Paint experts, which is best paint for hardiplank exterior? Duron/Valspar/SW?

Time to get our 8 years old house near Atlanta repainted. Which brand offers the best value (= price/performance ratio) in your opinion? I have read good things about California Paints but they seem to be expensive and their only dealer here is pretty far. Are they really worth the extra?

Valspar Ultra Premium seems to be economical and better than SW or Behr, is that right? How Duron rates as I have not found much info about them. Any other ideas or comments? Thanks!


PS: A painting crew that has been working in my subdivision said they typically do one coat only when repainting, is that enough? They offered the labor at $1,200 incl. pressure washing. Our house is 2-story traditional with brick front. Does that sound reasonable?

Also my wife would like to go to some darker color from the original white siding/trim. She also would like to change the color of the plastic shutters from gray to something else. Do you have any advice or opinion regarding changing the colors?

 

I've never used any California Paints and the only Duron coatings I've used has been their bottom line interior paints.Big box paint depts tend to stock coatings based on price rather than quality.

SWP has a full line of exterior latex house paints ranging from ultra cheap to some of the best sold. Their A-100 line is decent, super paint is better and duration is their best exterior coating.

2 coats of finish paint is better than 1 but often 1 coat will be ok. Most customers don't want to pay the extra $ for the 2nd coat. It's always best to get atleast 3 estimates and check referencs. It's imposible to give a valid price sight unseen. Level land versus hills, landscaping and other things that can affect the ease or difficulty in painting a house can vary and will affect the pricing.

Choosing colors is a personal decision and there are no wrong or right answers although it would look best if the color [s] chosen will go with both the brick and roof colors.

 

Thanks Mark. Very good info. I'll follow your advice on references and multiple estimates.

I found out how to search the archives of this forum and learned some additonal...Duron is pretty much unknown brand so not really lot references. Our house was painted with Duron and the trim is in a bad shapes, so is our chimney. Benjamin Moore and SWR look really good candidates. Mixed opinions about Lowe's Valspar. So the strongest one so far are SWR and BM. Their mid or better grades.

Would you add some other good brands to this list? I still may check out California paints. What about Olympia 100% acrylic sold by Lowes? Or ICI's Dulux Fortis? Or PPG/Porter?

The siding is in still a good condition but trim needs paint badly as I mentioned above. To lower the cost of the job would it make any sense to get the trim and chimney painted now only and do the siding later on when the need arises?

Now the trim and siding is white. My wife likes dark trim and perhaps beige siding as in this photo (our house looks very similar) http://img260.imagevenue.com/img.php..._122_170lo.JPG

Are this dark colors in fashion nowadays? Do you think one coat would be enough to cover the white trim? Dark looks good but I am not sure how easy the house would be to sell in this color (if needed) and hard it would be go back to lighter trim in the future.

Tks again.

 

The pic showed a brick house - does yours have siding inplace of the brick?

Duron probably has some good lines of paint, I'm just not overly familiar with them
Most builders tend to use the cheapest paint they can get by with

I'd be leary of any paint that comes from a big box store. ICI [formerly glidden] sells good paint but you need to get mid line or better [true of most paint companies] I've only used the automotive line of dulux paint. I havent used PPG in a long time but they should have good quality, if I remember correctly, the only Porter paint I've used has been interior bu they should have some good exterior paint.

"To lower the cost of the job would it make any sense to get the trim and chimney painted now only and do the siding later on when the need arises?"

Maybe, it depends on what shape the siding paint is. If you run your finger across the siding does it leave a chalky residue on your fingers? The chalk is deteriating paint and must be washed off. When it isn't feasable to remove it all - there are primers and additives that will bind it up.

It's hard to say if a dark color will cover the white. better paints cover better than cheaper paints but alot depends on the color chosen - it may take 2 coats. Unless it's a light color, it will take 2 coats to change back to white.

 

Mucho appreciated!

My house has brick front and hardboard/hardiplank on three sides.

