Month: March 2017

Exterior Paint Guide

Stephen

Since the United States has varied weather from region to region, some paints that perform well in the direct sunshine and in hot weather may not do so well in colder climates where it is wet and moist for much of the year. Finding a paint that will withstand both weather extremes is not easy. When I first moved into our house we had the siding redone and the house was repainted at that time. It’s been 7 years now and the paint is holding up pretty well except on a few of the awnings and the side of the house that faces south since that takes the brunt of the storms approaching from southern Oregon with high winds that pelt our homes exterior.

We have had to have our front door and surrounding frame replaced already due to water damage from severe weather that caused the paint to fail and leaking to occur. We know the exterior paint will not last forever so we are looking into our options early. When you go onto the Internet to find reviews of the best exterior paints there are lots of sites for do it yourselfers but not too many that rate and compare the top brands on an unbiased level. We do subscribe to Consumer Reports magazine and found their reviews of house paints to be pretty thorough, although they don’t cover regional paints in some areas and they only list paints that haven’t reformulated their products (which is rare). You get limited results from CR, but the findings are very informative and helpful nonetheless. I also found some quality discussions on sites like Bobvila.com (the famous house fixer-upper on TV) about exterior paints and what consumers should be looking for in terms of price and longevity.

We have a real good buying guide for exterior paints which all homeowners should look at. Prices do range from about $20 to $50 gallon – you can do the math based on an average home being about 2000 square feet which requires roughly 20 gallons of paint ($400 to $1000 for paint alone). Expect to spend $2000 to $3500 for a normal sized house and upwards of $5000 for a larger home. If you are having a professional paint your house, you can still buy the paint at your local store and save money on any markup they may put on it for buying for you. For discount exterior paint prices, buy larger sizes – go with a 5 gallon container versus the regular 1 gallon can. In terms of colors, it’s easy to get some samples to put on the side of your house and let them sit for a few days to see how they will look once dried.

Painting Supply Resources

Stephen

At Proutcoins we offer lots of different painting resources and supplies to better help you accomplish your painting project. We focus on helping painting companies as well as local residents. Our goal is to be your #1 source to meet all of your painting needs. We have lots of different supplies that we recommend. We encourage everyone to drop by our stores to see how we can best meet your needs. Our goal is to be just as economical as Home Depot or Lowes, but to provide you with a better customer experience. Below are some of the painting tools that we recommend. We also have these supplies within our store.

TAPE
We’re big fans of the standard ScotchBlue painter’s tape ($7.30) for taping off trim and ceilings. For detailed work, like creating stripes or working around glass, FrogTape ($5.63) creates a tighter seal around the edges.

DROP CLOTH
Having a drop cloth will mean less clean up later. Use it to protect floors and furniture from drips of paint. Really, no matter how careful you are, there will be drips. Scotch Plastic Drop Cloth ($12.58) is a great temporary option – just crumple it up and dump it in the garbage when finished. If you think you’ll be painting again the future, consider investing in Blue Hawk Canvas Drop Cloth ($21.98). You can always use it to make a slipcover or curtains later. Another option is to buy a Kraft Paper Roll ($26) to protect your floors. The extra kraft paper has myriad uses!

PAINT TRAY
One annoying thing about most paint trays is that you have to refill them repeatedly throughout the job. The clever thing aboot the Bercom Handy Paint Tray ($11.15) is that it fits an entire gallon of paint. Plus, it includes a magnetic brush holder and handle.

PAINT ROLLER & REFILLS
The trusty paint roller can make quick work of covering a large wall. Invest in a roller, like the Wooster 9 in. Sherlock Roller Frame ($8.47), and you’ll have it forever. You’ll only need to buy roller refills, like the Purdy White Dove Dralon Roller Covers ($13.48), for future paint jobs. For tight corners and smaller spaces, the Mini-Roller Tray Set ($2.00) is great for maneuverability.

LADDER
You may be tempted to stand on top of a chair or table but the safest bet is to invest in a ladder. The Multiple Position 12 Step Aluminum Folding Ladder ($79.93) is compact enough to store in a small space when not in use. With its adjustable heights, you can use it as a step ladder or regular size ladder.

SMALL BRUSHES
After you’re finished painting and the tape has all been ripped back off, you’ll probably need to go back to do a little touch up. The MÅLA Paintbrush Set ($1.99) will give you a few options for touch ups and detail work.