Painting - Best paint?

Hi all,

I will be repainting almost the entire interior of a house I bought. My wife and I have chosen the colors we want using Glidden samples. I thought all paint brands were the same (paint is paint), but from what I hear, there are definitely differences in brands (or at least preferences). What's the best paint brand?

Chris

There are alot of good brands. The Big ones like Sherwin Williams , Benjamin Moore, Pittsburgh , ICI, Pratt& Lambert , Valsspar All sell cheaper grades to cover the whole market. Glidden ICI) I don't think is very top notch. There are also decent regional brands that sell good product ie, MAB, Muralo , Diamond Vogel/ etc. Consumer reports rated Behr as best bang for the buck but I don't use it. You have a ton of choices and you will hear a different answer almost everytime. I like SW ProMar 2oo or superpaint for interior. Also Pratt and Lambert and Valspar American tradition. Diamond Vogel Procryl is decent too.

I plan on being out of this house within 4 to 5 years. I basically just need a paint that will hold up for at least that long. Glidden doesn't sound good? Man, I thought paint was paint! Guess not.

Behr rated best bang for buck? That's worth looking at. Thanks!

Chris

I used Behr on a interior once and just once btw. It seems to splatter alot and has a low burnish resistment

I won't comment on Behr. My mama said if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. :cool:

Sherwin or Benny Moore, you can't go wrong.

We used Glidden once and switched back to Porter Paints. Yup, it is a little more but we felt it covered better and with less splashing. IF you spend an extra $100. and you don't have to repaint in 4 years to move your house...it's a bargain!

Behr paint gets a lot of bad press. I would look elsewhere.

I just don't want to spend a small fortune on something as minor as flippin' paint!

Thanks for all the suggestions and info, guys.

Chris

Your house is the biggest investment you will ever make, and the walls take up more area than any other surface. Minor, I think not!:D

I understand that, but what I'm saying is that I'm not going to live there for very long. Perhaps 3 years. I have no idea what paint costs, but just for the sake of argument, I wouldn't want to pay $500 for paint when $250 worth of paint will do the same job for that long of a period of time.

Chris

i know the pro's will hate me for this, but..........we've always used the cheap WalMart stuff (ColorPlace?), and haven't had any problems.

once, we were painting woodwork, just going from off-white to true white. first we tried BenjMoore. it was expensive and was supposed to cover in one coat, but it didn't. it took 3 coats plus touch-ups to look good. then we tried SherwinWilliams. same deal. so we figured, if we're going to have to put 3 coats on anyway, might as well get the cheap stuff.

it might be a different story if we we ever needed to paint a dark color (like red or burgundy, etc) over white, but up til now, just using light colors over light colors, the cheap stuff works fine for us.

i would suggest you start out cheap on the first room and see how you like it. if it's awful, then for the next room, go a little more expensive/better.

just my unprofessional opinion.

Those are some interesting thoughts, Annette. Thanks.

Chris

You're only talking a few bucks/gallon difference between the cheap stuff and the good stuff. If you are buying that many gallons, the S-W of BM dealers will probably give you a break on the price beyond the sale price. In the S-W line, the classic 99 will do nicely for you.

The better paints will go on better, ie) less work on your part.

I hear you about being out in 4-5 years, but things happen. What if you are there 7-8 years?

More good points, Bob. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of talking out of my gutt here since I don't even know the prices of this stuff yet! That'll ultimately determine what I buy. If it's not a major differnce, then the good stuff it is!

Chris

the last time i checked prices (7 years ago when we were painting the woodwork i mentioned earlier), Walmart's paint was about $7 or $9 per gallon and the "good stuff" was up to $25. to me, that's significant.

Wal Mart Color place is made by Sherwin Williams. Its about 14 bucks a gallon. If you want a good cheaper brand go with this. I have used it and know others who have also and it worked decent enough. check it out on consumer reports

Ahh, Wal-Mart. God Bless America. I'll check it out. Thanks.

