Paint confusion

kathgip

Hi, I am new to this DIY Chatroom. I have done lots of research on paint brands only to become more and more confused. I went to the library and checked out the CR ratings for paint. As someone previously said, they rated Behr, Valspar, and Kilz the top three brands. However, in checking out painting websites, the top brands seem to be Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams. We are building a new house and the painter came and talked to me about paint. He only uses Rodda, but I have heard nothing (good or bad) about it. He works with a local dealer. He will use whatever I want because as he said the cost for painting is in the labor. I want the best since we are in our 50's and don't want to paint again for many years. Please help me with some wise cousel in this decision. I live in a small town and there is an Ace Hardware store and a Sherwin Williams and a Lowe's. I have a little time. The outside is almost finished being sided and the insulation went inside yesterday. Thanks so much for any advice you can give. Oh yea, I live in the Pacific Northwest and we have lots of rain and wind and drizzle....not much really hot weather. Thanks again.

joewho

http://www.roddapaint.com/ps_ultimate.asp

I'm not familiar with rodda paints either. It's distributed in the NW area.

The above link shows, what appears to be, a high quality exterior product with comments about moisture permeability and a lifetime warranty. It might be wise to go with your painters suggestion.

kathgip

Hi Joewho,
Thanks for the info on Rodda Paint. Very impressive sounding. But I am skeptical when a company praises their own product. I would like to hear some pro or cons from someone who has used the paint and who has a unbiased opinion. All manufacturers praise their products. I did talk to a friend whose husband is a contractor. He used to use Rodda here in the NW and has switched to SWP. So that makes me wonder how great Rodda is. Thanks for the input. I value all opinions.

Paintguru

I would recommend calling a dealer for Rodda paint. Ask them to give you the phone number of one of their customers who uses the paint. The store that I work for does this all of the time. We have customers that love the paint we sell and are happy to give testimonials.

Then you can ask the homeowner firsthand the questions you have about washability, ease of application and many other questions.

I hope that helps.

slickshift

I am also not familiar with the product
I can tell you that often regional paints can be made specifically for the climates in which they are sold, and can be better than national brands because of that
When I paint exteriors in FLA I use a regional brand

If CR used painters, and painter's criteria for there tests, the results would be different
However, for some reason they don't

If you ask most painters what they would recommend, for profesionals or DIYers, Kilz, AmTrad, and Behr would not be on the list
If you asked them to rate all the paints, those would be the last possible ones on the list, and in that order

Great marketing sells paint, but does not a great paint make

joewho

It's a silicon technology paint. I almost confused it with the ceramic paints we discussed recently.

I looked up the msds and data sheets. It actually has more titanium dioxide than duration and weighs more. I also looked up the special page for "recoating". Claims to have been tested heavily for repainting.

Noticed that it goes on at 2mil (dry) per coat compared to duration at 2.8 mil (dry). Not pushing the product, just not quick to discount it either.

Duration is another lifetime paint with "Perma-last" technology. I don't know exactly what that is, but apparently, it doesn't involve silicone.

Benjamine Moore also has a product called Moorelife, with a lifetime warranty.

My goal was to address permeability, lifetime coating and persistent moisture above and beyond the average wet climate. If the rodda paint is what it claims, I'd probably use it. Otherwise, it's Duration.

I've come to distrust agressive marketing, but not close minded to everything when it comes to technology. Duration is relatively new and the whole painting industry has changed, chemically, fairly recently.

Rodda's home address is in Portland and is available mainly in the Northwest. Makes me think it may be a specialized product for that climate. But, again, I've never used it. Aways a first time though.

Don't want to sound like a traitor to my beloved SW, but as far as permeability, it makes more sense to me to have thinner coats and a silicon shell for moisture repelent properties.

So, Kathgip, hope I've helped a litte bit by trying to be objective about a product I've never used.