DIY Home Improvement Forum banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

Best Exterior Paint

63K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  AtlanticWBConst. 
#1 · (Edited)
This post is for all the homeowners out there ... especially Texas homeowners ... who are searching through the online paint forums and are confused by the wealth of opinions out there about what brand of paint to use on the exterior of their home.

Ya know ... an old adage comes to mind: Opinions are like that orifice that one has in their posterior ... everyone has one! And, I'm no different! LOL

So, if you've spent a couple hours researching the paint forums, you'll notice that a lot of professionals (like the ones over at painttalk.com) say that they use Sherwin Williams Duration exclusively. Many berate others for any suggestions of using other brands of paint. Yes, of course there are other opinions in those forums ... but, if you are like me, you're most likely wondering whether spending $69 a gallon for Sherwin Williams Duration is worth it.

That last statement will most likely generate some responses that try to justify the cost by talking about coverage rates, thickness of application, and longevity of the product. Yeah, I've seen those posts too.

You may have also noticed a few postings about a recent Consumer Reports review that found this result for exterior paints:

1. California - Fresh Coat Velvet Flat
2. Behr - Premium Plus Flat
3. Valspar - DuraMax Satin
4. Behr - Premium Plus Semigloss
5. Valspar - DuraMax Flat

That statement about Consumer Reports will most likely generate a lot of responses about whether or not Consumer Reports reviews are valid for whatever reason. Yeah, I've seen those posts too.

So, by now you've most likely came to the conclusion, as I have, that trying to justify the extra cost for the Sherwin Williams Duration is rather questionable. Good for you!

Here are some hard facts for you: We live in Austin, Texas. As you can imagine, the amount of blazing sun that beats down on our home every year is relentless. Last year, we had 90 days of 100+ degree days of sun. If a homeowner gets 10 years from their paint job down here, they jump up and down for joy.

We painted the exterior of our home 10 years ago with "Valspar Home Traditions" paint. If it was not for the brutal summer that we had last year, I think we could have gotten another year or two out of our paint job. But, alas, we can now see fading and it's time to repaint.

We are VERY happy with the Valspar paint. It held up very well in this heat and humidity. The only issue we are having now is fading. Yesterday, we stopped into Lowes and noticed that they no longer sell Valspar "Home Traditions", but now have "Duramax" at $39 and "Ultra Premium" at $28 a gallon.

We also stopped by Sherwin Williams to talk to a salesperson there about Duration. I told him of our good experience with Valspar Home Traditions and then asked him if Duration would give us any more life than Valspar. Well, let me tell you, he did not exactly like that question and he would not commit to telling me that Duration would hold up any longer in the Texas heat.

So, is Sherwin Williams Duration worth the extra cost? I certainly cannot find any reasons to justify it. From reading the paint contractor forums, I get the feeling that many paint contractors who use Sherwin Williams Duration use it like it is some sort of badge of honor or something. I don't get it. Frankly, I think contractors use it so that they get job referrals from the salespeople at Sherwin Williams. After all, why should they care how much of someone else's money they are spending?

Yeah, the salesperson we spoke to at Sherwin Williams offered to refer us to a paint contractor. Uh huh, I get the game they are playing. No thanks!

Do yourself a favor. Don't get sucked in to the Duration hype. At the end of the day, you need to ask yourself just a few questions:
1) How easy is it to apply?
2) What is the rate of coverage?
3) How long will a good paint job last?

To me, the answer is rather clear. We'll be painting with Valspar again (Duramax) because we've had a good experience with it, it has good ratings, and it seems to be the best bang-for-the-buck. And, we'll be applying two coats again ... just like everyone who wants a quality paint job does ... no matter what paint they use.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Just be careful of CR paint ratings. Check out posts to their own site first, for example. Since there ratings are so heavily slanted to price they get blasted for not testing appropriately for quality. See the "what were you thinking" posts pertaining to BEHR that people raced out, bought, and applied only to be severely disappointed.
 
#5 ·
I will say that the discount that I receive as a painting contractor is no ones business. I've earned my discount and I, like most contractors carry that discount over to the client. I don't know any painting company that makes money on the materials used in a project.
 
