Interior Paint

[Beta Man]

O.K. I understand high-traffic areas differ from other areas etc.... and some paints have different strengths and weaknesses, but aside from "Consumer Reports" does anyone recommend a place where I can compare (somewhat accurately) the different paints available on the market?

It looks like we're getting our new house, and repainting is on our "To-Do" list, (interior) and although we're firm believers in buying the higher-quality (more expensive) paints, because they do look better, for much longer, and usually can be applied easier.... but anyways... I digress... I don't want to be trapped into clever marketing, and just buy "the expensive stuff"

Anyone recommend a good site for quality comparison, or is Consumer Reports the way to go?

[camper]

I don't have any guides or anything for comparrison, but I like Behr paint myself. I used to get Sherwin Williams or other brands, but for whatever reason Behr seems to work the best for us. And, they have all the colors my wife likes. There is a difference in the better quality paint vs the cheap stuff you get at walmart, at least that's what I've found. The better the paint the better the coat.

Check out Home Depot for finishes, they carry that brand and have booklets on what each of them are best for. I think the finish determines how durable it is for high traffic areas.

I'd recommend the wagner power roller too, if you have a lot of painting for one color and a lot of priming. You'll probably still need to do two coats, but it goes much faster and the coverage is even. I wish I had it sooner.

OH yeah...prime, no matter what

~Camper

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by camper

I don't have any guides or anything for comparrison, but I like Behr paint myself. I used to get Sherwin Williams or other brands, but for whatever reason Behr seems to work the best for us. And, they have all the colors my wife likes. There is a difference in the better quality paint vs the cheap stuff you get at walmart, at least that's what I've found. The better the paint the better the coat.

Check out Home Depot for finishes, they carry that brand and have booklets on what each of them are best for. I think the finish determines how durable it is for high traffic areas.

I'd recommend the wagner power roller too, if you have a lot of painting for one color and a lot of priming. You'll probably still need to do two coats, but it goes much faster and the coverage is even. I wish I had it sooner.

OH yeah...prime, no matter what

~Camper

Thanks for the Advice!!!! in our current house, I painted our nursery, and it was a decent effort for such a small room, so I'll definitely look into the Power Roller you recommended!!! (doing about 3,500 Sq. Ft, so it's gonna be a HUGE job.... and we want everything repainted more neutral than it is now)

[groovyone]

I used behr for 3 bedrooms, and office, living room, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room. Some have been painted and held up for over 3 years with no issues.

Now however, I have been looking at :

http://www.yolocolorhouse.com/
http://www.safecoatpaint.com/
or even
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...reshaire_paint

[Beta Man]

Thanks Groovy! first one isn't close to me.... second one has one locally, so I'll check it out.... and yeah... I need to look into Behr, because I used the "Platinum" Sherwin Williams, and although it was good, I didn't think it was "great"

So far Behr sounds like a winner, but I'm gonna check out the second one you listed too!

[camper]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

Thanks for the Advice!!!! in our current house, I painted our nursery, and it was a decent effort for such a small room, so I'll definitely look into the Power Roller you recommended!!! (doing about 3,500 Sq. Ft, so it's gonna be a HUGE job.... and we want everything repainted more neutral than it is now)

This is the roller I got:

Wagner Spray Tech Xtra Power Roller Quicktouch - Home
Model 0514002

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100043329

It REALLY made the difference. We repainted our living room/hallway/foyer just a few weeks ago (same color) and it took 1/4 the time it originally took a year or so ago without it--and I didn't even do the foyer then and I primed this time around! (it was already primed last year).

Buy extra rollers and you'll be glad you did. The only negative is that the tube is wet after you clean it, but you could blow it out with an air compressor or just take the hit on the water coming out when you switch to a new color.

Groovy--I was looking at the no-odor paint, but wasn't sure how well it held up. What's your experience, or what have you heard/seen?

~Camper

[BLUNT]

Originally Posted by camper

This is the roller I got:

Wagner Spray Tech Xtra Power Roller Quicktouch - Home
Model 0514002

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100043329

It REALLY made the difference. We repainted our living room/hallway/foyer just a few weeks ago (same color) and it took 1/4 the time it originally took a year or so ago without it--and I didn't even do the foyer then and I primed this time around! (it was already primed last year).

Buy extra rollers and you'll be glad you did. The only negative is that the tube is wet after you clean it, but you could blow it out with an air compressor or just take the hit on the water coming out when you switch to a new color.

Groovy--I was looking at the no-odor paint, but wasn't sure how well it held up. What's your experience, or what have you heard/seen?

~Camper

Things I learned about painting:


1 Always use eggshell, semigloss etc... flat marks easily.

2 Dont go cheap on prime, especially covering bold colors. use a pinkish tint to cover really bold colors Red, Blue, etc....

3 The thicker the roller knap the better. Buy lots of them & Don't try to save them- throw them away when done for the day. Nothing covers as good as a new thick roller.

4 The longer the prep time, the better the job. Tape everything right to make your job easier.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by BLUNT

Things I learned about painting:


1 Always use eggshell, semigloss etc... flat marks easily.

2 Dont go cheap on prime, especially covering bold colors. use a pinkish tint to cover really bold colors Red, Blue, etc....

3 The thicker the roller knap the better. Buy lots of them & Don't try to save them- throw them away when done for the day. Nothing covers as good as a new thick roller.

4 The longer the prep time, the better the job. Tape everything right to make your job easier.

That's solid advice.... We're planning on a week, mininimum for taping, and covering the floors, etc.

