Quotes for Exterior House Painting

[The Critic]

Two-story, 2500 sq ft house. Front of house faces South. Current color is dark grey (flat) and very faded. House was last painted using Behr about 8 years ago.

I solicited quotes from six local painters.

As expected, Contractors B & F are outliers. A, C and D are pretty much the same price. E is a high volume painter that paints a lot of HOA's, their pricing is seemingly on the lower-end but are a bit challenging to communicate with.

Questions:
1) Thoughts on SW Emerald vs. BM Aura for a dark exterior color? Does BM’s Gennex colorant provide a meaningful durability advantage on dark colors?
2) Does Semi-Gloss provide a significant durability advantage over Satin? I assume any sheen is better than flat.
3) Is it a good idea to paint exterior-facing doors that still have a factory coating in good condition?

Thanks.

 

[JeffKeryk]

I found a guy who started for me by painting our house; he use Ben Moore. Best work I ever had. He has since remodeled my niece's Capitola condo and is nearly done remodeling our Petaluma place.

 

[Pablo]

Timely. We are getting quotes as well

Good questions

The key is prep for any painting and prep takes time

 

[BobsArmory]

Timely. We are getting quotes as well

Good questions

The key is prep for any painting and prep takes time

We are too. Small world!

 

[spasm3]

@demarpaint is the guru.

 

[Hirev]

Semi-Gloss provide a significant durability advantage over Satin?

A little bit but I would not say it is significant. Having said that I will only use semi gloss these days because it cleans up much better. I power wash my house every 5 years. Last painted my house in 2014 with Valspar semi gloss. The high sun walls started showing the age of paint about 2 years ago. So was good for about 10 years with the Valspar paint semi gloss. Valspar is owned by Sherwin Williams these days.

 

[Lubener]

1. Darker colors do not last as long as lighter ones.
2. I would go with satin. Semi gloss is too shiny and will show any imperfications the most , on the siding.
3. If the finish of your exterior doors are in good condition and the color you want, I would leave them alone.

Preparation is the most important part. I like the Sherwin Williams paint. I used their Duration paint several times and it was the best paint I ever used.

 

[demarpaint]

Two-story, 2500 sq ft house. Front of house faces South. Current color is dark grey (flat) and very faded. House was last painted using Behr about 8 years ago.

I solicited quotes from six local painters.

View attachment 336292

As expected, Contractors B & F are outliers. A, C and D are pretty much the same price. E is a high volume painter that paints a lot of HOA's, their pricing is seemingly on the lower-end but are a bit challenging to communicate with.

Questions:
1) Thoughts on SW Emerald vs. BM Aura for a dark exterior color? Does BM’s Gennex colorant provide a meaningful durability advantage on dark colors?
2) Does Semi-Gloss provide a significant durability advantage over Satin? I assume any sheen is better than flat.
3) Is it a good idea to paint exterior-facing doors that still have a factory coating in good condition?

Thanks.

As usual prices are all over the place, although not as bad as they would be here. You've ruled your choices of potential painters out pretty well. The next step would be to see the work done by A,C, and D, and if possible speak with the clients. I never worked with the SW Emerald. My reason was I was never a fan of their products, or the way they handled product related problems from people who had problems with it. BM isn't that much better handling problems, both companies play the blame game. Years ago I was considered an industry expert and called in to give my evaluation/opinion to trouble shoot paint related failures. I saw my fair share of paint problems, along with wall covering failures. Products do fail!! Dark colors fade, especially in areas like Southern CA and Florida, no matter who makes the paint. Aura is BM's top of the line, so they claim. Regarding the finishes: on trim Semi Gloss, siding and large areas a Mid-Gloss or Satin is usually better. Semi Gloss loses sheen over time, combine that with sun related fading and now you're faced with uneven sheen and fade, on large areas that can look really bad. That's my reasoning for leaving it off of large areas.

Factory finished doors, if they look good leave them alone!! If not a sprayed on finish over a properly prepared door is the way to go. Expect to pay quite a bit more for that type of work. Having said that they can be brushed, but after all you are called "The Critic" I would assume for a reason!!

Final thoughts, as already mentioned good prep is very important, and don't rule out Home Depots premium line of exterior paints. They have come a long way, a very long way!