#6 ·
Duration is a great product. I usually use Sherwin Williams Superpaint which is another great product, but cost less.
Consumer Reports is a joke and they don't test every companys products.
Sherwin Williams does not refer a contractor based on sales. Usually they refer contractors whom they have heard good things about from clients and who's work they have saw in the past. I do get referalls from SW, but I have had a lot of past clients actually go to my local SW and tell them how wonderful there home looks and I also invite my SW rep, manager and assist manager to see a lot of my projects when I'm using there products.
If Valsper works for you then that is great.
I don't know many professional painting companies that use Lowes or Home Depot products.
I warranty my work in writing and I would feel confident warranting a job that I used Duration on, but I would not warranty a job if I had to use Lowes or Home Depot. Does the paint that you use have 100% acrylic binders?
 
#7 · (Edited)
!!



This is exactly the kinds of posts I am talking about. This post and ones like it COMPLETELY miss the point. I really don't care if the paint has 100% acrylic binders ... or whether it glows at night ... or whether the manufacturer supplies onsite naked dancing girls for entertainment while I paint. It makes no difference! The only thing that matters to me is that a paint job lasts for at least 10 years without fading, bubbling or peeling here in the extreme Texas sun, it applies easily and at a decent coverage, and does that cost effectively.

So, does the Valspar Duramax have 100% acrylic binders? I truly do not know. Nor do I care. Not one bit. Period.

And, everything else? I really do not care about either ... nor should any homeowner. Everything else is just hype and marketing designed to confuse the homeowner into paying ridiculous prices for paint and/or making them feel stupid for shopping at a big box store. That's all. It's of no real value.

Although, I guess, it may be of value if the homeowner is part of some coffee clatch that gets together with their friends to boast about the fact that they paid ridiculous prices for their paint ... and that it has 100% acrylic binders (everyone voice a collective Oooooooooo!) Well, then, I guess, it may be worth it in order for them to feed their ego. But, to me, it's just stupidity.

And, the statement about Sherwin Williams only referring business to painting contractors who have a good reputation is obvious. Of course they would do that. But, if the best rated painting contractor in town told the local Sherwin Williams store that they were going to only use big box paints from now on, you know as well as I that their referrals from that store would dry up faster than a drop of water in the Sahara desert. Come on! Please! One hand shakes the other in a business relationship. And, that is exactly what is going on there ... Quid Pro Quo!
 
#10 ·
Glad you like your paint LW. But what makes good paint actually is about the chemistry and ingredients. Better ingredients makes better Pizza Papa John sez.
Just because something like binders doesn't mean anything to you because you have a paint that worked on your one house, doesn't mean that it's not important to someone who has to do 100 in a year and stand behind every one of them.
A Homeowner can spin the bottle on paint choices- a contractor has to know.
And also- paint longevity is as much about proper prep as it is the finish material.
 
#12 ·
Guy reads (1) article in a magazine, and accepts it as law, because it favors his spending practices.....But ignors decades of experience from the professionals that are actually doing the work.

IMHO - That's like reading an article put out by an Automobile Magazine about car models, and accepting it, because the (1) article, in the (1) magazine, favors his car preference.... But will refuse to listen to the actual mechanics, who have been working with that same car manufacture's models for decades, and recommend differently.
 
#13 ·
Before this thread continues on with the complaints of SW's pricing and "accusations of collusion", I will remind the OP of this policy on this site:

LINK: http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/how-site-not-why-i-hate-product-company-site-37099/

I just wanted to post a quick reminder here. This is a "how to do it yourself" site and not a "why I hate this product" site. If you have a question about a product or need help with it please post about it. If your here just to make some sort of public statement about a product or company then this is not the place for you.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Before this thread continues on with the complaints of SW's pricing and "accusations of collusion", I will remind the OP of this policy on this site:

LINK: http://www.diychatroom.com/f2/how-site-not-why-i-hate-product-company-site-37099/
Ya know you've hit a nerve when contractors attempt to get rid of your posts! As for your previous statement about a "guy who reads one article" ... um, :no:. I've been reading for quite some time. I'm a Mensan, so I guess I know how to educate myself. And, by the way, this is not a post about hating a product. I've already stated that Sherwin Williams is a good product. It's just not worth the price.

OK, I'm going to try again .... Just answer me this question ... It's a question that I have asked twice and have yet to receive a viable answer. I will now ask a third time in different way: Why should I paint a house with product "A" that cost $69 a gallon when I can paint a house with product "B" that cost me $39 and the product will last just as long as product "A"? Just an answer to that question, please. Why?

By the way, if your answer is that one paint has 100% acrylic binders like housepaintingny, it will be an epic fail and proves that contractors do not have their customers wallet (read: best interest) in mind when selecting the product.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top