Paint, Siding or Ceramic Coating for House?

[HoneySuckle]

I didn't chew any window sills.  What a deprieved childhood!   I think we did chew the banister indoors though

We need to get our exterior painted as well.  I just interviewed my doctor's nurse's husband.  What a mouthful!

He only uses Sherwin Williams and said that there is a 15 year paint warranty from SW. 

Our house is about 2,300 sq ft, lower portion is brick and his quote was $2,865.00 to power wash, caulk around brick and windows, and whatever might need repairing, sanding.  He recommends a flat finish.

What say you guys?  He is listed with Better Business, has insurance etc. 

[Conan71]

That sounds pretty fair.  Get some references and go look at his work.

[waterboy]

I come from a family of painters. It put us kids through college and I sort of inherited knowledge of the business. I used Anchor on my all frame house and it lasted pretty well. Painted the house twice over the last three decades and its due again now.

Prep is the most important part of painting of course. That said, we did little other than to garden hose and use a duster on my house. The paint still held up fine. It is so dirty and windy in Oklahoma that you will have a layer of dust within a year that changes the color and finish as it adheres to the paint. Regardless of the quality. Our old houses were prepped with oil based paints and primers that provided a great base coat for future paintings. Too expensive to use those now. You have to scrape and sand in spots but overall the finish is tough.

Most painters use Anchor because its cost effective and locally made. THey are good to work with and extend credit to commercial users. Sherwin Williams, Pratt/Lambert, Dutch Boy are/were easier paints to apply and result in superior finishes. But after a year you could hardly tell the difference.

[HoneySuckle]

Supposedly the Sherwin William exterior paint that is going to be used requires just one coat.

Are you all in agreement with this, or is the contractor trying a fast one on me?

It is SW A-100 with a 15 year warranty he said?  Is that baloney?

[waterboy]

Supposedly the Sherwin William exterior paint that is going to be used requires just one coat.

Are you all in agreement with this, or is the contractor trying a fast one on me?

It is SW A-100 with a 15 year warranty he said?  Is that baloney?

A warranty is only as good as your dedication to exercising it. Most people never use them. To me its just puffery. It might be a good indication as to how good the paint quality is, iow, a lifetime warranty implies that the paint is higher quality than a 5 year warranty, but even so they depend on you never holding them to it. Many times the dealer and the painter are long gone by the time you realize the paint is failing. The last time I used an Anchor paint was for an interior job and I felt the quality was inferior to off the shelf paint at Lowes. However, I used their exterior masonry paint on some walls and brick and it is holding up fine.

As far as one coat, that depends on the underlying color and condition of the existing finish and how it is applied. Same color, good clean sanded finish and the paint has a primer mixed in to it then yes, its possible that one coat will cover. It did for me but I used the same pale grayish color each time. If you have to prime it for the one coat to adequately cover, then you're really applying two finishes and the labor is twice as much.

Bare in mind, I scraped and sanded loose areas where the paint was bubbling up or peeling away, spot primed bare wood areas, hosed the clapboard and used soapy water to clean my most visible areas and brushed away dust in the non visible areas and got 15 years out of Anchor's standard quality exterior latex paint. We used an airless spray system for flat areas and eaves while using brushes for the windows. Brushes do a better job of getting into crevices but a good spray guy is a lot cheaper. The Western side of the home didn't fare as well but almost nothing does on that side.

My advice is to pay for good quality paint but don't pay extra for so-called premium paints. Labor is your largest expense (and should be) if you want a durable, good looking paint job. Put your money there. People who do this kind of work well are scarce.

ps- I wouldn't use a flat finish on my home simply because it tends to absorb the dust in the air easier than a slight sheen. It makes for an interesting decorator sort of look but is harder to keep clean. Our weather tends to dull any finish anyway so you'll have a flat finish eventually anyway.

[HoneySuckle]

Thanks for the advice, and tips.  It will help.  I asked the painter for references, and I would like to see his work also.  He keeps harping on about Better Business ratings.  Should that be the main thing I look at?

I hope the OP isn't offended by me hijacking the thread.  I had contemplated starting a new painting thread but wasn't sure if to keep this one going or not.  Sorry!!

Here are some pics of the house and brick.  I am wanting to change the colour though I happen to like what we have here, but was told that some kind of taupe would look better because of the bricks and roof tones.  Any thoughts?

[waterboy]

It looks like a pretty straight forward, easy paint job compared to my 95yr old house. I'm guessing your home to be built between mid 60's to late 70's. The current color doesn't do much for it but I'm not sure taupe is your answer either. Matter of taste but I like a more vibrant color for that style.

I can buy a membership to BB and it has nothing to do with my ability to paint. They do keep track of complaints but previous work and references matter most. Make sure he's insured or bonded if he is spraying especially.

