What goes into the best quality paint? How do you tell the difference between bad paint and good paint? Here’s what to look for.
Most people don’t know this, but there’s a lot more that goes into choosing paint than colour. Whether you’re painting your house, working on a school project, or making some art, it’s important to get the highest quality paint. Especially if you want to avoid fading, chipping, and peeling!
You should always search for the best quality paint before laying down that first coat. Here’s a quick guide on how to tell good paint from bad.
How to Find the Best Quality Paint for the Job
The Basics of Paint
There are four basic components that make up every can of paint: additives, liquids, pigments, and binders. To get the highest quality paint you must balance all of these components correctly. Having more of one than the other will give paint different qualities.
Pigment gives the paint its color and helps it cover more surface area. Binders, also known as resins, hold the pigment particles together, keeping the paint together as it dries. Liquid keeps the paint in a fluid state, and additives help it from spoiling or going bad.
Pigment is very important to making high-quality paint. One of the most important pigments is titanium dioxide. Most high-quality paints use titanium dioxide as it results in good, strong coverage.
What Makes High-Quality Paint?
To the amateur painter it may seem silly to worry too much about paint quality. But there is a huge difference between high and low-quality paint.
Low-quality paint has considerably less binders and pigments, and more liquids (solvents). The solvents evaporate once the paint has been laid, making it less durable over time. This also leads to a thinner cover.
With low-quality paint, you’ll have to repaint the area regularly. This can be a huge hassle, and it’s always frustrating to see a newly painted wall chip. A high-quality paint will hold up a lot nicer, no matter whether you’re painting the outside of the house or inside.
High-quality paint has more solids (binders and pigments) and less liquids. The more solids the thicker the paint, and the better overall coverage and sturdiness. It won’t look thin or become delicate once the liquids start to evaporate.
That means if you want high-quality paint, one of the most important things to look for are high pigment levels.
That’s doesn’t mean you should avoid paints with additives and liquids, though. Some additives are used to make paint spread better and last longer. Just make sure not to sacrifice pigment level for additive level.
How to Find the Best Quality Paint
It’s important to read the label before purchasing paint. This is the best way to ensure you’re getting a high-quality product.
The better the pigment, for example, the better coverage you’re going to get. With low pigment paint you may need two cans to cover the same surface area you could cover with one can of high-quality paint. In this way, it’s actually cheaper to buy high-quality paint.
Always look for paints with a higher percentage of solids. This isn’t listed specifically on the paint label, but what the paint contains usually is. Look for paints with more binders and pigments as opposed to liquids and additives.
Look for paint that uses titanium dioxide, and avoid too many additives. The best thing you can do is research paint types online to find the type you’re looking for.
Certain additives help paint become more workable and perform better. Floetrol, for example, helps flow and leveling, making it easier to spread paint on a surface. Many high-quality paints use Floetrol.
Generally speaking, the more you pay for a can of paint the higher quality you’re going to get. You should try to stick to well-known brands with a proven quality track record.
If you’re hiring a professional painting company to do your work you should ask them what paint they’re using. If they’re using cheap paint they may not be worth it. The last thing you want to do is hire another company to get a re-paint done.
Best Paint Brands
There are a lot of paint brands out there, but you can’t trust just any brand if looking for the highest quality product. You want to go with something a little pricier to get the most bang for your buck.
Rust-Oleum is a trusted and high-quality brand. This paint comes in a huge variety and can be used on most surfaces, including cars. Rust-Oleum is not only made of the finest pigments, but has additives that help protect against rust and wear.
KILZ is another paint brand you can trust. They offer reliable and versatile options, and their paint can be bought for use on concrete, ceilings, floors — you name it. They’re designed to protect against cracking and peeling, and are also fade and heat resistant!
You also want to make sure the paint you’re using is specialized towards what you’ll be painting. If you’re painting a kitchen wall, find a paint made for walls. If you’re painting on a floor, find some made for floors.
You don’t want to be using wall paint for a floor as the ingredients that go into it aren’t suited for floors. Floor paint uses a different mixture of resins, additives, etc. that make it more resilient to wear and tear. Wall paint might be more focused on color, spread, and thickness.
As long as you don’t cheap out on your paint you can expect a great paint experience. Do some online research into any brand you’re considering buying. Chances are there’s a paint that will do exactly what you want it to somewhere out there.
It’s Deeper Than Color
There’s a lot more to choosing the best quality paint than just color. Always read the labels on your paint before purchasing, and do your research into each brand. The cheaper the paint you use the more paint you’ll need, and the last thing anyone wants is to spend extra money.
You’ll be glad you chose a high-quality paint at the end of the project. You deserve the best!
If you’re looking for a reliable painting service in Calgary, see what we can do for you. Contact us with any comments, questions, or concerns.
Residential – Harding’s Painting offers professional “Ditch the DiY” painting services in Calgary and surrounding areas. We do the work so you don’t have to. We understand that perfect preparation makes for a quality finished product. Our highly skilled painters will ensure that every surface of your home gets all the attention required during preparation, for both interior and exterior house painting. Our Painting Managers will provide you with an exact quote tailored to your requirements. Take a look at Sherwin Williams – 
Commercial – As a commercial painting contractor serving Calgary and surrounding areas, Harding’s Services strives to offer “Peace of Mind” to all of our commercial painting customers. Quality and customer service is first and foremost.
Condominium – Harding’s Condominium Painting Services Division offers “Peace of Mind” painting services to property management companies and condominium boards in Calgary and the surrounding areas. We maintain excellent relationships with a majority of the property management companies in the City and serve as the preferred condominium painting contractor for many condo boards.
