The Importance of Paint Quality

BobVila.com > Channels > Paint & Wallpaper > All Articles > The Importance of Paint Quality

The Importance of Paint Quality
When it comes to coverage, cleanup, and durability, paint quality determines the paint job. Knowing the qualities of each will help you determine which paint to use and how much you should spend.

Related Showrooms

• Renovation Experts - Put your home in good hands. Get FREE estimates on your project.

Benefits of Quality Interior Wall Paints

Properties	High Quality Latex Paint	Ordinary Latex Paint
Adhesion	•	-
Film Thickness	•	-
Easy Cleanup	•	•
Hiding	•	-
Durability	•	-
Stain Removal	•	-
Ease of Application	•	•
Leveling	•	-
Spatter Resistance	•	-

Top-quality paints are easier to apply and maintain.

Regardless of the type of paint you will be using, one of the most important factors in the ultimate success of any paint job is the quality of paint used. On this subject, experts agree: You should use the highest quality paint to get the best paint performance.

How do you identify top quality paint? Unless you are a paint chemist, you should simply purchase the best paint within your favorite manufacturer's line of products. More costly paints typically contain a higher percentage of better quality ingredients that are critical to superior paint performance. Top quality paints outperform ordinary grades of paint in many ways:
• They are more durable and long-lasting.
• They often have better hiding characteristics, which is especially important when you are painting over a darker color.
• They are easier to apply.
• They have more uniform color and sheen, and they maintain their original color and sheen better over time, so your paint job will continue to look good for a longer period.
• They frequently contain higher levels of additives—for example, more mildewcide to help keep unsightly mildew in check.

Quality Paint = Great Value

Paint Solids Content

Top Quality Paint	Ordinary Paint


Paint Film Thickness Before Drying

Paint Film Thickness After Drying

Top-quality paints are easierto apply and maintain.

Painting with a top-quality paint can add years to the life of a paint job and save hundreds or even thousands of dollars (US) in the form of lower home maintenance costs. This is especially true with exterior paints. With proper surface preparation, top quality exterior paint can last 10 years or more, compared to about four years with ordinary exterior paint. The best way to appreciate this "investment value" of top-quality paint is to compare the life-cycle cost or "cost per year of service" for high quality and ordinary paints. Consider a hypothetical case, involving a 3,500-square-foot (325.15m2) home requiring 20 gallons of exterior paint:
• At $15 per gallon (US) for 20 gallons(1 US gallon = 3.8 liters) of paint, it would cost $300 to paint the home using an ordinary paint. If the expected lifespan is four years, the cost of the paint per year of service is $75.
• If a top-quality exterior paint were used instead, and the cost per gallon were $25, the total paint cost would be $500 ($25 per gallon x 20 gallons). But this paint job will last 10 years or more, so the cost per year of service is, at most, a more economical $50! If you were to hire a contractor to do your painting, you would realize an even greater advantage by choosing a top quality paint instead of an ordinary paint in terms of cost per year of service, as the illustration on the next page shows.

While these examples are typical of the kind of savings that are possible by choosing high-quality exterior paint, your precise savings may be different depending on a number of factors, including how well you do your surface preparation, local weather conditions, the cost of paint in your area, and other variables. In any event, since you don't have to paint as often when you use top-quality paint, you will also save a great deal of work and time.

The fact remains, when it comes to paint, it pays to invest in the best. And that is true whether you are doing exterior or interior painting.

Copyright BobVila.com © 2001