Ask him what he is charging you per sq foot of paintable area and how much repair he thinks is necessary. I don't know the going rate but if he hasn't figured the paintable area he doesn't even know how much paint to purchase and is winging it.

[HoneySuckle]

House was built in late 1989 and we moved in early 1990 actually.

I am not feeling the taupe either.  I actually almost thought to go darker grey for main body and charcoal for the trim?  But not sure if that's going against the bricks.  Where is that artist guy?  He might have a vision

[heironymouspasparagus]

The higher the gloss, the more resistant to UV the paint will be.  I would use at least a satin or semi-gloss for the field (and trim).  Would even consider going to gloss for trim.  Just a thought.  Get a pint of each type and paint it on an inconspicuous spot.  Or buy a 1 X 4 at home remodel dime store (Lowe's or Home Depot, or ?) and paint it for practice.  Hold it up to brick and see if it works for you - color and gloss.  Repaint with next sample and try again.  (One end darker trim color, other end field color).

Your brick is almost identical to the last house I painted.  Used Chateau Brown (dark) for trim (Sherwin Williams - both) and Mesa tan for field.  Looks very good with the brick - complements it well - but browns are not my favorite.

Can't tell for sure about color of your shingles, but they look to be more grey tone, so tans may not work.  Grey versus browns - roof will clash more than the brick.

Could go a different direction that would work/contrasts with both.  Maybe a sea mist green (very pale) and a darker green for trim - just not forest green - too dark.

If roof is gray, a pale - very pale - lemon yellow with slightly darker trim might work.  VERY pale.

Of course, there is always my favorite - bright orange with black trim - just like the Harley Davidson bar and shield logo....

[heironymouspasparagus]

And I almost forgot...one coat is never enough, especially if going to different color.

And if they are going to 'spray' it, forget it.  The only way a sprayer is ever appropriate is if it is very thick coat that is then rolled or brushed on to smooth out. 

Just go look at any housing addition less than 15 years old, but more than one year old and you can see the 'spray' pattern where the paint is starting to fade, peel, degrade or just plain fail.  It is not viable to spray alone.  Someone tells you it is, you can be sure they have never painted a house that lasted more than two years.

Maybe that is Anchor's problem - only the cheapest paint used by the cheapest painters who won't do the job right anyway?

[HoneySuckle]

I was concerned when he mentioned one coat, and that there would be no need for priming evening though it would be a change of colour.  I was also concerned when I asked for references and he kept on harping about BB, and saying you can't get on there unless you have good ratings.

Gosh, is it always so hard to find good contractors?  Remember the tile guy I had who screwed up the work when he brought over his daughter who was a drug addict!

Anyway, the roof unfortunately is not as grey as I would like but does have a sort of tannish undertone.  I hate brown!

BTW, why did he say flat was better?  Is it cheaper?  Hides more sins at first?  He was pushing this 15 year warranty crap on me also. 

Was reading a site called:  colourmehappy.com.  Very interesting take on gray.  I have always loved gray for some reason.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Well, you better just sell the house and move.  Tannish roof, tan in the brick.  Grey walls?  Hmm...not really complementary on the color wheel.

You could easily re-roof.  And then change the brick - more red, less tan.  The grey would be great, then.

You just gotta do what you like.  Don't worry to much about color wheels and all that.  There is enough grey in that brick to be fine, too.

[waterboy]

And I almost forgot...one coat is never enough, especially if going to different color.

And if they are going to 'spray' it, forget it.  The only way a sprayer is ever appropriate is if it is very thick coat that is then rolled or brushed on to smooth out.  

Just go look at any housing addition less than 15 years old, but more than one year old and you can see the 'spray' pattern where the paint is starting to fade, peel, degrade or just plain fail.  It is not viable to spray alone.  Someone tells you it is, you can be sure they have never painted a house that lasted more than two years.

Maybe that is Anchor's problem - only the cheapest paint used by the cheapest painters who won't do the job right anyway?

Simplifications and exaggerations. Its the contractors/builders who specify cheap paint. Anchor is willing to make the stuff to their specs. The painters only apply it and have no control over how cheap it is.

Spraying is fine, in fact practically mandatory for today's construction. Good painters know how to avoid what you saw.

[Conan71]

I just finished an exterior paint project, I used Olympic Satin and I'm very happy with the results.  Coverage on many parts was complete going from a light grey to medium blue in one coat, but I chose to apply two coats for durability.

I have the ability to do very nice prep work, I simply lack the patience.   

Overall, I'm incredibly pleased.

[Smokinokie]

I recently completed a flip and got it on the market. I'm happy with the color I chose to complement the taupe brick. I was happy with the results. Home Depot eggshell.