rdesigns said:
Great article, Scott!
My question for you is: what is your rating of exterior latex paints? Specifically, what about SW Duration? I see it carries a lifetime warranty, even to the second homeowner, but I am also suspicious of such warranties, since they essentially say: "If you can prove to us that our product is no good, we'll give you more." :
Thanks RD, glad you read it.
To your questions...
Just a word on paint manufacturer warranties...I don't pay much attention to them because in the real world they are kind of like the Easter Bunny. Maybe they do exist, maybe they don't, but who really has 25 years to find out?
Thats how I look at that. I can tell in the first year of performance, and about the first day of application what I have for a paint.
We have used TONS of Duration Exterior. In many of our youtube vids, we are just spraying dozens of gallons of that product to prepare exterior packages for life in the real world. And then we go top it off post install. And then we inspect it every year. Thats how we know things that even the best mfr's themselves do not know about their products.
Today's exterior latex paints are further advanced than todays interior latex paints. Oil paints on exterior were never the rage, so latexes have been able to hold a court and evolve. They are fantastic, and the latex primers are too. More flexible than oil in the long run, which in the reality of todays lumber supply chain is a desirable feature.
But the warranty thing, whatever. In fairness, a high percentage of paint application failures are operator or situationally (again, operator) induced. Paint does not last 25 years. It does not last 10 years in most cases. But it won't FAIL. If properly applied.
This is why we focus so much on prep and mode of application. Thats the only way ideal performance can occur. And maintenance always makes it killer.
But, if the painter does his job, and promotes maintenance after the fact, there really should be no failures.
