As a former Sherwin-Williams sales rep and a current Atlanta painter, I know A LOT about different kinds of coatings. I have homeowners often ask me, “What is the best paint” or “Paint is Paint, Right?” Obviously, there is not a one-word or definitive answer for these questions.
I’m going to set this up as a quasi-FAQ.
Q. Paint is paint, right?
A. Wrong. Paint, like most other products, is manufactured for numerous applications and various levels of quality. Since this article is geared towards Atlanta House Painting, I will answer questions using this theme. When choosing an exterior paint, you have three different variables that you must think about.
- Which brand of paint do you use?
- What quality within that brand do you need?
- Which sheen will you use for your home?
Here are the answers to these questions by number.
1) All major paint manufacturers offer dozens of different paint options. They offer different levels of quality, durability, and warranty. The manufacturers that I believe offer the best quality paints at the best prices are Sherwin-Williams, PPG, Benjamin-Moore, and Duron. These companies offer the widest selection, the best warranties, and have the most knowledgable staffs.
The kinds of paint that I don’t like are the paints that you buy at “Big Box” stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. I don’t care what Consumer Reports says, Behr does not make the best paint. Most professional painters will charge extra when a customer insists on using Behr because they know that it is going to be a lot more work to make the paint look good. I don’t know why this is.
2) Once you have decided what brand of paint you want to use, you need to decide what quality you want. All of the manufacturers offer different “grades” of paint. I recommend using a high quality paint for your home. If you are using a reputable Atlanta painter, then it shouldn’t cost that much money to use high quality paint. Good painters in Atlanta get significant discounts when they buy paint. Honest paint contractors don’t mark up their material cost. For an average exterior, you use 15-20 gallons for the body of the home and 6-12 for the windows, doors, trim. Figure that cheap paint costs about $16/gallon and “premium” paint cost about $24/gallon. This represents about $100 to give yourself a superior finished product.
3) What sheen do you use? For your home’s soffit, fascia, gutters, windows, doors, trim, and shutters you should use a semi-gloss or gloss. Using a higher sheen is nice because it makes these areas look cleaner and makes them “pop out.” For you siding, you can choose be a flat finish or a satin finish. Here are the pros and cons of each…
Flat Finish – Flats do the best job of hiding surface imperfection (i.e. warped siding, patches, touch-ups). Flats are bad about holding dirt and staining easier because of their porosity.
Satin Finish – Satins will show more surface imperfections than flats, but they are easier to clean, more durable, and resist staining better than flats.
I hope that this article helped. Remember that GreenWave Solutions offers Atlanta Painting, including free estimates, color consultations, and written warranties. Our service area includes Alpharetta, Buckhead, Brookhaven, Cumming, Dunwoody, Marietta, Midtown, Roswell, Sandy Springs, and Virginia Highlands.