hello everyone! My husband just recently started a handyman business and all the work he has been getting is paint. He is very talented and has done well so far but he has some bigger jobs coming up and we would like to start really investing time and energy in getting better. That being said since we are newbies he has been buying paint from home depot in the 5 gallon buckets. What and where do the "pro's" buy their paint and what are some great and trusted brands. He is bidding on an exterior job today for a family friend who is wealthy and is going to expect high quality and thats what we want to give him. He understand we are a new business but we want to wow. Any info and advise is appreciated. Thanks in advance!
advice please-preferred paint brand
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It's my opinion that most homeowners really can't tell what paint is better than another. What they will notice however, is the sheens, colors, smells, and how careful the cut ins were performed.
All the information you need on paints can usually be found in their technical data sheets, which can be accessed online. The TDS will provide information on film thickness recommendations, recoat times, sheens, permeability, substrate preparation, coating systems, and limitations.
Another consideration: One particular paint may actually out perform another paint by applying an extra coat. For example, Benjamin Moore markets their Aura brand paint as a one coat application compared to say a BEHR paint that may require two coats to match the hide of BM Aura. But the BEHR product may actually perform better over the life of the coating given the extra coat.
The most difficult thing about painting, will be to convince people to consider the time it takes to apply the best practice and compensate accordingly. And because of that, you'll find yourself looking for primer/finishes that can be applied in one coat and have the fastest dry times in the event you have to quickly roll out another coat.
And lastly, painting is very subjective. An inferior paint can give the illusion of good quality depending on how well it was applied. This is where the duration of a warranty is important to consider.
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I didn't see any mention of the exterior being sprayed in this instance. Could be that he is doing all of his jobs by hand so far. And even though he is relatively new to the business, he still could be delivering high quality work. The trick is doing so and making money at it.
Back to the OP - as for the paint brand, I would agree with Gymschu that using a paint brand marketed to DIYers (Behr) isn't the way to convey to customers that he is a pro. He should either establish a relationship with the local SW or BM dealers in the area (also as Gymschu mentioned) or consider using a well respected regional paint brand.
As an aside, I don't care much for handyman services. The ones I run into seem to do everything only partially correct. The old adage, "Jacks of all trades, masters of none.", always comes to mind. But maybe the guy in question here doesn't fit that particular stereotype - I'm sure there are exceptions out there.
Do have to wonder though why anyone would hire a handyman, friend or not, to paint an expensive upscale home instead of hiring a professional painter to do the job.
Information entropy
With that in mind, there is information I see lacking in your post, like:
What kinds of surfaces are going to be painted?
What kind of prep needs to be done?
Is a primer needed, and if so, which primer?
Are there photos of the house you can post?
What part of the country are you in and what is the weather like? (here in Chicago it is winter right now
)
I would imagine that even the best paint will not adhere properly if the surface is not prepped right. Getting the right paint is just one of a number of factors involved in doing a good paint job.
Not to be unfriendly, but I, and probably others here as well, would be more apt to want to help you if you gave as much information up front about the job instead of leaving us here to weedle that info out of you (or your husband) comment by comment, and this happens too often here. Sort of like someone going to the doctor and she says "how do you feel?" and they say "not good." That doesn't give the doctor much to go on.
At any rate, welcome to the forum.
futtyos
There may be a reason you are asking and not your husband, but if he is going to do the work, I would think it to be a good idea if he were doing the asking rather than you being an intermediary. This had nothing to do with your being a woman. We have several women here at PT that can run circles around many of the men here (myself included). It has to do with loss of information being transmitted. Also, the question of "What and where do the "pro's" buy their paint and what are some great and trusted brands" leads me to wonder what else your husband doesn't know that he should.
With that in mind, there is information I see lacking in your post, like:
What kinds of surfaces are going to be painted?
What kind of prep needs to be done?
Is a primer needed, and if so, which primer?
Are there photos of the house you can post?