Chris

:)

Worldbuilder, I'm sure you know you have opened a can of worms when asking some painters what the best brand is. Kinda like asking some computer techs what the best OS is.:cool:

And I should also mention that I agree there are many paints out there that are relatively cheap in price and look great when applied. But its the performance that is lacking with many of them. If you have kids, or pets, or run a vacuum against the baseboard, or lots of sunlight hitting one wall, or accidently splash a cold one on the wall when your team scores, you will understand paint performance with a quickness.:cool:

Both good points, Prowallguy!

Chris

PS. And Linux is the best OS. :D

I knew you'd say that.:D

I'm a consumer reports subscriber and I recall a few years ago the Wal-Mart House Beautiful paint was listed as a best buy. I've used Wal-Mart paint for my entire interior and it has held up fine. My only concern is that the paint mixers at Wal-mart aren't always the experts we hope they will be. I ran out of paint and had to go back to Wal-Mart to make another gallon. I had the formula for the paint color, but nobody could locate the paint person. Eventually someone from another department mixed it but they were fumbling through it. The color did come out fine, but I was kicking myself for not getting enough paint to begin with.

Chris,
labor for prep and application is huge...
Cost for paint is not...however since no one pays themselves for labor; Pocket costs is the one too often considered ....It's a common mistake that I think sends most diy projects in the wrong direction.....
The difference:
Good paint covers better, flows smoother, drips less,
All of these factors make application easier,, the finish looks better, is more durable and cleans up easier.

analogy,,,

networking an office with cable purchased at www.werethecheapestcableonthenet.com

with connections from
www.clipitcheap.com

to cards from
www.infoshareforless.com

You might save a bundle though I don't think it it will seem worth it if a problem from any of the cost savings for hard parts creates questions of the integrity of the system...

My suggestion for best quality is California paints which is manufactured in Andover.. Their super hide eggshell is sold at lynch in Westford for 18.00 per gallon...

My suggestion for best savings...
Head to a few paint stores and ask to see their "mixed incorrectly stock" "customer changed thier mind" best known as "oops paint" Top brands at 3-5.00 per gallon......A little sacrifice of color choice will allow along way for savings....Some stores may not make the oops paints obvious...Some stores have it in plain view on a shelf...

California paints in Andover, eh? I live in North Andover now! HA! Small world. Yeah, you make a great point. Parts are always the least expensive cost, and I shouldn't be worried about that. Truth be told, I'm getting the painting done for free by a friend anyway (long story), so whether I do it or he does it, the labor is free.

We're looking at some pretty exotic colors (faded blue, a yellowish color, and terra cotta) which I'm sure would be more expensive anyway. You guys are right. The good stuff it is.

We're not moving into this new house until August and we're not going to even start painting for about another month from now. I just wanted to get some thoughts. I will certainly let you all know what we end up getting, but I will absolutely check out California Paint from Andover. A lot of people have said that local stuff is more often superior to national brands.

Thank you, all.

Chris

I've always used the paint at K-mart, made by Benjiman Moore...I use the best grade they sell, one coat, and I've never had any problems...some of the walls I painted back in '91 still look good today.
:D

over the years.

I used to work in a True Value while in HS and college and used it for many many years with good results. I mixed, sold and used alot of gallons of Tru Test paint!

Since my local TV store closed I started 'shopping' other interior brands.

Glidden was OK.
I did not care for Behr.
Porter Paints was way overpriced, but good.

I have settled on American Tradition by Valspar sold at Lowes. I normally use eggshell and I have found it performs pretty good and is fairly priced. It was Consumer Reports 'Best buy' a couple of years ago when I started using it.

I always put on two coats regardless of the brand. I think it does a better job and the color is much better.

Please don't skimp on the paint and tools. Why spend the time to end up with $10 paint/gal and have it look poor?

One more question, everyone... How do I know how MUCH paint to buy? Is there a mathematical formula? Thanks!

Chris

Figure the sq. ft. of walls and ceiling to be painted. Your average gallon of paint covers about 350 sq. ft.

Great, thanks!

Chris