The highly respected independent organization “Consumer Reports” provides some common sense advice on how to select a painting contractor.  These include making sure that the contractor spends sufficient time to make a good estimate; has references; is insured and will guarantee their work.   CR also recommends that you select your paint based on your own research as opposed to taking whatever the painter offers. And they recommend purchasing the best product available since the cost of not doing so may mean you either re-paint sooner or you have a higher level of damage that must be repaired when their work is done. 

Either way, they warn that the costs for saving a few dollars per gallon on product are very high, sooner than later.
Knowledgeable resources in the paint industry will also tell you that preparation is key to a good application, but they fall short of equipping you with the right information to question your painter’s knowledge.  In fact, there are some real gaps in “guidance” from the painting industry to help you obtain the best value possible in both applicator qualifications and product quality. 

STEP ONE:  MAKING A JUDGEMENT CALL – DO I NEED TO REPAINT?
Making a correct judgment that you need to paint the exterior of your home comes from knowing what to look for:  If you have waited until the paint is peeling or wood is rotting, the decision is easy, you need to do the proper maintenance now.  At this level, your costs for repairing and repainting may have increased a third or better if carpentry work is needed. 

WHEN TO INSPECT:  The paintable areas of your home should be washed once or twice a year as a minimum, generally following pollen season.  Other washings may be warranted due to your location to sources of contaminates that could include anything from carbon from nearby highways or sap from nearby woods.  This gives you an opportunity for close inspection on a regular basis.

Your pressure washer will find problems on its own. Consult manufacturer for the closest distance between the surface and the spray nozzle. After pressure washing you should carefully inspect caulked areas by probing joints.

Also carefully look and probe at exposed fasteners or nails.  Use your fingers, a wooden paint stirrer or the tip of a blunt key to probe initially. Sharp tools can break the surface of the paint and cause it to fail prematurely. Where you find a soft area, probe with a little more pressure to learn the extent of the damaged substrate.   Check the hard to reach underside of boards as well as their surface, especially along boards that are close to roofing areas or the ground where wicking can occur. 

Look for cracks or splits in the surface materials at all locations.   Look especially around doors and windows and where siding abuts these elements.  Open windows from the inside and check sills.  Also look at the top of the window, or header, from the underside.  Look for water spots indicating that flashing or caulking has failed above the window or door trim.

Separation of caulk from the adjacent surface, even small cracks, and loss of flexibility in the caulking are early indicators of a problem. The former for obvious reasons of allowing moisture to enter, the latter because your home continues to move, and your caulking and paint should remain flexible enough to move with your home. 

Rust or indentations around the nails that are spongy to the touch indicate a significant problem.    This is generally more pronounced in fiber board siding than wood planks. 
Color fading is also an indication of paint failure, but it is most likely the case that the pigment is not the element that failed. Organic pigments such as Hansa Yellow will fade quicker than the inorganic iron oxide pigments for example. 

Many times what appears to be fading is the chalk that constitutes the main body of the paint.   Almost all paints sold in retail outlets contain chalk in the form of calcium carbonate or similar, which is an inexpensive thickener that gives you the false impression that the paint has “some really good stuff” in it.  When the microscopically thin surface sheen of paint fails and chalk appears when you rub your hand on the surface, you can be fairly well assured that there is a systemic failure and moisture is passing through to the substrate below.  >NEXT  |   >TOP

Take a pen and pad with you as you walk around your home and note each location where the problems are evident.  You will need this later. 

STEP TWO: QUALIFY THE INDIVIDUAL OR COMPANY WHO WANTS YOUR WORK.
It is very easy and inexpensive to set up a paint contracting company and there is almost no regulatory control or oversight of their business practices in most states. The typical profile for purchasing the service of a painting contractor generally goes something like this:  You meet the contractor, size them up as a person or company, check references and you look at their price.  Unless you had some insight into how paints were formulated or manufactured you generally went with the painter’s recommendation.  Most likely that recommendation was made because the painter had a line of credit at that manufacturer’s store. 

Surprisingly, in order to divert attention from the quality of their products, most paint manufacturers had you focus on their “many colors”…  With respect to color, almost any paint can be tinted to any color…but more on selecting your products later.

