Coke or Pepsi?
Ok, so I’m really NOT going to talk about soft drinks! We all know Pepsi is better anyway, right? What I am going to talk about today is brands of paint, is one really better than the others?
For the most part, the answer is yes! But only when comparing apples to apples. Just like the soft drink battles, one may prefer Coke over Pepsi or vice versa, but we can all agree that the quality and taste are pretty consistent from batch to batch. Throw in a generic brand of soft drink and the situation may change. It may be “ok”, but not up to the standards of the big brands.
Most paint formulations are basically the same. For many paints, water makes up the largest percentage of the ingredient list. For exterior paints, the next larges ingredient is the Acrylic, which is basically the “plastic” that give a paint its body. The more Acrylic content, the better the paint. The most expensive ingredient in paint is Titanium Dioxide. This naturally occurring compound give paint its UV inhibiting properties and makes the paint “whiter,” among other things. Generally the more TiO2 in your paint, the better it will perform and the longer it will last. This is especially true when it comes to dark colors!
All that technical stuff being said, most paint performs pretty well these days. As long as you are using comparable products, you should get comparable performance. For example, Sherwin Williams’ SuperPaint will perform about the same as Kwal’s Ambassador or Porter’s Acri-Shield. They are all 100% Acrylic exterior paints. The same would go for the “lifetime” paints I’ve discussed in the past. Sherwin Williams’ Duration should perform about the same as Kwal’s Legacy and Porter’s Permanizer.
Just like I’ve also discussed before, ignore the warranty! Performance is what you are looking for. Regardless of the brand of paint you purchase, plan on repainting every 5-7 years here in the Midwest. As long as your painter is doing a good job of preparing your home, this is the proper interval for painting. The more your home is shaded, the longer your paint will last.
I guess the moral of the story here is when picking a paint, make sure you are using a name brand, quality paint. All paint stores will match their paint to another manufacturer’s color. DO NOT let the colors you choose dictate the brand of paint you use! Again, it all comes down to the painter you choose. Even the best paint in the world won’t last if the painter doesn’t do his job properly! Be sure to check their references, check them out with the Better Business Bureau. If he’s an independent contractor out on his own, check him out to make sure he isn’t a felon or sex offender. Most of the time reputable companies won’t hire them so they go to work for themselves. Cover all your bases!
Check out my blog for other articles or if you have any questions: http://billthepainter.blogspot.com/
