Please talk paint with me.
I need help narrowing down all the options for exterior paints. There are just so many to choose from that it is hard to stop from feeling a bit overwhelmed. Our go to interior paint is usually Kilz because we loved the coverage on our plaster walls and the great containers ( which they don't use anymore). The fact that it is very affordable for a gallon is also a nice little bonus.
With the garage/barn we want whatever paint that will provide the best durability for a long time. Something that will stand up to the elements without looking like a POS in a few years. Our only experience with exterior paint is with Finneran and Haley a few years ago and we weren't overly thrilled. Besides they aren't even in business anymore.
We're leaning towards Sherwin Williams, but would LOVE some input and real life experiences with exterior paint. Is paying top dollar necessary? Or is there a cheaper gem option?
Many many many thanks!
We painted the exterior of our home (all wood) about 4 years ago with Sherwin Williams and I have nothing but good things to say about it. I believe it comes with a 25 year warranty, too. I used a primer (SW brand) and then followed up with the top color coat. My neighbor used the Lowe's brand and he had to repaint after 2 years. Our's still looks as good as the day we first painted it.
ReplyDeleteWe had our house painted last year and the painter used Sherwin Williams and Duron paint. I think that's pretty much the standard, but I have seen a few painters using Benjamin Moore on the exterior as well (much more pricier!).
ReplyDeleteOur painters used Kwal paints - "liquid vinyl" - which is really an acrylic. I can't vouch for the durability since it has only been 1 season. I think they used it because of the price point and they knew how to mix it for their air sprayer.
ReplyDeleteFor my own external painting, I used Lowe's Valspar Duramax - lifetime warranty. It goes on thick and smooth, and I did like brushing it on. It is the most expensive of the paints from the big box stores, but with a lifetime guarantee I had to try it as our old barn's siding was not in great shape. This is supposedly a self-priming paint but I still went with Kilz primer to block the stains.
My neighbor is a carpenter and he went for the highest end paint job: oil based primer tinted to the final color, then two coats of oil based paint. He removed all the siding and painted both sides before hanging it as well. It took months (OK, weeks) to dry. I know he made the workers hand paint with brushes instead of rollers or sprayers as well... I'm not sure why but he is really into long-term durability so perhaps there is some reasoning there. I do know oil paint will last longer. Sometimes linseed oil will refresh the paint as well if you use oil. I couldn't put the time or effort into the oil treatment.
Lastly there is 50 year oil based paint here... but again price is prohibitive.
http://www.silentpaintremover.com/
We have a 60+ year old home in the burbs of Baltimore. We used the Sherwin Williams Duration paint on it in the spring of 2007 - it still looks like we just did it. What I liked most about it was the minimum of prep needed. NO primer - just paint and it became one with the siding.
ReplyDeleteThe past few weekends I've noticed very good sale prices as well. Week before last it was 40% off.
ann
I'm normally a big paint nerd, but I've never used exterior paint. That being said, for interiors, my favorite brand is Benjamin Moore with Sherwin Williams coming in second. I don't think you can go wrong with Sherwin Williams.
ReplyDeleteWe just used Sherwin Williams Loxon base coat with Resilience top coat (2) on our masonry. It went on really easy with an inexpensive paint sprayer. I can't say much about the wearability of it yet because it's only been on one wall for three weeks - but what I can say is that the dudes at Sherwin Williams were REALLY helpful to us in making our decisions. They knew what color wear would be like - i.e., yellow fades much faster than blue - and there are some colors that they will not tint exterior paints in because it fades too rapidly. I like it when a company won't sell you a bad product.
ReplyDeleteNow - per my blog entry on damp plaster - have you ever run into a plaster wall with moisture damage that WILL NOT dry out?!! We're at a loss and frustrated - and seriously - it's like a 2x2 spot! Grr.
Nota, are you talking about a water spot that keeps reappearing through the paint or it literally won't dry? If it won't dry, there's a more serious problem of why it's occuring. But if it's just a water spot (visual, not damp) that keeps appearing through the paint you just have to keep priming the heck out of it with an oil-based primer. It will cover the spot eventually but you may have to reapply every few days for a week or two.
ReplyDeleteI used Lowe's Valspar Duramax & loved it. My house hadn't been painted in over 10 years & I wanted something self-priming. Like Joosmeister said, it went on thick & smooth & had excellent coverage. I was doing it by myself so it took over a year for me to finish but that has been 3 years & it all still looks like it did when I first painted it. My neighbors liked it so much they also bought Duramax when they painted their house.
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