OK, I won't get into the Lowe's offerings. I'll visit some of the specialized paint stores to get a quotation. I guess I'll simply choose the best prices from SWP/BM/ICI/Porter/California's mid or high end grades if they all are good and somewhat similar.

When rubbing the siding yes there is some chalky residue left in my fingers but not a lot, just very little. I assume this indicates I need to get the siding repainted as well or...? As I'll get pressure washing done I hope I don't need to use a primer. There is some peeling on the trim, if pressure washing removes the loose paint doe it need priming? I hope not.

I'll try to talk my wife to some lighter colors or perhaps we just should stay in white even though it must get dirty looking faster than yellowish/beige/grayish colors

 

While you could wait on the siding, the chalkiness will only get worse and then it's a little harder to deal with. Chalk doesn't always get removed with PWing although using a cleaning agent like TSP will help. If there is still some chalk left after cleaning you can add some emulsa bond to latex paint to help it bond better.

Whether or not to prime the trim depends on what it looks like after cleaning. Most quality brands of house paint state they are 'self priming' This doesn't mean you don't have to prime but only if there are just little areas scattered about, it will be ok to skip the primer. If the wood is cedar or redwood and you plan to paint it a light color - any/all raw wood should be coated with an oil base primer to prevent tannin bleed thru.

A satin finish [or shinier] is less likely to attract dirt than a flat finish is.

Most painting contractors have an account at store they do business with. Generally that means he can get paint at a lower price than a homeowner. But it doesn't hurt to educate yourself about the different paints available. It might make choosing a contractor and grade of paint a little easier

 

10-4.

As that painting company I mentioned in my OP still work's on the neighbor's house I'll talk to them about the chalking and which detergent they would use in PW if any. I'll ask about the priming too. I'll check with them about contractor discounts on paints too. The peeling in the trim is narrow but longish. I assume the trim is southern yellow pine. Hardiplank siding probably was pre-primed at factory and then painted after installing.

Is is a rule of thumb to have siding in flat and trim in semi-gloss? What would be the reasons to not to follow that? What about main door + fake shutters? Semi-gloss?

My siding has some waviness and there are gaps between the siding planks that need to be filled before painting. Would the defects show easier in any higher than flat? And, which does it matter what kind of chalk should be used in filling siding defects? Is sanding a must?

 

OK, I talked to the painters working next door and showed rubbing the siding. They said it is not bad but may get worse when P-washed. They were more concerned about water entering though the gaps between the hardboard pieces. I agree they look like they need filling.

They use clorox or similar chlorine/chloride stuff in P-washing. $600 for labor doing the trim and doors/shutters only & PW. Paint is extra.

I went to paint window shopping...SW's Duration is -30% off until 4/26, price now $38 or so per gallon (normally $54). That LOOKS really interesting, I'll probably go for that. Contractors get discounts but not from this special price. Is Duration self-priming (thinking about the peeling trim I have...)? I probably will find the info on the SWP website though.

Duron's Weathershield (not their top product but the next) in offer too, $38 now, normally $46. That is what the painters in my subdivision are recommending and using for the house next door. Duron's flagship Signature is $54/g.

Interesting that the painters I spoke with said SW Superpaint is good for siding but not for trim...not that I am considering it at lest for the trim (now same price as Duration $38/g, contractors probably pay high $20s, so significantly less that Duration now but I still probably would go for Duration). SW A-100 $38 less -15% anytime, contractors typically pay low $20s per g.
Went to HD and Lowe's too just for curiosity, I asked for their top products...Lowe's Valspar is $30/g flat, $35/g semigloss. Behr's Premium Plus Ultra ultra @ HD is about $32/g less -$20 rebate for each 5g until tomorrow.

All in all SW probably will get my business, their Superpaint and A-100 with contractor discounts for siding still are an option but for trim and doors/shutters I am planning to go for their Duration. I hope I am on a right track here


By the way, SW Duration is available in flat, satin and gloss. I understand satin is more resistant to dirt and easier to clean. Would it make sense to go for satin siding and gloss trim? Or is flat siding and satin trim better?