 

[zzyzzx]

If you have a HOA, check with them first since even repainting the same color can be a violation.

 

[north star]

>

FWIW, all good comments above.

Definitely check with HOA if you are a member. Also, strongly recommend that you
get the HOA response in writing.

I have had good luck with Sherwin Williams and Farrell Calhoun paints, not
so much with the Valspar brand.

Agree that the preparation of all surfaces to be painted is critical ( i.e. - repairing \
replacing deteriorated locations, filling in holes, gaps \ seams with a high quality
wood filler. I have used Elmer's Pro Bond Wood Filler. It has ceramics mixed in
with it ( i.e. - very durable ).

I would leave the doors and associated trim alone for the time being, unless they
are in urgent need.

When painting the exterior, I prefer to use a flat finish paint. For me, it seems to
not show oxidation \ finish degradation as much as a satin or semi-gloss finishes.

For me, I would have the primer and the paint totally separate from each other
( i.e. - have a very heavy coat of primer applied first and totally dry before
applying your selected paint. FWIW, I prefer to have 2 separate, very heavy coats
of primer applied. ). I have not had good results with the paint and primer
together, even the Sherwin Williams, Farrell Calhoun or Valspar paints.

As a CYA Factor, I encourage you to have everything that you want done in writing.
EVERYTHING !

<

 

[The Critic]

If you have a HOA, check with them first since even repainting the same color can be a violation.

No HOA here.

 

[PandaBear]

I repainted my home about 3 or 4 years ago using Sherman Williams' self cleaning paint (I forgot the product name but it is the most expensive one), costing me about $8000 for a 2/F 1500 sqft house. So $11k is probably about right consider things are inflating quite a lot since then. Paint went up, oil price went up, and immigration enforcement went up.

Behr is not really the best paint but 8 years is a bit short. My parents use Benjamin Moore / Kelly Moore and they typically last 10 years plus. My previous paint (Kelly Moore) was from 2006 so that lasted 16-17 years fine. If it wasn't because we did a lot of stucco work and need to paint protect them I would probably wait for another 5 years. I wouldn't trust home improvement stores' own brand, the texture doesn't feel right after a few years in my parents' rental units. I would trust Benjamin Moore / Kelly Moore since my parents have good luck with them across multiple rental properties. I typically don't trust bankrupt / near bankrupt companies' quality and LBO not trying to find places to cut corner short term for long term impact.

Satin / Semi Gloss should be used based on what surface it is on: door with something more gloss and stucco should be more flat. Do it the other way around may look cheap and impact your home value just in case you need to sell, or make your wife unhappy and demand another paint job sooner for no reason.

 

[Pablo]

1st quote today

 

[The Critic]

I received three more quotes. I specifically sought estimates from companies that had been in business for more than 20 years.

 

[Pablo]

First quote - SOME few highlights. The huge total includes all doors, shed ($1K), shop ($3K), etc. Gutters, down spouts. etc

Four page PDF hard to post, just posting some for thought process. I don't know the level of paint quality by name, for example.

ESTIMATE
Services qty unit price amount
Paint - Exterior Painting ( House) $9,660.00
SCOPE OF WORK
Area: Full Exterior House Repaint ( House)
Surface Preparation:
- Apply Cleaner solution
-Pressure wash all exterior surfaces to remove dirt, moss, and debris
-Scrape and remove any loose or peeling paint
- Apply primer to all bare wood
-Seal all gaps and seams with high-quality exterior caulking
-Mask and protect windows, doors, rooflines, and fixtures to ensure clean edges
- Fix few dents in siding with filler
- Rotted trim board on the south side post will be cleaned and Bondo applied
Paint Application:
-Apply two wet coats of premium exterior paint via spray application to all siding and body surfaces
-Apply two coats of finish paint to all trim, including fascia, gables, corner boards, window trim etc... ( This includes the front railings)
Color Scheme: 2 colors
Body Color: 1 color 1 sheen
Trim Color: 1 color 1 sheen

Exterior Paint - Sherwin Williams Super Paint

Next bid is tomorrow and so on,

 

[The Critic]

First quote - SOME few highlights. The huge total includes all doors, shed ($1K), shop ($3K), etc. Gutters, down spouts. etc

Four page PDF hard to post, just posting some for thought process. I don't know the level of paint quality by name, for example.

