Are all paint brands equal??

[AB..]

Hello all, Iam about to start painting the interior and exterior of our house and I am wondering wheather one brand is better then another?? Does a dearer name brand paint offer more protection then a much cheaper "house brand"??

Thanks any advise would be much appreciated..

AB..

[silentC]

Well, it's like anything. There's a certain amount of 'brand' in the price but you also get what you pay for. Sometimes brands have a good reputation (and attract a higher price) for a good reason that is not just marketing.

My mate at Thrifty Link often tries to sell me 'renovator brand' paint, saying it comes from the same factory as Wattyl or whatever, yet if you buy the stuff, it is like water.

Ultimately, it comes down to the amount of pigment in the paint. You buy cheap, you often need three coats to get a good cover. The thicker it is, the better the cover but the higher the price.

I bought Solver for my place. It probably cost me $200 or $300 more for the whole job (2 houses) than to buy a cheaper brand but it is great stuff - high opacity, lays up well and is durable.

So what do you want for your place?

[mic-d]

I heard of a story that Choice magazine did on this, and apparently the upshot was that amongst the well known brands of paint there was very little difference in physical properties, but that British paints being cheaper was best value for money. I've used them, Dulux, Taubmans and Solver and found all good. I was not happy with the BP all in one PSU though, it did not lock tanin stain. I'm going to sound like a broken record but for that reasom I only use Zinsser primers now...
Cheers
Michael

[OBBob]

Hi there, I went down the cheap path first time around and it all seemed good, however when I went for the more expensive second time there was no going back! I think it was Dulux ... it went on and covered so much better than the cheaper version. Depending on the job you may find that you pay more or some brands but you actually use less, so the price difference may not be quite as much as you expect.

[Gumby]

Don't use cheap paint. I've tried and it doesn't pay.

Exterior, Dulux or Solar guard are best. My paint guy says Solar Guard is the best.

Internal, i always use dulux wash 'n wear satin. Good paint. I don't like British paints though. Their ceiling white I tried was crap.

[chrisb691]

If you pick up a 4lt can of cheap paint in one hand, and a 4lt of premium paint in the other, one can will be a lot heavier than the other. Guess which one has the most solids (pigment) in it.

[woodsprite]

Local painter told me he never uses anything other than Solver - goes on well, stays on. I certainly only use their paints for metal things like trailers, camping gear, etc. Really tough, srpays easily.
Cheers

[Zed]

I reckon they're all the same (or therabouts) so long as its not too runny and you dont try to stretch the paint too far by covering too much surface area you should be ok... Having said that the render on my house is painted with dulux sloarguard. seems really good so far after 4 yrs...

[Pulse]

hey Zed don't mean to be annoying but wattyl make solargard, dulux make weathershield.

Cheers
Pulse

[silentC]

I reckon they're all the same (or therabouts)

This from the guy who hates cheap power tools!

Come around to my place sometime and I'll show you the difference between a good paint and a cheap one

[durwood]

If you are not sure if a brand of paint is good value or not, look at the coverage table on the label. I think its compulsory for it to be placed on the tin.

When paint is manufacturered the makers test the product for opacity with a opacity metre (Called a cryptometer) this gives them a reading which converts to square mitres per litre. The more square metres a litre will cover the the further it will go.

It the price is the same pick the one with the highest number you will get paint which goes further.

As to is there a difference, yes, there can be a lot, some big companies have large overheads and charge extra to cover them. Often smaller companies can give you a superior product at a cheaper price. This is probably why some of your answers are sugesting lesser known brands because they offer better value for the dollar.

[Zed]

sorry... weather shield. its grouse!

[bresmith]

Found this very good unbranded explanation why more expensive paints would be better than cheap paints. BTW i've used Dulux and Taubmans and found both excellent:

The key is to use quality paint from the manufacturers premium range, regardless of the manufacturer. In the realm of paint, there are various grades of quality and in order to be classified as premium paint then these paints require a GPC or Government Paint Committee Number to correctly identify them as being approved. Quality paint costs more, with the justification that it also lasts longer. But what proof is there that quality paint really is the better buy. This question is answered all the time by looking at such things as binders, pigments and additives. Quality paints have better binders. Quality binders cost more then binders of less quality. The type of binder and amount used affect everything from stain and crack resistance to adhesion. Several polymer types are used as binders for acrylic paints. Enamel paints usually have a drying enamel or modified enamel, called enamels, as their binders. Of the two, quality acrylic paints with 100 percent acrylic binders are especially long lasting. They are also more expensive. Typically speaking, quality paints have more prime than extender pigments. Prime pigments are good hiding pigments, while extender pigments provide bulk at low cost. The most common prime pigment is titanium dioxide, a white pigment found in both enamel and acrylic paints. It's is expensive and is imperative for good opacity or film hiding ability. Quality paints also have more additives. Additives are included in paint to provide desirable properties. They might make the paint easier to apply, for example, or give it protective properties. Fungicides are an example. Lower cost paints take out some of these additives to save money. All of these benefits save time and money in the initial painting and in recoats . Since most of the cost of repainting a home is in labour, it makes sense to invest in a top quality acrylic paint. It applies easier, lasts longer and, when spread out over the life of the paint job, costs less.

[China]

AB some food for thought, there are only two paint manufactuers in this country Dulux and Wattyl so there is very little difference between paint that is actualy made in oz it all comes from one of the above Wattyl is the largest manufacturer of paint in the Southern Hemisfere so it is most likely that which ever brand you buy is made by them and branded and is of a very similar quality

[coastie]

Heard on radio some time back that Wattyl were dumping thousands of litres of paint,wouldn't donate it to Salvos or any body,went straight to the tip!
Sacrilege!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:mad: