Best House Paint

It's important to know what paint was used on it before. The new paint should be compatible. So for example if an alkyde paint was used, the new paint should be alkyde or oil based. If latex was used, then an exterior latex would be your best choice.

It's always had latex, which is now acrylic. I expect to pay US $40-50/ gal. for the paint.

What brand do the painters use on their own house? That is, if they ever paint their own houses.

agh. that's a hit. I guess the price has gone up a lot since I last painted: I would expect to be painting with gold leaf at that price.. ok not really gold, but I have seen conductive silver paint for about the same price in USD, I swear...

I guess the brands are different in the states.. bet your painter can tell you what he uses (unless you are doing it yourself eh )

Your best bet is an exterior insulating paint from Hy-Tech, a company in Florida. It runs about $30/gal. and superinsulates your house. The paint was developed by NASA for space use and is now used by the U.S. government in its embassies in hot climates and by the Navy on all of its ships. The paint has microscopic ceramic beads with vacuum centers and you can either buy their paint in white only (in which case you would want to add color pigment) or buy the ceramic beads and add to your own paint. It works well either way. One gallon covers about 250 s.f. and 2 coats are required.

h2owalker

it may have the best insulating value, but based on nasa's string of exploding rockets and space shuttles and worthless billion dollar telescopes it would be safe to say that just because nasa uses it or does it, doesn't make it a good idea.

I'm a big fan of Dunn-Edwards, I use more of their specialty paints than house paint but I've always been happy with their quality and customer service.

Try Sikkens it's absolutely brill and needs only recoating (depending on the aspects) every three years or so.You will need to prep. carefully but from then on it's dead easy.

Mart

Maybe you can find this helpful:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home_journal/home_improvement/1276421.html?page=2

Had the same chipping problem here a few years back(5 i think).

We used a Sherwin Williams oil based paint and it has not flaked a bit in the years since it has been put on.

Proper preparation prevents piss poor performance at any rate.

I can't remember which line it was but it is very good paint. Check with your local SW dealer I am sure they can suggest a good paint for you and can even test a sample of your old paint to find the best paint for adhesion to the old.

Make sure that your surface is clean before you paint. Otherwise expect it to peel away sooner. Consumer Reports does pretty extensive testing on house paints. Usually you can find that info at your local ibrary.

One of the most important parts will be to clean the old paint. You can scrub by hand with TSP or powerwash with a house cleaner.

Regarding the paint I've heard to stay away from the cheap HD or Lowes paints such as Glidden or Behr. I'll admit I've used their interior paints and would stay away from Behr. Between the 2, Glidden covers much better. However, I've heard "real painters" say that you can't go wrong with Sherwin Williams or Benjamin Moore. Seems professional painters will either prefer one or the other.

I'd say find a paint that has elastic properties. Hard paints will eventually crack when exposed to the elements.

Two part latex marine paints? Certain varnish and urethane blends (Epifanes) have these elastic properties.

What's with the lye? How strong a solution? Use it only on the old paint or use it on the bare wood also? How long do you leave it on? What are the visible results you're looking for? This is the first time I'm hearing of using lye on painted surfaces for cleaning, not stripping -or- are we using the lye to strip the old paint?

If you have to - Use a dilute solution to kill of algae and moulds. Scrub till it goes - Wash well with water containing some detergent then rinse with clean water let it dry and you are in business.

The active ingredient in the bleach is volatile & no problem - worry more about getting rid of the muck which has stuck to the surface.

If the bleach takes off the paint it cannot be much use and you have a repaint job.

Thanks,

Good answer.

BTW, I am the owner, so I'm springing for it all. Arizona is pretty dry so I think mold isn't a big problem. All bids include power washing and scraping, and I'll be there to supervise. They shouldn't care, if they are doing the job properly, who watches.

It's looking more and more like Sherwin or Ben will win.

I plan to keep this place. Too much junk to move.

