Some paints suck.
Sorry for the harsh language but sometimes we have to face the facts.
So often we, as painters, are forced to use products that we know do not look good yet the client has been influenced by either a designer, big box store, friend or even worse - a blog post.
I know, I said it, a blog post! And here I am writing a blog post.
In my defence,
I have tried so many different paints that have come and gone over the past 17 years, that I know what looks good and will make you love that room, that will help attract more clients to your office, that will inspire your staff and help them and yourself love where you work.
So where do we turn to for good paint?
Which paint store should you visit to purchase a great product?
It all depends on what you are painting. Most painting stores have a few good products and some of their other products are down right horrible. So, let me tell you what we have found and what products to use from which stores.
The Standard paints we use every day.
Painting regular walls whether in an office or home: We have found that Cloverdale Super II Eggshell is a great product. Use anywhere from a high-end custom home to a small office job. The sheen of the product is a true eggshell sheen (this means it is not shiny nor flat, a really good medium). Super II is also great for durability and washability.
Painting Trim and Doors: Cloverdale has a great and durable product called Renaissance. This product flows nicely and levels itself off smoothly. Available in 3 different sheens from Melamine (close to an eggshell), Semi-gloss, and Gloss.
What about painting Dark Colors?
Painting Dark Colors: Any time that we are painting dark colors on walls we use one product and one product only. Benjamin Moore Regel Ulti-Matte. Hands down, there is no better product out there that will give a dark color a low sheen and also cover excellently.
What we have found with other products when trying to paint dark colors is that you can use an eggshell finish paint but once you add so much colorant to the can, the paint will dry to an semi gloss finish and trust me, you do not want to see what your walls look like with a semi gloss finish.
Need help finding a color, download our PDF on How to Choose the right Paint Color.
Painting Ceilings: Had this question yesterday, “Should I use an oil base or latex base on my ceilings?”
If your ceilings have been previously painted, then most of the time you could use a latex. If your ceilings are stippled with popcorn texture and have never been painted, I would recommend using a product like Cloverdale’s Master Painter Lowe Odour Calcimine Recoater ceiling paint. This product will solidify all that texture and make sure there is no risk of it falling down (which could happen if you use a latex on never painted popcorn ceiling). This product is also great if you have yellow stains in your ceilings as it acts as a stain blocker as well.
Repainting ceilings whether flat or stippled ceilings, Benjamin Moore Ceiling Paint, Cloverdale’s Premium Classic Ceiling Latex, as well as Sherwin Williams Eminence Ceiling Paint are all great products. Ceilings should always be flat sheen.
There is a lot to know about products that are out there and some stores even will sometimes give you bad advice. You should talk with your painter and see what his experience is with products.
Additional Tips:
Benjamin Moore Aura Paint - They try to sell this as a product that will cover amazingly and dry super fast. True it may cover well but the fact that it dries really fast doesn’t allow it to smooth itself out. You really have to know how to use this product and not recommended for the homeowner that wants to paint a room.
Benjamin Moore Ultra Spec Eggshell - Let’s just say it doesn’t live up to its title of an “Eggshell” paint. I haven’t found what this paint is good for yet because it sure isn’t the paint if you want your walls to look good. It should be renamed to an Semi-gloss paint.
Sherwin Williams Paints - This company bought out General Paint a few years back and sadly giving 90% of my paint products to them has moved to another company. I am sure they have some good products but I have found that a lot of their wall paints feel chalky when dry which has never appealed to me.
Find the right paint color is difficult.
Let us help you with resources and tips on how to feel confident that you have chosen the right paint color.