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<\/p>\nWhat is the best exterior paint? That is a loaded question as the word \u201cbest\u201d is a broad adjective, and when it comes to exterior paint, the \u201cbest\u201d depends on a myriad of factors. Our goal here is to guide your decision-making process to help give you a better idea of what you will need for your project. One thing\u2019s for sure, the \u201cbest\u201d exterior paint can\u2019t simply be summarized in a quick one-sentence answer or brand name. So, buckle your seatbelt, because we\u2019re going to take a deep, relatively technical, dive into the top things to consider when choosing the perfect exterior paint for your project:<\/p>\n
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This question is almost as loaded as what is \u201cbest\u201d since this is the primary motivation when choosing an exterior paint and with good reason. It\u2019s not easy to do nor is it cheap so you don\u2019t want to be doing it every year. In order to temper expectations, it\u2019s important to understand that, at a chemical level, inert substrates (surfaces) will always hold exterior paint better than \u201cactive\u201d or \u201cliving\u201d surfaces such as wood. Inert surfaces allow for a more stable chemical and \/ or mechanical bond. This basic chemical concept means that not much will last long on wood and you\u2019ll need to factor in regular maintenance; inert surfaces offer more promise. To narrow down the scope of this question, we\u2019ll define durability simply as adhesion for now. Everyone knows that proper paint preparation is vital for a lasting paint job but applying the correct paint for the surface you are looking to revamp is equally as important. This leads us to our second question\u2026<\/p>\n
This is by far the most important variable to consider! Although most exterior latex paints are made to be applied on just about any surface, we all know that a jack of all trades is a master of none. At a technical level, adhesion happens when the surface tension of the paint is lower than the surface energy of the surface to be painted. In layman\u2019s terms, if the paint does not properly coat or \u201cwet\u201d the surface in its entirety, you will never get the proper mechanical and \/ or chemical bond required for a long-lasting exterior paint job. How you apply the coating also has an impact on this but let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves, we\u2019ll talk about that a bit later. Beyond adhesion, we\u2019d need to dive a bit deeper to establish what other properties to look for on the most commonly painted exterior surfaces to ensure a a long-lasting paint job:<\/p>\n
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Siding paint needs to be washable yet slightly flexible. This creates somewhat of a paradox as it needs to be flexible enough not to crack but not too flexible that dirt pick-up becomes an issue (think of an elastic that can get dirty very fast when stretched). Aesthetically, you\u2019ll want to choose a gloss that is not too flat but not so glossy that it enhances the appearance of any defects in your siding. In order to achieve these properties, the best type of conventional paint available for siding will be a self-cross-linking exterior paint. These types of resins create a tighter bond allowing for better adhesion, washing and flexibility.<\/p>\n
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Doors are high traffic items that will require good scratch resistance. The best paint for this would be an enamel. Water based polyurethanes are an excellent choice where enhanced flexibility and fade resistance is needed (a south side facing door). Alkyd enamels could also do the trick if hardness is the primary desired property.<\/p>\n
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This is a surface that requires elasticity, breathability and, ideally, you\u2019d want it to be washable. We say ideally because back to the elastic example, having a flexible coating that is also washable is somewhat paradoxical. Although you can use an exterior latex paint on stucco, elastomeric coatings are better suited for this type of surface. All the large paint manufacturers make these types of coatings but the challenge they face is price. Elastomeric coatings need to be applied very thick to achieve the desired coverage so you can expect a gallon to cover only between 75-100 square feet. You can see why price per gallon is critical here. Paint manufacturers will use additives such as calcium carbonate (essentially chalk) to thicken their products without drastically increasing the price. The paint then becomes less washable (good luck washing chalk) and that undesirable powdery finish will more quickly occur as the paint starts to degrade. Needless to say, make sure you do your homework and don\u2019t purchase based on price alone.<\/p>\n
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Speaking of price\u2026<\/p>\n
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There is a lot of labor required to paint the exterior of your home so our advice would be to not skimp on the product. More expensive doesn\u2019t always mean better quality but more often than not, it does. We\u2019d need a blog in and of itself to decipher the differences between the brands so choose the one that you prefer but don\u2019t skimp and always get the best available product line. Most of the \u201cbig guys\u201d have good premium exterior paint lines.<\/p>\n
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Both quality and safety must be considered here because, generally, exterior painting will require work at heights. Ladders are possible however scaffolding is generally safer but more costly. Earlier we mentioned the importance of the coating to properly and entirely wet the surface to enhance adhesion, so will you be spraying on the coating? This will give you better wetting (and a thicker more even coat) over brush and roller application, not to mention a better finish, but requires a specific expertise and we\u2019re not just saying that because we\u2019re Spray-Net<\/em>. When spraying, proper masking and technique must be used to avoid disaster. Exterior spray paint application however is but one piece of the puzzle to get the best exterior paint job so on to the next point\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019ve gotten this far, this question probably comes to mind as you start to better understand the variables to consider to get the most durable exterior paint job. Everyone knows that preparation is key to a durable exterior paint job so have you factored in the time to do this? The basics of adhesion are mechanical and \/ or chemical bonds and for either of these to happen, besides the other variables mentioned, a surface free of dirt and grease is required; but that\u2019s relatively obvious. The part that is often not mentioned (or understood) is that we must increase the surface energy of the surface being painted to ensure proper wetting. This is done mechanically by scuff sanding smooth and \/ or glossy surfaces or, chemically, using a solvent such as acetone right before painting. We suggest doing both if, after properly washing, the surface is still shiny. Once a home is properly prepped, you\u2019ll want to paint it within a reasonable time frame to avoid having to prep it all over again. In addition, once you start your exterior paint project, you\u2019ll want to make sure you continue and finish within that time span, in order to avoid \u201clines\u201d in your paint job. Lines occur when paint dries and there are varying thicknesses applied in certain areas; to avoid this, you\u2019ll want to constantly maintain a \u201cwet edge.