When it comes to protecting your house, garage or back-yard fence, a coat of paint becomes your only barrier against the elements of sun, rain, wind or snow.
Exterior paints come in a latex or oil-base, and there are particular uses and advantages for each of them.
“Latex paint has improved a great deal over the last 20 years,” said Kevin Beck, manager of a J.C. Licht paint store. “Some people have stubbornly clung to the notion that oil-base is the only way to go, but latex paint is by far the most commonly used today.”
Latex paint is a rubber-based product that Beck says has the advantages of being more “breathable” and offers better transfer of moisture without trapping it, which eventually creates blistering and peeling.
“Latex expands and contracts better, and it also, over time, has far better color retention,” he says. “When you’re talking about metal gutters and downspouts, those parts of your house expand and contract and the latex paint moves with them.”
Be sure to check the materials in paints. Beck says paints contain various solids and are formulated (from best to worst) with acrylic, acrylic-vinyl or vinyl.
Oil-based paints and stains are effective as moisture barriers and also for rejuvenating dried-out materials. An old wood garage door is an excellent place for oil since moisture from water has already dried it out.
For people with cedar, redwood or fir: Those woods contain tannins, or natural pigmentation. Latex paints contain water that can interact with the tannins, which are water soluable and can cause rust spots.
“You can cover a deck with oil-base, which encapsulates the wood or forms a barrier,” Beck said. “Then a few years later, you can paint with a latex if you wish.”
Bare wood is better served with a coat of oil-based paint as well.
“After sanding and getting a nice smooth surface, latex tends to swell the wood grain and alters your finish,” Beck said.
In terms of cost, you’ll find exterior paints will cost around 1 1/2 times the cost of interior paint. Premium paints can easily run $30 per gallon, but you should be able to find many on sale.
“Interior paints tend to go on sale from January through March, and exterior paints in June and July,” says Randy Robertson, a manager for True Value Hardware.
Beck says exterior latex and oil-based paint should cost about the same. Stains cost less than paints, and you can find a number of quality products for less than $20 a gallon.
Consumer Reports did a study on exterior paints a few years ago and recommended latex paint choices Pratt and Lambert Accolade Eggshell ($29) and Glidden Spred House Dura-Satin ($16).
For oil-base, their choices were Devoe All-Weather Gloss House & Trim ($23) and Glidden Spred House Dura Gloss ($18).
Experts offer these tips if you plan to paint yourself:
– Use flat paints for your house or garage and the gloss paints for trim and doors.
– Never paint a wet surface. Start outdoor work early in the morning on the sunny side of the house where early dew should already be gone; move to shady areas as afternoon approaches.
– Try painting one side of the house per year. You can do all the work in a day and avoid a week’s project as well as the expense of all the paint and materials at once.
– Be careful to clean underhangs not naturally cleansed by rains. They collect mold and dew because they’re never rinsed.
The best money-saving tip Beck offers is to spend the time preparing the surface to be painted.
“You may think flaking or blistering of paint may seem like the number one reason for poor adhesion, but it’s really the dirt and chalking that remains on the outer walls of your house,” Beck says.
– Use a garden hose or a power washer you can rent and spend $10 for a box of trisodium phosphate available from most good hardware or paint stores. Wash your house down throughly with it and let it dry out a few days before you paint.
“The phosphate is good fertilizer for the lawn, and even though no one wants to wash his house, it will double or triple the life of the coating,” Beck said. “I’d say that’s a money-saver right there.”
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
Experts say some basic home painting gear will help you do the job easier and better. Here’s your equipment list:
– Make sure you buy one or two quality brushes–2 1/2 inches is a recommended size. Ask your paint specialist for a brush with a good release rate that doesn’t hog the paint; the brush might not be marked, but a paint specialist will know. The brushes may cost you $9 to $12 each, but they’ll work better and be less apt to lose bristles or leave unsightly brushmarks.
– Use brushes with synthetic bristles for latex paint to avoid absorbing the water in the paint and making the brush heavy.
– Buy a roller handle that’s not too heavy so you won’t tire yourself out early. Professionals use heavy-handled rollers to withstand the daily rigorous use, but they’re overkill for the once-a-year painter.
– Roller sleeves are available for about $3, but at that price you’ll be buying a knit sleeve with longer fibers that will shed and probably splatter more. For $5, you can get woven sleeves that offer a better transfer rate of paint and are far less messy–and your job will look better. And it’s estimated to save you 20 to 30 minutes per room in time, more than worth the extra $2.
– Pan liners that fit your paint tray are less than $1 and they’ll speed your cleanup time.
– For ceilings, be sure you have an extension handle (about $4); it’s much harder and slower to try and paint over your head from a ladder.
– For cutting ceilings and corners, there are edgers and corner rollers available for around $3.