The downside is that today, a company with a great performance record, even an “A” on Angie’s list, may, like many reputable banks, simply go out of business in the middle of your project or not be around to honor their warranty.  Things are beginning to improve in the economy, and pricing has never been better.   But this is also the time to be more diligent than ever before.

You should be cautious of deals offering steep discounts.  The reality is that because most legitimate paint companies were competing with undocumented painting crews for more than a decade, they were already working on very tight margins. In this market, a price 10% or below a comparable bid will most likely have some corners cut.  The corners could include the painter not preparing the substrate properly; applying a less expensive product; cutting the product with water or applying it thinner than the manufacturer recommends.  

(Our observation is that less than one in 20 painters understand or use a mil gauge – the standard instrument to measure the thickness of a coating to determine if it’s applied as specified by the manufacturer)

As a recommendation from an architect, the best approach is typically for you as the owner to set the standards and then ensure that everyone is giving you a proposal based on the same scope of work. When you look at the pricing, you decide what corners should be cut (if any) as opposed to leaving it to the painter when you’re not looking.   See Step 

Four for more information on the workmanship standards. 
The beginning of this process however, should be a rigorous pre-qualification of the painting contractor.  Past performance and history were reliable in the past as good indicators.  Information on current situation and capacity are needed in today’s market.  A pre-qualification form to be completed by “all” companies wanting your work will help you in this regard.  See forms at the conclusion of this article. 

You should also let the contractor know that you have specific standards that you want in your contract: 

1.Insist on completion of a pre-qualification form for each company you solicit proposals. (see attached example)  

2.Advise that you want a written daily report on the work on your home. (See Step Five for a sample form) 

3.Advise that you will pay no more than 20% down to get the work started. 

4.Make the balance contingent on completion of the work, no intermediate payments will be made. (see Step Five for the Completion Form)  

5.Advise that you will select the products and that you want verification of the quantities used on your home.  

6.Advise that when the final payment is made, that a “notarized” release of liens will be required.  >NEXT  |   >TOP

STEP THREE: SETTING THE QUALITY STANDARD FOR PRODUCTS YOU WANT ON YOUR HOME: 

 A quick, but extremely interesting history of paint:  

Paint is made up of a pigment, a binder to hold it together and appropriate thinners to make it easy to apply. The earliest cave paintings were made using iron oxides, which are still used today. 5000 years ago Blue Frit was the first synthetic pigment produced The Egyptians made it from ground down blue glass. (sand, copper and natron heated to a molten blend).  

The ancient Egyptians also developed paints using pigments in the soil, primarily yellows, oranges and reds. 

By 1000 BC development of paints and varnishes were based on gum from the acacia tree, knows as gum Arabic. 

Romans gave us purple.  A pound of royal purple pigment or dye required crushing four million mollusks. And somewhere in the history, eggs and blood became ingredients to both bind and color objects.

Cochineal Red, discovered by the Aztecs was made by crushing the female Cochineal beetle. It took over one million beetles to make one pound of color.  Spaniards introduced the crimson color to Europe in the 1500’s. 

Before the sixteenth century European pigments were largely dependent on color in plants. 

In the seventeenth century, the Dutch invented the Stack Process increasing the availability of white lead. 

In the 1800’s Linseed oil began being mass produced and dominated the paint business, which were distribute through small shops that mixed each order by hand, much like the apothecaries of the day.

Before the nineteenth century the word paint was only applied to oil bound types, thosebound with glue were called distemper 

The first washable factory produced paint began to be marketed in the 1870’s, but was not accepted. 
In 1886 Sherwin Williams developed a mass produced formula that they promoted as exceeding the quality of all shop blended paints of the day.   It failed to sell because of a bad formulation they promoted several years earlier.   

However, it was a better product, and they knew it. 
A year later they introduced the “money back guarantee” and the modern paint industry was launched, not based on the quality of a product, but with a marketing angle.  
In the 1920’s Otto Rohm and Otto Haas created an acrylic emulsion that could cover linseed oil paints, the major litmus test for any newly developed paint product.  The age of acrylics was launched.  The product they created was marketed as Rhoplex AC-33. 