\u201d Enter another factor that we must layer into the equation; the weather\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not only must you make time to complete your project but you\u2019ll also need to hope that the weather cooperates. Let\u2019s recap the adhesion basics so far:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Using a quality primer could be a good fail safe here.<\/em> \u2026 that leads us to the last, and arguably the most crucial factor that affects exterior paint adhesion<\/span>, the weather. You\u2019ll notice many conditions that will void an exterior paints\u2019 warranty on the can. That\u2019s because if the paint dries too slow (cold and \/ or humid weather), the coating will likely sag or never fully cure and come together as one even film. If the opposite occurs and the paint dries too fast (hot and \/ or dry weather), the paint film will not have enough time to wet the surface and become a fully uniform film (coalescence in paint terms) and fully cover the surface. Think plastic wrap which works because it\u2019s one full piece and that\u2019s what you want to achieve with your paint. If there are any holes in your paint film (usually microscopic), weathering will chip away at them and compromise the job causing the ghastly p-word. PEELING! Hurts to even say it so we don\u2019t want that! The other thing we don\u2019t want is premature fading, which leads to our next and final point\u2026<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Having a long-lasting exterior paint job means one that adheres and doesn\u2019t fade. The latter part of this sentence is a bold statement because everything fades eventually, sorry! What we can do however is delay the onset of fading; although this could also be its own blog, let\u2019s cover the high-level variables that play a role. The most important one is the colour! It is well known that reds and yellows are pigments that fade quicker than others. Specifically formulated high performance organic pigments are the first step to prolonging the life of the coating and most quality exterior paints will use varying qualities of this category of pigments (inorganic pigments are not recommended for exterior use). The second factor, and arguably the more important one, is the quality of resin used because that is what will protect the pigment from UV exposure and encapsulates the pigments. At this point you may be thinking to yourself \u201cok so all I need to look out for are quality pigments with a good resin and we\u2019re good?\u201d Not so fast! In order to achieve economies of scale, most paint retailers will tint bases of paints behind the counter in order give you that colour you asked for. The issue with this is their ability to obtain the CPVC, the Critical Pigment Volume Concentration; in other words, the ideal ratio of pigment to resin. Depending on the colour chosen, more (or less) pigment will be used potentially throwing off this balance and achieving that optimal point. The further away you are to the CPVC, the more rapidly fading will occur. *This can also\u00a0<\/em>affect adhesion as there is less resin (glue) to stick to the surface.<\/em> When you glide your hands over old siding that has faded, that powder you feel is actually just free-standing pigment particles. So, you guessed it, quality matters but so does the colour you choose as well as the pigment to resin ratio. Colours that have more \u201cdifficult\u201d pigments, such as reds and yellows, will naturally fade quicker than ones that don\u2019t. All we can do is put as many chances as possible on our side by choosing a quality product backed by a good manufacturer.<\/p>\n Ok that was quite technical and a lot to consider, we know, but paint formulation is intricate. This is why the answer to finding the best exterior paint must attempt to cover as many bases as possible. At this point you\u2019re probably wondering what paint brand is best. Sorry, we can\u2019t answer that because it really depends on the purpose you need it to serve. At Spray-Net we benchmark all of our coatings on OEM factory specs using ASTM (American Standard Testing Method) tests to make sure we are surpassing the coatings standards of brand-new surfaces. If you\u2019re looking to hire a conventional painting company or planning on painting your home yourself, consider the factors outlined above. There are some good products out there but the challenge paint retailers face is to balance paint performance, ease of application and cost in order to make products accessible to all. These constraints inevitably lead to limitations in conventional architectural paints. This is also why you\u2019d be hard pressed to find an exterior paint warranty longer than 2 years limited by many conditions.<\/p>\n Realizing this, at Spray-Net we\u2019ve reverse engineered the factory painting process and formulated our own proprietary line of coatings. We apply them using specialized spray equipment and our patented processes to truly deliver a factory durable, like-new finish directly on-site backed by our 15-year warranty. We are not in the business of retailing paint but in the business of providing the most cost-effective way to increase property value. We\u2019ve achieved this by holistically considering all of the above variables (and other nuances) when formulating our coatings to provide homeowners with the most customized paint job possible. Our exterior paints are customized for the surface, the weather and the colour; a smarter way to paint!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What is the best exterior paint? That is a loaded question as the word \u201cbest\u201d is a broad adjective, and when it comes to exterior paint, the \u201cbest\u201d depends on a myriad of factors. Our goal here is to guide your decision-making process to help give you a better idea of what you will need … <\/p>\n5. Do you have the time?<\/h2>\n
6. What weather will you be painting in?<\/h2>\n
1. Make sure you have the right paint for the surface.<\/h4>\n
2. Make sure the surface is properly washed.<\/h4>\n
3. Make sure to de-gloss the surface if necessary.<\/h4>\n
7. What colour do you plan on painting?<\/h2>\n
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So what\u2019s our recommendation?<\/h2>\n