LL

If the present coating is sound then you have no problem doesn't matter what colour it is. no cracks and flaking. You have a firm foundation leave it alone - all you need is a fresh coating to maintain it and present a new surface for the UV and weather. Renew the outer layer but rub it down well first to ensure good adhesion and remove any surface rubbish caused by weathering. All the top paint companies are still in business because they make good stuff - caution they make different brands to cater for different users and pockets. They all rely upon the same technology so not a lot to pick and choose. Good service counts for a lot but this usually depends upon the supplier rather than the maker.

The golden rule is - never remove paint that is sound - rub it down and renew the surface!

In short, you will have to spend 80% of the time getting the preparations done. Have a professional around to supervise. Or pay him to do it for you. The spots that are hardest to clean are the ones were deterioration will start/come back first.

Don't forget to tention the V belt on the compressor, Ky.

The Consumer Reports test are extensive and valid--only for the paints tested. Unfortunately, by the time meaningful data is available on weathering lifes, the formulations have changed a lot.

ValSpar has a new 'premium' formulation ($40+/- per gal) with great performance data available. I would definitely NOT expect a painter to be using the best--unless he is guaranteeing the lifetime of the paint job. They are like any businessman--sell the customer what he want to buy-and most of the time that is low cost that lasts long enough for me to sell this house. And it is heavily biased by which paint wholesaler is giving him the best cash price--often 50% of list price which is what you get billed.

A clean chalk free surface is ESSENTIAL to achieving a peel-free paint job. I have found a simple cleaning solution--9:1 chlorine bleach:Simple Green in an end of the hose spray with metering adjustment set at max dosage. Let it sit 20 min then rinse off using direct hose water blast (not power wash pressure) but pressure from hose nozzle at 50# or so to dislodge clinging debris. Power washing can damage things quickly if not properly managed.

If the old is still chalky (leaves marks on a clean black cloth rubbed moderately hard on the surface) it must be 'primed' to get adequate adhesion.

How misleading can you get?

If the paint is in good condition and firmly adherent you have no problem - wash it down well and flat the surface. Make good any defective area by priming if necessary if substrate is wood. Then buy the best paint you can afford after deciding if you want it gloss, semigloss or matt and go for it. Modern latex paints are probably the best choice.

Messing around with fancy pretreatments can give you grief - they should only be needed in severe cases.

If you are really lazy...have it resided with a plastic siding. Your neighbors will know its plastic siding when it still looks like new after 5 years. Maybe in 10 yrs hit it with a power wash. Never paint again. Don't waste your money prepping the old surfaces. You will even get a thin layer of additional insulation under the new siding. I redid mine 8 yrs ago and it still looks like new.

BTW it will add resale value to your house if you are thinking that far ahead. It will always look ready to sell from the outside. They have textured siding and all shapes and styles. You can't tell its not wood until you get right up to it and tap it with your knuckle.

Or concrete siding for those who want it the longest lasting siding.

Nice boat!

I'm not lazy enough to put plastic siding on any house I own.

I know it's very durable, lasts forever, but, I just can't get over the "plastic" look, on a house.

This comes from a materials engineer who has stuff on the Space Shuttle. I think there was a reference to NASA earlier. No offense taken, by the way.

Besides, my wife would strangle me if I did that.

Thanks,

Sail on.............

In the West, the professional painters use either Kelly Moore or Dunn Edwards,,,,,much better than Glidden or Behr,

I've used re-cycled paint on my last several paint projects. Both exterior and interior. WORKS GREAT, COST LESS. I agree its as good as any virgin paint.

http://www.rethinkrecycling.com/government/eppg/-buy-products-services/green-building-products-and-services/paint

lynlynch,

If there has been a lot of peeling, then you may want to be cautious about the condition of the wood surface. Weathering of it, generates a surface that is very fibrous and soft, so there is poor adhesion between the wood and a new paint layer. I have seen old homes like this, on which the great-looking new paint job lasted less than one year before it also started peeling off! Also, pressure washing needs to be done carefully with the proper type of tip and an experienced worker. Otherwise, you can have gouging of the surface (particularly with a bullet tip or a worker's holding it too close to the surface). If the home is older than the mid 1970's, be cautious about the possibility of lead in the paint--if not sure, a simple hardware store test kit will be a good idea.

