always keeps them clean and fresh. These exterior paints are really reliable and gave an impressive look to my car garage.

 

[ryangibson0026]

I recommend Prestige Paints E100-9 because It is one of the best exterior wood paint Its superiority comes from its self-priming nature, eco-friendliness, and cost-effective coverage. It is available in white color. And you can choose between satin, flat, or eggshell textures for exterior surfaces. Some variations are also available for indoor surfaces.

 

[Sumboodie]

I did my house interior with the top of the line Valspar.

If you pass your finger or rub a shoulder, or wipe a wall with a wet rag, it changes the sheen. Real cute there Valspar.
Also "guaranteed 1 coat" that took 2, almost needed 3.

 

[no704]

Here in Tempe AZ the local hazmat donation place mixes the reclaimed paint and tints it to two different colors. Residents can have all they want for free. I have used it twice in 20 years getting 15 gal in new buckets.

 

[rawen2]

I dislike painting so the paint I buy is usually top of the line or close to it so that I don't have to do it again for some time. I'm not sure if it's listed on all paints but the solids percentage will give you an idea of the quality of the paint. Better paints usually have higher percentages of solids.

Depending on where you live might have some impact on the paint you want. For example in the Pacific Northwest you'd want paint resistant to mold and mildew but in the AZ desert you might want a paint more resistant to UV.

 

[Bert_]

.... Three year old thread .....