best exterior paint?

annie68164

I'm getting ready to paint our house and just wondered what paints everyone likes. I'm torn between Benjamin Moore (has a color I love) or Valspar. BM is alot more expensive than Valspar but have read good things about both. Don't know if it's worth the extra $15 or if Valspar is just as good.

Matthewt1970

Valspar is NOT just as good. If you want to save a buck, go with Pittsburg or one of the lesser lines from BM or Sherwin Williams.

chrisn

Valspar is NOT just as good.

Not even in the same ballpark

BMDealer

MoorGard or MoorGlo are excellent paints and will give you great coverage and a lasting finish. If you want to take it to the next level Aura Exterior would be the way to go. But SW and others do make great products......and remember you get what you pay for in paint, so a $20 gallon a paint will cover and last like a $20 gallon of paint.

chrisn

If you want to take it to the next level Aura Exterior would be the way to go.


If you can afford it, this is the way to go. Great product, if it lasts 8 to 10 years will be the question.

annie68164

we live in rural Iowa and the weather conditions are brutal. Our spring and fall are barely existent so it's either freezing and windy or burning hot and windy. We live by 76 of those giant wind generators so you could say we get alot of wind. I don't want to go cheap on paint. It's too much work to have to do it again in 3 years.

chrisn

thanks, I'll check out Aura also. I may just stick with BM

Aura is made by BM and for the price should withstand any weather, even wind!

slickshift

Ben Moore's cheapest exterior is still better than Valspar's
Well worth the extra money

Sherwin Williams' Duration costs more than BM's MoorGlo/MoorGard, but is a great paint and is probably (arguably) worth more than those...at least for specific applications anyway...it depends...
Again, well worth it depending on your needs and specifics

BM's Exterior Aura is even is better than SW's D on a multitude of levels
Slightly more expensive than Duration, it's still worth it for a number of reasons
The high build coating, the "sticky-ness" in tough situations, color retention beyond anything else on the market, and it's easier to apply than Duration, Exterior Aura is definitely the Top Dog right now

Although I'd have no problem spec-ing Manor Hall, MoorGlo/Gard or Duration (all great paints) for anything out here in windy/moldy/freezing/cold/hot/humid/salty/rusty/mildew/andmorewindy-land (Cape Cod), if the customer wanted the best, longest-lasting, most durable, non-fading paint, I'd say Aura no question

slickshift

Ayup!

annie68164

thanks! I will take a hard look at BM aura then.

ArthurM

Ill ad a little here I have been in the business for over 30 years and have lived in SW florida for over 20 and the best product I have used is Porter's Acryshield I have houses I painted down here 7-8 years ago and still look great!
Most of the younger contractors dont know this but there are only three major paint manufacturers in the country who supply paint retailors.
Retailors then buy the paint and alter the formulations putting their own additives to make the paint in different grades in order to make higher and lessor quality which makes the price point difference more affordable and improve the bottom line. If you knew the actual costs per gallon that a retailor was paying you would understand why because the raw materials are extremely expensive. One of these manufacturers is the largest commercial coating suppliers in the world and most trusted which is PP&G.....yes you guest it Pittsburgh Paints which is the manufacturer of Porter....... Now I use several different brand names including Benny Moore and Sherwin Williams for different reasons. But when it comes to my exteriors I dont mess around and use it they way it was manufactured to be used without any alterations to the formulations. Porter's AcryShield for the price compared to the longevity is my choice. But I live in Florida which is different from where you are, but I would still stick with the PP&G manufacturing company. I have used Valspar myself and it is also a fine product but I am not sure of who the actual supplier of this retailor is. For price point difference I think the Auro line of Ben Moore is just way to expensive but thats just my opinion. For the price of the interior Aura I can buy a bucket of authentic imported Venetian Plaster .........but thats for another thread because I am also a decorative artist of many years and product lines get much deeper when you start getting into authentic verses synthetic materials and the huge differences. Big Box hardware and paint stores are not suppliers of authentic Italian lime products like everyone thinks they are........Oops maybe I shouldnt have said that LOL......

Peace!

Matthewt1970

My local BM dealer started carrying Pittsburg Paint a couple years ago. They finally talked me into trying some of it and I was impressed. And less than $25 a gallon really showed me that here can be some quality in some cheaper paints. I wouldn't say it's as good as BM Regal but it held it's own.

George Z

There is, or there should be so much prep work with exterior painting,
using anything but the best makes no sense. Exterior Aura is great, the best exterior paint I have tried.

ArthurM

Yes the better the quality of the material the more you save on labor in the future is the way I explain it. I give my clients a breakdown of future labor costs in relationship to lifetime of the paint they choose because most only understand the numbers, If you want to paint your home 3 times in ten years heres your cost, compared to 1 time in 10 years and the price point difference in the paint upgrade.......most choose the extra few hundred dollars for the upgrade.....

sledhead41

10 years ago I read in Consumer Reports that Ace was a good paint. I used it and had good results. [ cept for the moisture problem] any thoughts on Ace.