I used some Behr and it was okay. Then I used some Sherman Williams SuperPaint and it was just so much easier to work with (but costs twice as much). Goes on smoother and better coverage. I was using some painter's contract account so I was getting a good deal though, and not too long ago I saw a lot of 30% off coupons in mailers. Benjamin Moore and Dunn Edwards are supposedly better.
This.I like Benjamin Moore paint for the most part. When it comes to paint you pay more to pay less, sort of like buying tires for your car. Don't cheap out on paint and you will be happy; cheap out on paint and you will kick yourself.
Oh, I hear good things about that frog tape.
Are you going to do the work yourself? Have you done much painting before? I got one of those drum type, non-drip rollers where you can fill it with a 1/4 gal. (the paint runner t/m, wife found it on QVC), really makes the job go faster. Never let anyone tell you that *new* walls do not need primer, IMHO, Zinsser is one of the best, helps prevent mold, stains, and smoke damage. Also, forget about all those gimmicky cut-in tools, (got them, been there, done that), all you really need is a good angled cut-in brush. Do not skimp on a paint brush, just take care of it, don't let it clog up, or dry out, if that means rinsing it out every 45 minutes or so, then do it!Great info so far. Sounds like we're not going to go with Valspar. Any more advice?
Also, forget about all those gimmicky cut-in tools, (got them, been there, done that), all you really need is a good angled cut-in brush
Having done all the painting and trim painting in a 3200 sq/ft house...I'll kindly disagree. There's these $5 edgers you can buy at lowes/home depot. They are red and have a black handle on them. You refill them with white pads that are almost velour in texture. Those things were invaluable and did an amazing job along ceilings and around doors and windows. There's a light learning curve up front in getting the right amount of paint on the pad so you don't smear.
This thing: http://www.lowes.com/pd_90212-1077-1...te=R#prod-tabs
I find those don't get close enough to the edge for me.
I find those don't get close enough to the edge for me.
From what I remember from painting our house several years ago this was my experience. We had windows with wooden trim so we needed to be careful around them. I found that the easiest way was to just go over it with a brush carefully, then run over with this tool to get the texture and blend with the roller.
No one else has mentioned this, so I'll throw it out there - Sears has an "in-house" paint that is actually made by Sherwin-Williams. I worked with it a little bit when I worked at SW over the summer and it was very very nice for the price. You might want to look into if you can, Google can help.
EDIT: It was Sears Easy Living. Almost as nice as SW SuperPaint in terms of application ease and thickness. Cover was not nearly as nice but for the price (~$15-20 ish IIRC), can you complain?
I used to work in the paint industry, so I will try to give you as unbiased a view as I can while still coming from a knowledge background.
If you can afford it do your whole house in a "top-brand". Benjamin-Moore, Kelley-Moore, Sherwin-Williams, Pittsburgh would all qualify as such. The initial cost is higher but the durability and repaint factor more than make up for it.
If you can't afford top-brand, do some research and find which top brands in your area have generic labels or manufacture for other companies. Sherwin-Williams (who was my old employer) also makes Pratt & Lambert and Dutch Boy. I've been to their plant in Garland, TX (largest paint plant in the western hemisphere). There is a difference between the S-W label and Dutch Boy but it's generally not as large as the difference between top labels and other brands like Valspar, Frazee or Olympic.
The single most expensive ingredient in paint is titanium dioxide. TiO2 is one of the things that gives paint it's ability to "cover". If you are looking at 2 5-gallon buckets of paint and one costs $35 for 5 gallons and the other costs $35 per gallon it's a safe bet to say that the $35/5gallon brand is really skimping on the TiO2 and your paint will cover like crap.
Assuming you're using latex (water-based) you need one good brush for cut in. Do NOT get bristle, the water will destroy it. Purdy was a top brand but then they got acquired by S-W; I do not know if they've gone downhill since then. For rollers get a 50/50 synthetic blend. That will give you the best mix of absorbency vs transfer. If you have no texture or slight texture (like knockdown) your rollers should be about 1/4" pile. Anything higher is for more pronounced texture like stucco.
At most paint shops that are paint stores (as opposed to a hardware store or big box) like a S-W store or a Kelley-Moore store the manager/asst. manager has the authority to adjust pricing. If you commit to buying all of your supplies there you can get 30+% off.
You might be tempted to use "contractor grade" paint from a reputable dealer. Unless you are extremely comfortable in painting, don't! S-W brand ProMar 200 is comparable to their consumer label brand SuperPaint. The difference is that SuperPaint lays down from a brush/roller much better. Contractor grade products like the ProMar are designed for spray and backroll application. Additionally, managers usually have more leeway to price discount for consumers on consumer brands since corporate doesn't want to encourage non-pros to use an "unfriendly" product and be dissatisfied.