What's the best paint brand?

Two questions I'm often asked by homeowner's as well as a few contractors is, "What's the best brand of paint to use?" or "What brand do you plan to use on my job?" While it seems an easy enough question to answer, the fact is there are several things to take into consideration. For example, are we talking interior or exterior painting? Are you looking to get a fresh coat of paint on before your house goes on the market for sale or are you planning to hang around a few more years? What types of substrates you'll be painting i.e. wood,

masonite, aluminum, steel, masonry and so forth.

And it goes without saying cost is always a factor. When speaking with homeowners, reviews from Consumer Reports frequently come up during our discussion of "best paint brand" and while I will readily admit that I haven't performed extensive testing on a number various brands, I have extensively used a few brands for a great number of years. This, in

my humble judgement, carries greater weight as a 30 plus year professional painting contractor over that of a so called independent consumer products review organization. Their methods of testing as well as apples to apples products for testing have been questioned by more than a few companies whose products they have "unbiasedly" tested. Let's face it, consumer review organizations are a for profit business, soooo, they're in it to make money. Now that rant is done, let's talk paint. For the most part the adage is true, you get what you pay for. That's not to say they aren't bargains to be had however. And to be clear a bargain isn't merely what you pay for the product but it includes things like customer support, knowledgeable sales staff, reliable warranty, accountability, excellent custom color matching, and a genuine trusted source for all my painting needs. I don't get that type of service from the mega-home warehouse stores where the guy behind the paint counter today was in the plumbing department yesterday and in returns the day before that. I only go to

the official retail store for national brands such as Sherwin-Williams, Porter Paints and Benjamin Moore. All of these brands are locally available but admittedly some are more reasonably priced than others based on comparative products. Still, there are regular sales events that often helps to level the proverbial playing (or paying) field. All have excellent quality interior and exterior paints as well as speciality paints and stains for most any substrate. And all will have a cost point that should fit into you budget.

Bottom line: Stay away from the home centers and speak with a true professional paint sales associate at your local Sherwin-Williams. He may not be able to tell you what isle the toilet lids are on but he can certainly help from flushing your money down the toilet.