Don’t Gamble With Your Exterior Painting
Why Quality Paint Is Worth The Price.
Since your home is likely one of your biggest investments, would you even dream of gambling away its protection? Most likely not, but you are running a risk if you apply poor quality paint to your home’s exterior. The curb appeal of your home is an important quality, especially if you think you'll want to sell it at some point. One way that you can protect your investment is to ensure that you use a high-quality exterior paint that enhances its appearance while protecting the finish.
The exterior paint job for your home is one area where you can't skimp. While it's a good idea to gather quotes from reputable companies, you shouldn't automatically choose the least expensive. Instead, you need to gauge the quality of paint and workmanship you're receiving so you can weigh that against the final price. Don't gamble your home away by automatically choosing the lowest quote without finding out about the quality of the paint and the workmanship!
“Too often, homeowners try to save a little money by trading down to a run-of-the-mill paint. The better approach is to trade up to top-quality paint, which will protect better, last longer, and actually, save money in the long run”. Debbie Zimmer - Dow Chemical Company
What Makes a High-Quality Exterior Paint?
One of the most important things to determine is what quality of paint is going to be used for the project. Using 100% acrylic paint on the exterior of your home means that you could get 10 years of use out of it. This is a much longer time than the average of four years when you use lower-quality paint. Most consumers find that the increase in the cost of quality paint is well worth the extra time it gives them.
The acrylic binders are what make the exterior paints more weather resistant than other options. This means that your home's paint won't fade, chip, or peel as quickly as it would with other binders. You can find out about the binder by looking for "acrylic polymer" in the ingredients; however, many paints will have "All Acrylic" or "100% Acrylic" printed on the front of the can to denote the premium quality.
For A Long Lasting Paint Job Don't Skimp On Exterior House Paint. Invest In The Best Exterior House Paint.
Premium paints have the proper pigments to give the coverage that's needed. While they do cost a bit more than the lower quality options, the full coverage can mean that it takes less of the better-pigmented paints than the less pigmented options. Ideally, you can find a pigment listed as titanium dioxide, as this is the best option, according to This Old House.
Another thing to check is the percentage of solids in the paint. A higher level of solids typically means that the paint is of better quality. You do need to beware of companies that use fillers to increase the solids percentage. These are typically realized by consumers who notice that the low price and high solids percent is too good to be true. Paints with a solid percentage of at least 45% are considered good quality.
What Else Should You Consider?
Besides the quality of the paint, you also have to think about the finish of it and any other special qualities that you need it to have. There are several points that you can think about:
- Exterior homes prone to cracking can benefit from elastomeric paint since it's thick and flexible.
- Humid areas may require paint with extra mildewcides to combat the humidity and protect the home's exterior.
- Prolonged rainfall conditions may mean you need the highest solids you can find in the paint.
- Siding exteriors usually do best with water-based, or latex paints since these will contract and expand with the siding.
Consider the following hypothetical, involving a home with 3,500 square feet of exterior surface that requires 20 gallons of paint:
- At $50 per gallon for 20 gallons of top quality paint ($1,000) and $6,000 for the contractor’s labor, it would cost $7,000 to paint the home. Assuming the paint job lasts 10 years, the cost per year of service would be $700.
- At $25 per gallon for 20 gallons of lower quality paint ($500) and $6,000 for the contractor’s labor, it would cost $6,500 to paint the home. Assuming the paint job lasts four years, the cost per year of service would be $1,625 – more than twice as much!
Even if a contractor were not involved, it would still be more economical to apply top quality paint:
- Twenty gallons of top quality paint would cost $1,000 and the life expectancy of the job would be 10 years – for a cost per year of just $100.
- Twenty gallons of lower quality paint would cost $500 and the life expectancy of the job would be 4 years – for a higher cost per year of $125.
How can you be sure that top quality 100 percent acrylic latex paints last so much longer than other paints? The estimates are based on decades of research conducted by the Paint Quality Institute at outdoor testing sites nationwide.
According to Debbie Zimmer, these findings are no surprise.
“Top quality paints are specifically designed to adhere much better to properly prepared exterior surfaces, reducing the likelihood of peeling, chipping, or flaking. They also are very flexible, so they continue to adhere even when the surface expands or contracts due to changing temperatures,” she says. These and other performance benefits lead to a longer-lasting paint job and a better return on your investment in the paint. So, don’t gamble when purchasing house paint: Go with the best and get the best value.
What Exterior Paint Is Best For Stucco?
Any homeowner who is preparing for and looking to find exterior painters near me can count on the professionals with A New Leaf Painting to recommend suitable paint for their home. Give us a call at (904) 615-6599 to get a free estimate for your project. We're ready to help you protect your investment without forcing you to gamble on it!