Informed opinion re: House paint?

[WizeOne]

I'm getting ready to paint my house. Does anyone have an opinion about the durability of different sheens? Everything else being equal, a very uninformed opinion would say that a semi-gloss would be a more durable finish coat than a flat or even a satin.

What say ye?

I do know that the glossier the finish, the more flaws show up, but I am not concerned with that. I am looking for maximum durablility.

I don't want to do this again before they roll me out in an ambulance, stretcher or a wheel chair.

 

[bhammer]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

By all means, this is not a professional answer but what I have read and learned over the years. Generally, the more expensive the paint, the longer it will last. You need an exterior grade that will remain more flexible over the years if you are painting outside. A pure dull or flat paint will take a stain easier then say an egg shell finish and shouldn't be used for exterior. IMHO, I would not paint large areas in a high gloss either as they are typically used to highlight a detail or in very hi use / dirty enviroment such as a kitchen or bathroom.

I have used egg shell on exterior and interior and they look nice and clean up good. The exterior clean up well with a pressure washer. I have mostly brick so my exterior paint is limited.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

Gloss used to be the most durable when it comes to cleaning a painted surface. It stood up to scrubbing better. However, now, you can get scrubbable flats from nearly every major brand. I'd guess durability is about even on them. When it comes to how long paint lasts, it all comes do to what you are putting in on and prep.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

You can buy the best paint in the world and it will only hold up as good as the prep work that is done before applying the paint. Good prep work is the key to a great looking long lasting paint job.

 

[bhammer]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

You can buy the best paint in the world and it will only hold up as good as the prep work that is done before applying the paint. Good prep work is the key to a great looking long lasting paint job.

Very true, I was taking that as a given but guess I should have said that.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

You can buy the best paint in the world and it will only hold up as good as the prep work that is done before applying the paint. Good prep work is the key to a great looking long lasting paint job.

Very true and add to that moisture coming through the wall due to temp differences and no interior vapor barrier will also wreak havoc.

 

[Wotknot]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

I'm getting ready to paint my house. Does anyone have an opinion about the durability of different sheens? Everything else being equal, a very uninformed opinion would say that a semi-gloss would be a more durable finish coat than a flat or even a satin.

What say ye?

I do know that the glossier the finish, the more flaws show up, but I am not concerned with that. I am looking for maximum durablility.

I don't want to do this again before they roll me out in an ambulance, stretcher or a wheel chair.

I can't give you an opinion about which is best or lasts longer, but I will say this.........

In '79 I bought a 2400 sf house and painted it by hand. From start to finish it took about 3 to 3 1/2 days. That included all the prep beforehand, masking, etc. and all the cleanup involved afterward.

15 years later I put that same house on the market to sell. Wanting to move it as quickly as possible cuz I had already bought another house, I bought one of those commercial airless sprayers, the kind that you can stick a 5 gallon bucket under. That same job took me about a day and 1/2 and sold the sprayer afterwards for 20 bucks less than I paid for it. Talk about a time saver !!!

I have a real disdain for "manual" labor......I always look for an easier way.....especially since I was 15 years older at the time.

Unless you're hiring it done or have free labor thru sons, sil's, or others.........ya just can't beat the sprayers.

 

[Coors]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

This could be an oil thread...

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

This could be an oil thread...

Or Seafoam.....



We built our house last year (1850 sq ft 2 story). The first paint was from Lowes and was their top of the line semi gloss, around $130 for 5 gallons. We didn't like the color so it was repaint time on a house we had only lived in for about 3 weeks. Went to Walmart this time. We bought their top of the line also but it was considerably cheaper. So far we can tell no difference except the WM paint goes on easier, covers better, and has more water resistance. By water resistance its like it has oil on the surface, the water just beads up and runs away.

 

[Coors]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

Was it semi-gloss? A buddy re-painted with semi, and it is lasting, for a change; tried using S/W; Ben/M

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

The three top rated paints, as tested by the leading consumer magazine are "California brand, fresh coat velvet flat; Pratt and Lambert eggshell flat; Glidden endurance semigloss. All three had shown very little to no wear after a 9 year test. As mentioned, preparation is the key. A trick is to use a siphon pressure washer and have it sucking from a 5 gal bucket with a mixture of TSP. Tri Sodium Phosphate. Sold in a powder form at all big box stores.
Spray painting is faster, however there is about a 15% loss from atomization when spray painting. Also, you may have a lot of soffit or windows to tape off.
Also, make sure the walls are completely dry after the pressure wash, normally about a day here in Florida, but maybe longer elsewhere.
As for the sheen, the semi-gloss paints seem to be a litlle more popular as of late. Have fun!

 

[204 Escape]

Re: Informed opinion re: House paint?

We just re-painted our house in semi-gloss. Looks good. We hand brushed, and rolled the paint. We used True Value Weather Beater paint. That is what my lumber yard sells. (Besides, I get 15% off of my purchases there. {Contractors discount} )