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Exterior Paint Help

I’m wanting to paint some vinyl siding, vinyl windows, metal garage, front and back exterior doors and door frames, and the trim lining the peaks of my house. Both companies I’ve gotten bids from want to use Sherwin Williams, but they’re recommending different products.

I don’t love SW paint, or maybe I’ve just not used their higher quality paint before. But I need everything to be washable, not peel, not fade, and just In general be super durable for a long time.

Bid 1 SW Superpaint w extreme bond primer on windows and garage and trim SW Solo on front and rear doors

I’m trying to paint everything black, but Bid 1 has said the product they’re recommending for the vinyl doesn’t come in black, just gray.

Bid 2 SW Duration on everything

Another option would be to go with either of these bids but then require that they use a higher quality of paint, one that is available in black, even if it’s still SW.

Please help!

KellyB
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1 Answers1

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I won't comment on the brands, or costs, because that is off-topic here. I'll try to give you some general recommendations on how to select among bids.

All higher-end (read -> expensive) paints sold today are great. Where different brands differ is on their lower-end offerings. So definitely pay extra for top-quality paint. Sherwin-Williams gives contractors generous discounts, so it should not be a big difference in context of the price of the full job.

Painting vinyl siding and windows? You are taking a big risk. Yes, it can be painted but vinyl stretches and contracts with heat/cold cycles more than paint can, causing it to peel and crack everywhere. And I've never seen a good paint job on vinyl siding. The big advantage of vinyl siding is that it makes your house look great quick and on the cheap, but it really does not age well. Wood siding, while more expensive, ages gracefully, and be repaired and painted. I've worked on 100-year old wood siding that still looks fantastic.

In addition, black is probably the worst color choice for a house. I'm not talking about aesthetics, but just in practical terms. It fades quicker, makes small imperfections stand out, gets dirty quickly (or should I say, the dirt on it is easier to notice). And unless the vinyl siding is itself black, when the paint stars peeling off, you'll notice the peeling a mile away.

Bottom line: no matter how good the paint or the painter, painting vinyl is a fool's errand.

Cheery
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