In the early 1960’s, Polymer Chemist Dr. Fred Benz used a higher performance grade of the Rohm and Haas acrylic as the base for a revolutionary coating that addressed the main reasons for paint failure, which include cracking, peeling and retention of moisture.  His formulation is produced today with the same ingredients he originally specified.  
His formulation is called Liquid Ceramic®

WHERE SHOULD YOU BEGIN IN EVALUATING THE PERFORMACE OF AN EXTERIOR PRODUCT FOR YOUR HOME?

Let’s go back to Consumer Reports and their “Best Picks.”  At the request of Architects and Specifiers in the US and Canada, in 2007 the Master Painters Institute (MPI) took the five Best Picks of Consumer reports and evaluated them.  MPI was unsuccessful in obtaining the test methods used by CR so it used its own methods of evaluation.     
>NEXT   |   >TOP

Unlike CR, the test methods used by MPI are published and are either ASTM, or those approved by major users such as the paint experts at Navy Facilities, Army Corps of Engineers, GSA, etc.. MPI paint standards replaced GSA-maintained U.S. Paint Specifications in 2000. The MPI paint standards are used by both the U.S. and Canadian Governments.
 
Summary:  Only 1 of 5 CR Best Picks passed MPI tests. 
As an architect, the tests performed by CR, which consist of painting boards and exposing them to weather, fails to recognize that joints and intersections of materials, either similar (horizontal slats and vertical trim) or dissimilar (walls and vinyl window frames – or nail penetrations) are the first areas where failures are likely to occur. 
 
This understanding of where paint failures are likely to occur causes us to also look at materials and methods of caulking as well as the composition of the paint or coating.
 
The second lesson that can be taken from this report is that some evaluation programs are better than others.  MPI uses test standards that are nationally recognized.  Liquid Ceramic® is listed in the MPI approved products list. 
 
PAINT VS. COATING?
Even though the words are often interchanged, paints and coatings differ even though both contain similar categories of ingredients such as binders (also called the vehicle); pigments, solvents and additives.

Paints are made to bind ingredients together and stick to a surface with no intention to “better” the surface where they are applied. They generally consist of chalk, water, the binder and pigments.
 
Coatings are engineered to specific performance standards and are designed to  improve properties of the surfaces they are applied. Coatings can improve such things as appearance, hardness, wear resistance, scratch resistance, etc.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN COMPONENTS IN PAINTS AND COATINGS AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
It was mentioned that paints and coatings both contain similar categories of ingredients: binders, pigments, solvents and additives.
 
Binders:  The most common for exterior applications are oils, acrylics, epoxies and polyurethanes. 
 
Oil binders that use solvents evaporate, off-gassing toxins and odor and should be avoided.  Fortunately, there is a reasonably priced alternatives. 
 
Alkyds are oil based but use vegetable oil instead of a petroleum product.  They tend to be weather resistant and can be applied successfully over a variety of other paints.  They don’t however hold pigments well.
 
Acrylics and Polyurethanes are polymers, which are produced from monomers that are processed in contained “reactors” using a process called crosslinking.  When applied, the polymers coalesce to form a uniform film. 
 
Since the polymer fully reacts in the vessel, when it is removed it is basically inert and typically qualifies as an environmentally Green product.
 
Latex paint does not contain “latex”, which is a derivative from the sap of a rubber tree.  Latex refers to the way water disperses the ingredients in the paint. 
Latex paints “coalesce”, meaning that during the curing process, they fuse the other ingredients together, binding them in a way that is typically irreversible. 
 
Experts in the paint industry generally agree that 100% acrylic paints are the best that have been produced in the long history of paint manufacturing. They bind the other ingredients together well and form a very durable film. 
 
Whether they will surpass the 40,000 year life of the cave paintings is ‘somewhat’ speculative.  They surpass polyurethanes in allowing moisture to escape and resisting cracking.     >NEXT   |   >TOP

Pigments:  While there is a lot of emphasis on “our” colors vs. “theirs” in the marketing of paint, most manufacturers purchase their pigments from the same sources…you’ll remember their ads as “…the company behind the company.”  Pigments will fade over time, but their failure generally does not affect the performance of the coating.
 
One popular additive is chalk, an inexpensive ingredient that holds color and thickens a paint.  It is highly subject to failure and when you can rub your hands across the surface of your home and see chalk, it is time to paint.
 