What part of the country are you in and what is the weather like? (here in Chicago it is winter right now
)I would imagine that even the best paint will not adhere properly if the surface is not prepped right. Getting the right paint is just one of a number of factors involved in doing a good paint job.
Not to be unfriendly, but I, and probably others here as well, would be more apt to want to help you if you gave as much information up front about the job instead of leaving us here to weedle that info out of you (or your husband) comment by comment, and this happens too often here. Sort of like someone going to the doctor and she says "how do you feel?" and they say "not good." That doesn't give the doctor much to go on.
At any rate, welcome to the forum.
futtyos
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I completely disagree that preferring BM or SW automatically exemplifies one as a professional painting contractor. I can arrive at ten "professional" painting job sites within thirty minutes of me and find that six out of ten have workers with no more experience, qualifications, or documents for that matter, than what the self taught owner operator has. And there will be cans and buckets of SW, BM, KM, DE, PPG, etc. all over the place.
At the same time, I can go to a professional remodel job where the licensed sub contractor painter is applying BEHR per the GC's specification. It's all relative. Bottom line, the paint doesn't make the painter.
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Put it this way, you could spray one of the "professional" brands of paint on a ceiling all you want, but your painting acumen will still be questioned once you've applied frog tape to the walls that you will eventually cut in.
See, at the end of the day, it is how you manage the logistics of painting, including time, that reallly qualifies one as a professional painter. Not the Ace Hardware paint you're using.
See, at the end of the day, it is how you manage the logistics of painting, including time, that reallly qualifies one as a professional painter. Not the Ace Hardware paint you're using.
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True statements above^^^^^^^. I had an old, wise SW store manager who was the very best in the business who would always say this, "A great painter can use any kind of paint and make the job look good." Now, we all know there are limitations to that statement, but, on the whole, it is true. I'm sure almost all of us have had to use Wal-mart paint, Dutch Boy, Sears, etc. at some point in our careers, and, in the end, you find a way to make it "all look good."
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Don't think I ever implied that the paint makes the painter, or that using one of those two brands automatically makes someone a professional painter. The OP wanted to know of a brand or brands that most professionals use. To that end I suggested SW and BM over Behr because it's been my observation that these are probably the most commonly used by professionals. Part of that is likely due to those stores being available in most area (of course so is HD) and that professionals prefer the level of service they are more likely to obtain there (not my experience with HD). I also suggested tto the OP that they look into a quality regional brand as a choice - something I avail myself of.
When I see a "pro" using Behr, it indicates to me that they are trying to go with a lower priced paint to improve their profit margins rather than giving their customers a top quality product - but that is just my opinion. Now if a GC is involved, and they are specifying Behr then that is another matter. But I didn't see anything about a GC being involved in the OP.
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You're right. Especially since we all have access to whatever there is that can give us a better appearance. And what better way to make one appear more competent, successful, creative, smart, and beautiful than to use only the highest of quality. Hell, if it wasn't for baggy pants, no one would know the quality of my expensive name brand drawers.
All "likable and thankable" posts here, but agree with RH mostly. Box Store paints convey "handyman" IMHO, whereas paint store products give the impression of "professional". The proof, however, is always in the finished pudding.
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So, what do you use?
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Really don't know what your problem is today, but I don't believe I indicated anywhere that any of that was the reason most painters tend to use SW or BM.
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If this was Steven King's The Stand, you Semijohn, Gough, Slinger, and RH would have all gone to Colorado, while the rest of us ended up in Las Vegas.:sad:
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I wonder though what percentage of HO see Behr as a paint that conveys that imagine. I'd bet it's more among pros that it speaks to that.
I don't have enough experience using Behr to lay judgement on it. Probably used about 10 gals. in 20 years and only because a HO had already bought the paint. I can't remember having an issue with it.
We use PPG and BM. The things I look for in a paint store is quality products, accuracy (in tints, matches and orders), delivery, fair prices, prompt service, and having my back on product failures. The occasional contractor event is also nice.
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