You get what you pay for.....

[Jim Becker]

One of the first rules of painting, even when it's exterior that folks don't generally look at up close...is to use good equipment. The paint goes on better, smoother, more evenly. And in the scope of things, that "good" brush, even if you inadvertently ruin it for some reason, is a small price compared to the high quality paint you (bravo!) chose to use. I don't even bother to buy "cheap" brushes anymore...the good ones are actually less expensive in the long run.

[Matt Meiser]

I just payed a friend who's a contractor to paint the entire inside of my house. He's not a painter, but does a lot of painting and did a WAY better job than I could have. He did a bunch of other stuff for us too so it worked out well to have him do everything instead of trying to coordinate another contractor. Money well spent.

We bought our paint as SW too. The local store suggested we buy a couple cases of untinted base during their 35% off sale. If we needed more mixed, bring it in to be tinted free of charge, then bring back whatever was unopened. That worked out great.

[Ole Anderson]

I have a friend (now deceased) that was a pro painter. He always used SW brushes and turned me onto them. Great for cutting in on interior paints. However, I found myself having to re-stain my home's exterior after a hailstorm meant a new roof. A new roof meant me finally replacing all of the fascia boards and many sub-fascia boards and soffit RS ply due to rot before the roofers arrived. Home is mostly brick with RS cedar trim, T-111 accents and RS fir soffits. So, although I just stained it 4 years ago, I just stained it again, finished yesterday. Last time I used SW solid latex stain. So I sent my wife to SW (something I rarely do) to pick up a matching gallon to augment the 2/3 gallon I had left from last time. Over $60! It didn't really hold up well on surfaces exposed to the sun for just 4 years. So when I needed more, I took a chip to HD and got 3 more gallons of the Behr solid stain, at $25 per gallon with their Labor Day sale. Then I noticed that when I stained my deck railing spindles 8 years ago with Behr solid stain, it was holding up much better than the SW stain on the house, so I felt better about going cheap. I should have known as when painting I always use Behr products.

And I bought a few compact 99 cent 2 inch chip brushes intending to throw them away after sealing the ends of the freshly cut composite fascia boards. Frankly they worked so well, I preferred them to using my good SW brush on the RS wood. The flat surfaces I rolled. This is where I learned something new: I bought a small diameter 6" long roller with a quality long nap (not foam) cover. Man, that thing rocks for anything other than large interior walls and ceilings. I got at least 8 cleanings out of that little roller cover and it was great for 6" fascia boards and 12" and 24" soffits, working overhead. Another worthwhile purchase: a ladder stabilizer for my 20' extension ladder.

[Matt Meiser]

99 cent 2 inch chip brushes

Whoa...bought the high dollar ones, eh? Two words: Harbor Freight.

[Phil Thien]

Whoa...bought the high dollar ones, eh? Two words: Harbor Freight.

No the Harbor Freight brushes suffer two problems: The red "pigment" in the plastic handles wears off on your hands (and anything else they touch), and the bristles are terrible (you get 2-3 cleanings and then garbage).

The inexpensive brushes at places like Home Depot really aren't bad. As I said above, the brushes I buy at Hobo for $2 last a long time, and the bristles are stiffer for fuller-bodied paints (some of the new BM and SW paints are like spreading mayonnaise).

I'm not a big Purdy fan, but I do like Wooster brushes quite a bit. Especially the "Shorty" brushes. They're a little stiffer.

But one thing I've learned is not to equate price with quality. It is often an indicator, but just as often not.

And I also agree with Ole that the 6" rollers are dynamite, although I even use them for painting ceilings and wall inside. I wouldn't use them for a large room, but for a hallway or small bedroom, I like them just fine.

[David Weaver]

I've heard what Ole says about SW paints, and one thing I learned going there (that I'm sure is obvious to everyone) is that if you go there without a contractor discount or a sale offer, you get nailed. You're a target for them, in my opinion.

I used behr until this last time using SW (stain issue notwithstanding), my contractor gave me paint colors to match windows that were put in on a room conversion in my house and SW was about $45 a gallon for the paint and primer (with discount), but as the contractor said, the primer he suggested could be sanded in an hour, and I could have the primer and first coat of paint on as quickly as I wanted and do the second not long after and the coverage would be good. I can see why contractors like it.

My door on the inside was covered by SW in two coats, completely. I didn't have exterior paint so I got HD to color match with behr on exterior paint, and it took 5 coats to get decent coverage and it never laid out as well. Something that sticks in my mind is the comment I saw on a pro painters forum is that with the high build SW paints, you put it on and that's it. If you go back and try to work the paint, you'll get in trouble.

I've used behr for interior until this room and always lamented how if it gets an appreciable amount on tape, it remains somewhat pliable and tears where the tape comes off. The SW didn't do that. My FIL likes the behr because of the price and doesn't mind putting on a lot of thin coats (watching him paint, he really likes to work the paint a lot), but I think I'll switch to SW from now on as long as I can find a sale deal.

[Matt Meiser]

No the Harbor Freight brushes suffer two problems: The red "pigment" in the plastic handles wears off on your hands (and anything else they touch), and the bristles are terrible (you get 2-3 cleanings and then garbage).

I buy the wood handled ones. And I NEVER wash one. Strictly a disposable brush for utility purposes.

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piec...hes-61493.html

[David Weaver]

I buy the wood handled ones. And I NEVER wash one. Strictly a disposable brush for utility purposes.

http://www.harborfreight.com/36-piec...hes-61493.html

"Krause and Becker" brand (someone must've been thinking black and decker when they came up with that fake brand name).

[Mel Fulks]

Yeah Matt,I just toss most of the HF brushes ,but not the 1" shaving brush size which seems to improve with age.

[Jim Becker]

As an aside, Sherwin Williams offers a discount program for just about anyone including some very attractive special offers. Never pay retail!

[Ed Aumiller]

When you go to Sherwin Williams, set up a charge account with them.... charge your paint on it and pay the invoice when you get it in mail... That way you get contractors price all the time.... NOT a charge card... a charge account...

A few years ago, bought the best paint Lowes sold... "1 coat covers all"... color was antique white going on antique white... when it was apparent that it did NOT cover on one coat, took it back (and they would not refund price, just wanted to give me enough to paint it again).... finally got credit in the paint dept was all they would do as I did not intend to put another coat of their paint on it....

Went back to SW and there 400 series does just that... one coat is enough....
Only thing we use now...

[Rich Riddle]

Being a cheap-minded person, I am not a fan of this thread title. It's mostly right, but still wish it wasn't.