Other additives provide UV protection, hold solids in suspension and in the case of products that are mildew resistant, contain an insecticide. 
 
SO, WHAT SHOULD YOU DEMAND IN AN EXTERIOR PRODUCT FOR YOUR HOME?
 
1.The product manufacturer should provide you with all of their test data to evaluate the expected performance of their product. 
 
2.The product should keep water out and let water out.  It should stop the penetration of hard driving rains and also let moisture escape from the substrate. 
 
3.The product should remain flexible for decades, resisting cracking and peeling. This implies a certain level of elasticity, but not enough to compromise the requirement that it releases moisture.
 
4.The product should be non-toxic and non-flammable.  It should be mildew resistant without the addition of insecticides (mildewcides).
 
5.It should be highly resistant to abrasion, as shrubs can do a great deal of damage to a painted surface.  It should also be impact resistant.
 
6.The product should exceed US Federal standards for weathering. 

7. It should look great.

COMPARE:  By these criteria, the performance of a Liquid Ceramic® coating far exceeds that of paint. 
 
1.Data from reliable testing services shows superior performance by Liquid Ceramic® in every category.  No other manufacturer has as much information so readily available.
 
2.No product is intelligent enough to determine if water is coming or going.  A high build architectural coating, specifically Liquid Ceramic® accomplished this by balancing thickness with perm rating, which hydrostatically stops water from  entering while allowing its gradual release to the air.
 
3.Without elastic capability, a coating will not stretch across gaps and by not having a slow cure rate will eventually harden and fail to perform. The engineered cure rate of Liquid Ceramic® ensures that it will remain flexible for decades.
 
4.Mildew does not survive without water. The fact that Liquid Ceramic® does not hold moisture, as a chalk based paint will do, is a natural deterrent to mildew, without the addition of toxins. 
 
5.Titanium dioxide and ceramic are main components of Liquid Ceramic® and provide significant resistance to damage from abrasion and impact.
 
6.Liquid Ceramic exceeds Federal Standards as tested by ASTM for weatherability. 
 
7.The finish of Liquid Ceramic has a substantial “WOW Factor”.  That is typically the response from home owners and neighbors when the work is complete. 

CONCLUSION: While the paint industry has focused on “selling paint”, the emphasis on improving the condition of the substrate has been lost.  While the industry diverts buyer’s attention away from the performance of their product by focusing on “color”, it has failed to recognize that if it did market a high performance coating for the residential market, that the consumer would pay the difference in product cost, if it were assured that the life of the coating was measurable in decades, and not years. 

Click HERE to download a pdf of this form
 

Dear Painting Contractor,

We are interested in your providing an estimate for painting our home at: 
_____________________________________________________________________________________

This is a pre-qualification form to let us know a little about you and your company.  It is intended to ensure that we have a very high quality company making proposals for our work.  The assurance we can give you is that your competitors are being qualified in the same manner and you will not be competing against unqualified companies.  All proposals will be evaluated on an equal or “apples to apples” basis. 

Please contact me at the following number if you have any questions._____________________________ 
Thank you,
_______________________________________________ Owner

Name of Company: ____________________________________________________________________

Owner’s Name: ________________________________Years of residence in this community _________ 
Have you ever filed for bankruptcy under any name or with any company? _______If yes, explain on back. 
Do you have proof that you are a company that can legally work in the United States?  _______________
Please state the method of proof:    For individuals a SS # or I-9 (make available at time of contract)       For a corporation, a copy of your registration with the State.

Mailing Address: ______________________________________________________________________
Telephone(s): _________________________________________________________________________
Type of Business:  ______________________________________  Years in Business:_______________
On Site Supervisor’s Name: ______________________________________________________________
Years with the company:  ______________________Total Years in the paint profession: ______________
Insurance Carrier:  ________________________________________Policy #: ______________________
Type and Limits of Coverage: _____________________________________________________________

List of three other clients in the area that have similar homes that you have completed:
Reference Name:  _________________________________________ Telephone:  __________________
Reference Name:  _________________________________________ Telephone:  __________________
Reference Name:  _________________________________________ Telephone:  __________________

Number of workmen planned for this home during Prep: ___________  Coating:  ___________________
Number of days planned for this home:  Prep:  ___________________ Coating: ___________________