For areas that are extensively weathered, I have had good success with prepping a well-dried surface by brushing on a mix of 4-parts boiled linseed oil and 1-part thinner, until it stops soaking in, and then wiping off any excess a few minutes later. After this has dried (allow 2+ days), it can be primed with a good quality primer and painted (two coats).

Since the wording of your post suggests that the work will be done by contractors, I suggest a few things to require of the contractor: 1) You specify the brand and quality of the paint; 2) you specify that it be applied in full compliance with the manufacturer's instructions; 3) if they use an airless sprayer or a roller, the contractor must back brush the wet coat. In a hot climate, particularly a dry one, latex paints may need thinning to avoid too-rapid drying, so painting may have to be done when the sun is not shining on the surface (or at least not in the afternoon). I have seen paint dry to the touch in only a minute.

--JMM

You can use TSP cleaner in lieu of lye, both work well. Don't rely on power washing alone, though, nothing beats a good scraper to get rid of future paint peeling issues.

Make sure to use a good oil based primer, and there is no better house paint on the market than Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior Coating, period. And anyone that tries to argue that doesn't know what they are talking about, or has never used it. There is a reason they don't even call it paint, it isn't even on the same level as regular house paint. It is the only paint in existence with a lifetime warranty. I have painted houses over 10 years ago that look as good as the day they were painted. But keep in mind that no paint job is any better than the prep work done before hand. Even the best paint in the world will peel if the surface isn't prepared properly. Also keep in mind that there is no such thing as paint that will never fade.

I get for about 40$ a gallon with a contractor discount. I think it may be around 60 without.

I won't even take an exterior paint job unless the owners agree to use Duration, that's how good it is.

If you stay with any premium Acrylic paint (that's Full Acrylic, not vinyl acrylic) paint you should do fine. (Acrylic paints most often come with the para-guarantee, "life time" as opposed to "15 years" that accompanies vinyl acrylic paints.

Having selected a full acrylic paint, the choice of color pigments will be the next most important determinor of durability...that is, of fade resistance. (In an elevated, largely arid climate you will want to select pigments most resistant to fading cause by long sun exposure.

Generally speaking, inorganic pigments show greatest fade resistance; organic pigments the least. Organic pigments typically find most popular use within brilliant, very bright hues which, for the most part are used on interiors. Inorganic pigments, on the other hand, typically result in a more durable, fade resistant (albeit more subdued) color suitable for exterior exposure. Included within the inorganic pigment grouping are tints commonly known as "earth tones." When selecting color, check with your paint supplier for a break down of organic vs inorganic pigments included within your base coat and pigments selection.

Apart from earth tones, the inorganic platinum component of whites also provides excellent fade resistance (in addition to heat reflection) for primary color application or for color pigment brightening purposes.

From an EX- Painter, (who by the way just painted his own house this last year).

I sorta depends on some of the variables like what the "Painter" told you, about how good of a job you need to do.

My shop was a total peeling mess.

So, let's start with that. (I am going to take you the OLD School way)

First, power wash the hell out it to remove all stains, dirt and loose paint!

Then let it dry out really good, for several days, and go back over it with a sanding block or grinder to smooth any really rough places, or wood splinters.

The, I used the top of the line OIL based primer, tinted similar to what the finish color would be.

This I hand brushed to make sure and give the wood a really good seal.

Then this will take another 2-3 days to dry well, (depending on the time of year, and outside temp)

Then, I bought the Very Best latex caulk I could find, and sealed every single crack between boards. (More paint jobs fail because of Not doing this step, as air/moisture will get behind your paint and make it peel quickly if this step is left out!)

Then I bought the top of line Benjamin Moore latex paint, and gave it a LiberaL top coat!

There you have it..

This first way is is you plan to live there at least 10 mores years.

This last way is for if you just want it to look clean for a couple years:

Just water blast it, and then when dry, spray paint it with cheap wal mart latex, (may take two coats)

Donald