[Ferris]

Originally Posted by camper

This is the roller I got:

Wagner Spray Tech Xtra Power Roller Quicktouch - Home
Model 0514002

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100043329

Buy extra rollers and you'll be glad you did. The only negative is that the tube is wet after you clean it, but you could blow it out with an air compressor or just take the hit on the water coming out when you switch to a new color.

~Camper

I actually have the same power roller, and it's great.

As for paint, I've used both Behr and Valspar. The Valspar seems to be a better quality to me. However, it does have a slightly stronger smell than Behr. For the kitchen and bathroom, I used Ultra Premium Bath Enamel, and it's been fantastic! The other rooms, I used Ultra Premium interior flat enamel (an acrylic latex, I believe) and couldn't be happier. The walls I've not painted yet have Sherwin Williams flat, and it's impossible to clean, so I just have to keep adding touch-ups until we get those rooms painted.

In any case, I hope this helps! Good luck with the house!

[groovyone]

I haven't tried any yet myself. A friend just painted a room with the Home Depot brand and said it worked great. She said it does still have a smell, but nothing like normal paint. It has only been a week, so too soon to tell much else.

Like others said, avoid flat. I use eggshell everywhere except I did semi-gloss (or was it sateen) in the kitchen.

[Majoran]

We used Sherwin-Williams paint as I saw way to many horror stories about the HD brand and Behr.....SW was recommended by many people when I did a search through homeowner forums as well as some local contractors that we know..

I would recommend doing a search (I think gardenweb might have some user opinions o it as well).....

In the end though is a YMMV kind of thing as you may have a great experience with one type of paint, while others have had horrible experiences with it.

here is one forum I found with a quick Google search:
http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=145522

[groovyone]

Hmm, I forgot one of my rooms is Ralph Lauren paint, because it was the only red I liked, and one is Glidden, because it is the only dark grey I liked. The others are all still Behr.

[atomik kinder]

That reminds me. I am painting most of the rooms in my house this Spring/Summer. Don't mind the painting, its the moving everything and covering it and moving it again and again...

I also want to do the outside, which is aluminum siding. The paint is beginning to peel. I had someone do it before, but I want to do it myself this time. I can't afford to pay anyone this time and obviously if I can't afford to pay anyone to paint, don't suggest just getting new siding. Anyone know what kind of paint to use? I have done a little research, but would like to know if anyone has experience with this.

[sssick]

I'd hate to confuse you, but I've painted with almost every brand out there and Benjamin Moore is the best I've used. Especially on mouldings where you use a brush, the brush strokes melt together and you hardly see anything.

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by sssick

I'd hate to confuse you, but I've painted with almost every brand out there and Benjamin Moore is the best I've used. Especially on mouldings where you use a brush, the brush strokes melt together and you hardly see anything.

Moulding is all natural, and un-painted thankfully.... so it's either dark maple or Oak.....

To everyone else, thanks for the suggestions!!!! I have a hookup (that I didn't know I had) that owns a painting company, and I can get paint "at cost" so my selection now will depend on what he can get!!!!

I do plan on doing a wall in the kitchen with "magnetic" paint.... so once Junior learns how to color, I can display his masterpieces (if you haven't seen magnetic paint, it's pretty cool, but doesn't look amazing or anything)

[buckshot]

having mixed sold and used almost every type of paint you can imagine, my suggestion is Ace hardware paint with scotch guard. good stuff, doesn't stain, i never even had to do second coats with it. its damn good stuff.

[Nicky-D]

Best advice I have.. DON'T use flat! It marks extremely easily! I painted our entry, kitchen, dining room and living room in flat.. worst thing I've ever done. Everything needs to be redone..

I get pissed off just thinking about it!

[camper]

Oh yeah...another piece of advice is to look into what a painter would cost to do it for you

Next time around, I think we're going to do that instead.

~Camper

[Beta Man]

Originally Posted by camper

Oh yeah...another piece of advice is to look into what a painter would cost to do it for you

Next time around, I think we're going to do that instead.

~Camper

It's 3,500 sq ft. and We're (I'm) going to be painting it before we move in, so we won't need to move furniture etc.... I don't think I can justify the cost of paying someone to do it for me..... I can do certain things, and I feel better doing those things myself, because when it comes to Major Electrical/Plumbing, roofing (I can roof, but not that high up ) I need to pay someone for those things, and If I paid someone to do EVERYTHING for me, I'd be broke!!!! Plus, it's more gratifying to do it yourself!

[camper]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

It's 3,500 sq ft. and We're (I'm) going to be painting it before we move in, so we won't need to move furniture etc.... I don't think I can justify the cost of paying someone to do it for me..... I can do certain things, and I feel better doing those things myself, because when it comes to Major Electrical/Plumbing, roofing (I can roof, but not that high up ) I need to pay someone for those things, and If I paid someone to do EVERYTHING for me, I'd be broke!!!! Plus, it's more gratifying to do it yourself!

Trust me...I know. Cost is an issue for everything, especially if you're trying to save money.

In the old house it cost me $300 to have someone paint our old kitchen (including cabinets), and that was me buying JUST the paint...so I paid for the work to be done and he used his own supplies. I also had him paint the upstairs hallway even above the stairs, and that was an extra $100.

It was a good deal for me, because I wouldn't have done as good a job as he did and I would have had to buy or rent scaffolding to get the part above the stairs. It also would have taken me a lot longer to do, and while letting that $400 go was painful I dind't have to lose a weekend or take a couple days off work.

If you're good, you can hack it no doubt...but myself, all I do now is find myself seeing all the errors along the seams that I made. I'm not so hard on anyone else as I am myself, so I really beat myself up over the fact that the lines are not so clean in the 'deathrap foyer' that I almost broke my neck trying to get

~Camper