Best Exterior Paint?

13 years ago

Hi - This must be about the most commonly asked question here, but I've done a couple of searches and I'm not hitting it.

I live in the Pacific Northwest which means lots of rain. I'm willing to pay for a really good quality paint.

A second question also: Is hand-applying the paint preferable to spraying it on, for better coverage?

Thanks!

Comments (4)

Faron79
13 years ago
Welllll now.....

Even the best exterior paint on the planet will be brought to its knees if proper prep and underlying issues aren't addressed!
These include:
* Dirty substrates.
* Chalking/loose existing paint.
* If natural siding...woods that are too wet (ABOVE ~15%).
* Poor home insulation...allowing excess movement of moisture through the siding.
* Painting in "too wet", "too hot", or "too cold" conditions.
* Priming helps a lot too!
* Use additional M-1 Mildewcide in each gallon.

>>> In your climate, choose a Satin sheen. It'll shed water better. S/Gloss for trims.
AVOID FLAT LIKE THE PLAGUE...

Once all these are addressed....
Some of the best paints (not surprisingly!) are in the "Over $30/gal" area!
C2 Exterior, FPE, Aura (and other top BM series), the uppper SW grades.
>>> These prices are from $40's/gal (C2)....to ~$100/gal(FPE).

YES, brushing a coating in is far preferable to spraying IMO...it "works in" the product to the substrate better.

Faron
pacnwjudy
Original Author
13 years ago
Gosh, thanks for the knowledgeable and thorough advice!

I think I'm going to go with the Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior Acrylic Latex or the Benjamin Moore Exterior Aura. Now to try to decide which one. :-)
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Lori A. Sawaya
13 years ago
Oh wow -- toss up on that one. I think you'll be in great shape with either choice. Maybe get quarts of each so the person doing the painting can decide which one *feels* best? Exterior there will be a lot of paint to brush/roll on, might as well choose the one that goes on easiest for the painter.
murrayjoan18
13 years ago
I totally agree with Faron. Without proper surface preparation, even the highest quality paints will not give you optimum results. Good quality paint and skilled application techniques will only help if you prepare the surface properly beforehand. As for the appropriate painting tools, a powered spray can give you quick coverage but will use more paint than other applicators and getting proper coverage with these sprayers can also be tricky. You can probably use rollers that are faster and easier to use than brushes. But before you buy a particular type of applicator, analyze the surface youÂre painting as different applicators may be suitable for different types of surfaces. Coming back to your first question about quality paints, you can try out exterior paints from California Paints. They have one of the biggest color palettes I have seen.