Advice for Painting the exterior of my house

tylermusser

I am looking to repaint the outside of my house this coming fall. I have plenty of practice painting the interiors of my house but this is the first time that I have attempted painting the exterior. On the back side of my house there is a decent amount of paint peeling/chipping and on one of the other sides of the house there is very little peeling/chipping(trees are protecting the side of the house from rain/sun).

I was looking at specific kinds of paint to buy and I came across a special kind of exterior paint that does not require a primer. Has anyone used the paint Behr Premium Plus Ultra?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...27895+10139010
Is it better to use rollers and brushes or a paint sprayer?
Is there a good way to remove the old peeling paint? What should I use to fill in where the paint is chipped off?

How do I calculate the amount of paint to purchase?

Thanks for everyone’s help!

Jshakour

tylermusser,

The Behr paint is really good, if you have alot of peeling I would use a paint scraper, wood filler (if you have wooden siding) and a good primer. I would apply two coats of the Behr paint to ensure equal coverage.

I would use a roller or a brush for the primer and then a spray gun for the two top coats.

Hope this helps,

-J

tylermusser

The paint includes a primer in it as well so would you say that I should use a brush or the paint sprayer since it includes both?

poppameth

Behr has one of the worse reputations in professional circles you'll find. I'd really recommend you steer clear of it. Go to a quality paint store and stay away from Home Depot and Lowes if you want a good paint. I sell Pratt and Lambert, which is quite highly rated. Sherwin Williams, and Ben Moore and highly regarded by most proffesionals as well. In P&L there is a product called Accolade that is self priming.

You definitely want to strip as much peeling paint off as possible. If the surface is still a bit questionable I'd apply a good primer like XIM Peelbond. If there is any bare wood I'd still prime it with an exterior oil or acrylic primer before applying even the highest quality top coat.

DIYHelper

The self priming claim is kind of a joke. Go with a quality paint from Ben Moore or Sherwin Williams. If you can afford it (and find it) Aura Exterior from Ben Moore is awesome, and will make your job super easy. Its probably worth the extra money, especially if you're doing it yourself.

If you don't have Benjamin Moore around you, Duration by SW is well regarded, but it has a pretty big learning curve. I'd go with Super Paint if you're going with SW.

Wisco

Hey!! what is the learning curve on Duration paint? I am a novice painter but found it "no problem" What lays ahead?

poppameth

Products like Duration, Accolade and even Aura have more of a learning curve for the experienced painter than the novice IMO. You basically have to teach yourself to paint in a different way when using these paints, mainly due to drying times and workability.

slickshift

Yes
It is pretty poor
I strongly recommend using another kind
As mentioned above, BM's Moorglo/Moorgard and Aura, and SW Duration, along with Pittsburgh Manor Hall and the California exterior paints are all much, much, better
Not knowing what kind of walls you are painting, I'd say brush
Scrape and sand
Depends how deep/big
Anything from exterior spackle (small) to two-part wood epoxy (big/or stressed)
Wood filler (one part water based) for medium/most
The sq. ft. coverage will be on the can
Figure less (much less) than stated on the cheaper paints
The premiums mentioned are pretty accurate on the can

Wisco

How specifically might the techniques for using duration paint vary from the usual "non self priming paints"? I am in Wiscosnion and do not paint in the sun or when it gets above 80.

poppameth

I can't really tell you a great deal about Duration. I've never used it. I sell P&L so Accolade is the closest product I've used to Duration. The main difference from what I've been told is that Duration has a heavy body and Accolade has a thinner more fluid consistency. Both are formulated from an acrylic resin that has more in common with a DTM than a regular house paint. They have aggressive bite and dry very quickly. The main issue you run into with Accolade is getting it completely brushed out before it tacks up. If you take too long and it gets tacky (a matter of several minutes) you'll have no end of headache if you brush back into it.

slickshift

Duration is very thick
We talk about getting a "Popeye Arm" from brushing it on
It's not for the faint of heart
Aura is another high build paint that goes on very thick
It brushes easier though...no Popeye Arm

Both paints, and it sounds like Accolade too, do not suffer slow mushy-brush painters well
They drag, pull, and goob up when over-brushed

Wisco

Thanks guys, I guess I am doing pretty well with the duration. This weekend has been low humidity, barely hit 80.

gregt848

Not a big Behr fan. If you are going to invest a great deal of time and labor I would go for a quality repuatable paint like Sherman Williams, Ben Moore or P&L