Inevitably the question comes…”Well what paint do you use?” It is in response to this question that this article is written. All to often I here about work done, even by other contractors, that fails despite the best preparation. Given the amount of work involved, it can be very frustrating for all parties concerned. The elements have plenty to throw at the side of you house. Depending on the situation of your home, you maybe more prone to having problems than you neighbor. Why play games with the final outcome by saving a few buck on a can of paint.

Surprisingly, you can’t trust consumer reports when it comes to paint. Their studies on paint do not consider a large portion of the market and they don’t always use a company’s top of the line in their comparisons. One of their comparisons I read mentioned five different Glidden paints while Benjamin Moore, Daily’s, Parker, Rhodda, Miller, Kelly Moore and Behr were not even mentioned. Another one rated a Sherwin Williams exterior paint bottom of the list. It was their best paint….five years ago!

The other thing to keep in mind is that there is variance with each brand depending on the specific product. Most brands have some products that are better in some areas than others and some companies make lower priced paint that isn’t quite as good. Given all of that, these are the paints we prefer:

Exterior siding (wood): Sherwin Williams Duration, Sherwin Williams Super Paint and Benjamin Moore MooreLife-We like the flat finish of MooreLife unless it is a total restoration. Sherwin Williams Duration is a self-priming paint. This means that if there is some minor priming to do, you can just paint right over it and the first coat will act as a primer. For environmentally friendly paints we use Best Paint.

Exterior primer: Sherwin Williams A100 (oil) and Benjamin Moore Moore White (oil). These are slow dry primers. Many painters use quick dry primers that allow you to paint the same day. The problem is the primer doesn’t get to soak into the wood and give you the protection you want.

Exterior Latex Primer: We use Peel Bond for a latex based product that is excellent for partially sanded exteriors.
If you don’t have bare wood, Benjamin Moore Fresh Start works well and can prime over metal!

Exterior Metal: Sherwin Williams Industrial Enamel and Benjamin Moore Metal and Wood Enamel. Oil or latex, both of these products make the grade.

Interior Ceilings and Walls: Benjamin Moore Regal Wall Satin and Miller Devine Paints. Daly’s C2 is
also a quality interior paint.

Interior trim: Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo

High end quality finish: Fine Paints of Europe provides a superior finish although at a significant upgrade in cost.

Eco friendly paints: Best Paint and Safe Coat.

Sky Sternberg

::The Paint We Use, January 21, 2004