 

The trim is usually painted either the same sheen as the body or 1-2 steps shinier. Personally I like flat [body] and satin [trim], or satin and semi-gloss. It'sreally up to personal tastes - there is no right or wrong answer except when it comes to the doors, they should have a sheen so they can repell dirt and be cleaned if needed.

About the only hardi-plank I've painted has been dormers on brick homes. I would think the joints in the siding should be caulked but you might want to check and make sure. The siding shouldn't be wavy. If I'm not mistaken it's installed over plywood/osb and should lay flat - does it need renailing in places?

I don't understand why those painters think SWP isn't good for trim. A-100 used to be SWP's best extrerior latex until they developed super paint. I've used a lot of super paint and always got a satisfactory job. I've never used duration. By the time it came out, I was mostly painting interiors - my limbs aren't as limber as they used to be

 

OK.

I can see gaps between the siding pieces so yes, they need filling. I can also see that many corners are cracked where the nails area, I am assuming this is due to the siding and wood contract/expand differently in temp changes. I believe they are nailed to studs as there is insulation underneath. Perhaps waving was a wrong term...I meant slight variation vertical line when looking the from the corner of the house.

I remember the painter saying is that SuperPaint does not hide trim well (with one coat??) if going from light to darker. He said A-100 does better in that. I think Duration must be better than SuperPaint as Duration is SWP's "top" and most expensive paint. I have read good things about it so I feel pretty confident going with it....

 

I always thought super paint covered a little better than A-100 but I don't recall ever using them side by side. Maybe I just thought it covered better because it cost more

 

The unfortunate thing about hardboard siding is it usually gets primed at the factory with "shop mix" a combination of things mixed together and then thinned to get through the gun, thus the chaulking. On houses I have worked on, I have primed over the shop mix with oil based primer and then oil based gloss finish, body and trim. I would only advise using flat paint outside if you were trying to hide a rough finish such as shingles or badly peeled clapboards. Ben Moore Exterior Gloss will fall into the price categories you mentioned around $40 a gallon. I have used California Paints and they are good products. The nice thing about hardboard siding is it is usually available in long lengths, so there are very few seams. My advice on your seams is to sand them flush, stainkill, putty any voids, stainkill again, prime and paint. The less moisture than can get into the seams, the less chance of the thickness swelling do to moisture. My advice on color is to grab the wife, hop in the car, and head for a development. Drive around a see if you find something you like, and then ask the owner if you can match the color in your color book.

Billy

 

Thanks Billy to you too. Good advice. Just wondering as my house is about 8 years old the hardboard was painted back then...so it must be the paint that is chalking and not the primer under it. As the color of the walls is still good I would GUESS no priming is needed, just pressure washing?

I have still not decided if I go for the whole exterior or just the trim/doors/shutters. Doing less would save me about $1200 but the siding might need paint within a few years. Not sure if they could spray the siding then only and not doing the trim at that time...if impossible I may go for the whole exterior now and be done for the next 10 years

Do you guys have any opinion this?

 

I doubt the siding needs to be reprimed at this time but the chalk must be dealt with before any coating can be applied. Often pressure washing won't remove all the chalk. In these cases, it's best to add flood's emulsa bond to the 1st coat of paint. The amount to add is dependent on how much chalk. The label says not to add it to satin or any latex with a sheen but I've done so numerous times when repainting aluminum siding [spraying] and never had any issues - it does need to be mixed in well.

While the siding can be sprayed without getting any on the trim, the extra cost involved would negate any savings. It would be better to do it all now or paint the siding later and spruce up the trim with a quick coat of paint [maybe not all the trim - just as needed.

 

10-4, tks. According to the painters the chalking is so mimimal that no priming needed.

I for SW Duration for whole exterior so we do it all at the same time...the trim will be really dark chocolate brown but I had to listen to the boss who was tired to look at the original white ;o)

Thanks again!!

Ah, BTW I'll pay $1350 for the exterior painting (1 coat will do) incl. windows, pressure washing of the house , drive way and deck and gutter cleaning by same folks. I think this is reasonable.