ESTIMATE
Services qty unit price amount
Paint - Exterior Painting ( House) $9,660.00
SCOPE OF WORK
Area: Full Exterior House Repaint ( House)
Surface Preparation:
- Apply Cleaner solution
-Pressure wash all exterior surfaces to remove dirt, moss, and debris
-Scrape and remove any loose or peeling paint
- Apply primer to all bare wood
-Seal all gaps and seams with high-quality exterior caulking
-Mask and protect windows, doors, rooflines, and fixtures to ensure clean edges
- Fix few dents in siding with filler
- Rotted trim board on the south side post will be cleaned and Bondo applied
Paint Application:
-Apply two wet coats of premium exterior paint via spray application to all siding and body surfaces
-Apply two coats of finish paint to all trim, including fascia, gables, corner boards, window trim etc... ( This includes the front railings)
Color Scheme: 2 colors
Body Color: 1 color 1 sheen
Trim Color: 1 color 1 sheen

Exterior Paint - Sherwin Williams Super Paint

View attachment 337437

Next bid is tomorrow and so on,

Super Paint is like Amsoil OE....it's their entry-level product.

 

[Killer223]

2 wet coats is effectively only one coat of paint. if you have a look on the paint can instruction they have a dry time between coats. so if a failure happens they wont warranty anything.

As a semi retires professional painter for over 40 years. My favorite paint is PPG, with SW being a distant second.

make sure they use some kind of cleaning solution like TSP, then let dry completely.
look at the person who bid the job, is he clean, well kept, organized truck, or is he disheveled. messy and not very organized,

are they painting roof jacks? vent covers? etc?
they should start at one corner, and work all the way around a house, then by the time they get back to the start point it should be dry enough to make a second lap. That is a much better way of 2 coats then 2 wet ones. same with trim.

as for doors. if the factory finish is in good shape. leave it alone.

 

[PandaBear]

Agree about the definition of 2 coats. I specifically have to argue with my painter that spray then roll right after is not 2 coats and I quote the paint manufacturer's customer service that you need to wait till they dry.

Needless to say I watch those guys like hawk to make sure they are not cutting corner, and track when do they apply which coat. I think this is where many of them cut corner on people who don't know. Make sure you get paper trail on them putting down how many coat and watch where the color isn't good enough. If possible read the instruction of the paint and put down minimum dry time between coat (to avoid letting them get away trying to cheat).

I do have to ask the painter to come back for another coat in area that didn't go well, but the guy was not upset about it and stay professional. I think the burritos I got them every day for lunch helps them with the quality sometimes.

At least the good paint I pick says 1 coat is enough unless you start from a dark color to a light color, and I do see them use a coat of primer on the fresh stucco. I know even if they cut corner the paint would still be good enough.

Super Paint is like Amsoil OE....it's their entry-level product.

I was advised to use Super for a wall next to old paint to "blend in". If I paint one wall and use the best it would stand out. If painting the whole house then probably a better quality paint / newer formula would last longer.

 

[#18FAN]

Agree about the definition of 2 coats. I specifically have to argue with my painter that spray then roll right after is not 2 coats and I quote the paint manufacturer's customer service that you need to wait till they dry.

Needless to say I watch those guys like hawk to make sure they are not cutting corner, and track when do they apply which coat. I think this is where many of them cut corner on people who don't know. Make sure you get paper trail on them putting down how many coat and watch where the color isn't good enough. If possible read the instruction of the paint and put down minimum dry time between coat (to avoid letting them get away trying to cheat).

I do have to ask the painter to come back for another coat in area that didn't go well, but the guy was not upset about it and stay professional. I think the burritos I got them every day for lunch helps them with the quality sometimes.

At least the good paint I pick says 1 coat is enough unless you start from a dark color to a light color, and I do see them use a coat of primer on the fresh stucco. I know even if they cut corner the paint would still be good enough.


I was advised to use Super for a wall next to old paint to "blend in". If I paint one wall and use the best it would stand out. If painting the whole house then probably a better quality paint / newer formula would last longer.

Just curious how many years you have in the paint industry or manufacturing you have other than just reading a label.

 

[Cropduster172]

This is fairly accurate...but his reliance on Consumer Reports is somewhat off putting.