Looking Beyond the Color: A Guide to Quality Paint Selection

Presented by Steve Revnew

Director of Marketing, Product Development
The Sherwin-Williams Company
Cleveland, Ohio

LOOKING BEYOND THE COLOR: A GUIDE TO QUALITY PAINT SELECTION

To your customers, paint may be seen as a commodity product. In many situations, customers are unable to discern
quality products in the myriad of choices that are available to them. It isn’t until the paint is purchased and applied that they
will see the benefits of using a quality coating. Typically, customers will look to their painting contractor to recommend the
best paint or coating for their project yet may flinch at the cost. Helping your customers move beyond the sticker shock and
understand why the cheapest paint isn’t necessarily the most inexpensive requires an understanding of paint technology and
performance.

BETTER INGREDIENTS MEANS BETTER PERFORMANCE

As a painting contractor, your experience has allowed you the opportunity to use various coatings and you can
quickly differentiate among quality products and those that miss the mark. Whether it’s how easily paint applies or how well
it hides surface imperfections in fewer coats, it’s the ingredients that determine the paint’s performance. Stated simply, a
high-quality coating starts with high-quality ingredients. And, understanding how the ingredients affect the quality will help
you communicate the value you bring to your customers. There are four key ingredients that affect the quality of paint:

y Pigment: In a can of paint, there are two different pigment types. The two types are “prime” pigments and “extender”
pigments. Prime pigments give paint its color and its hiding properties whereas extender pigments add bulk to the
product. Extender pigments are low-cost and have little value as it relates to the paint’s color.

y Binders: Binders impact characteristics such as stain resistance, gloss, adhesion and crack resistance. High-quality
paints are made of higher quality binders so they have better adhesion to surfaces and provide enhanced film integrity,
making them more resistant to cracking, blistering and peeling. Latex paints contain either 100 percent acrylic, styrene-
acrylic or vinyl acrylic binders, while oil paints typically contain linseed oil, soy oil or modified oils called alkyds.

y Liquids: The liquid in paint allows you to get it from the can to the surface and provides no added performance benefits.
Top quality paints have a greater ratio of solids (pigment and binders) to liquids, while less expensive paints have more
liquid and are more watered down.

y Additives: Ingredients that give paint a specific benefit it might not otherwise have are called additives. High-quality
paints might have common additives such as rheology modifiers which provide better hide and durability and
mildewcides to reduce mildew growth. Other additives such as dispersing agents keep pigment evenly distributed while
preservatives prevent the paint from spoiling. Additives do increase the cost of the products, but provide significant and
noticeable performance benefits.

COST VS BENEFITS

It can be a challenge convincing the customer that spending more on quality paint will save them time, aggravation
and money in the end. Simply describing the ingredients and the technology behind paint will likely go over your customers
head. After all, its how the paint impacts their pocket book, the color and their satisfaction that will matter to them most and
bring your more business. For this reason, the key to upgrading your customers to high-quality paint is to translate and
communicate how these ingredients affect their budget and the long-term aesthetics of their space.
 When explaining why you recommend high-quality paints, help your customers consider the consequence of
choosing a cheaper option. The consequences will speak volumes when durability and their budget are on the line. To give
your customers a true reading of costs, look beyond the price tag and use a “cost per year of service” comparison to help
them understand the difference. Let’s say you’re painting a home that requires 20 gallons of exterior latex and have two
options:

1. Buy a lower grade paint at $20 per gallon with an expected lifespan of six years
2. Buy a high-quality 25-year exterior paint at $35 a gallon.

By going the cheaper route, your customers’ out-of-pocket material cost would be $400 (20 gallons at $20). Since
the paint is expected to last six years, the “cost per year” is $400, or $67 per year. If you use higher quality paint, the material
cost is $700. But, since your customer won’t need to repaint for 25 years, the “cost per year” is $28 ($700 divided by 25
years). By choosing the higher-priced, higher-quality paint, you actually save your customer $39 a year in paint expense.
Beyond material cost, include labor into the equation and the money saved will quickly add up. A scenario such as this may
help your customer more quickly understand why you recommend high-quality paint rather than thinking you are trying to rip
them off.

Interior Paints

Your customers may not see the benefits that are important to you as a painting contractor. For example, ease-of-application
may mean little to your customer, but you know firsthand how application affects your productivity thus saving your
customer money. On the other hand, describing how a top-notch quality interior paint will wash and wear with children or
pets in the home will likely grab their attention. There are several benefits you and your customers can expect from a top-of-
the-line interior paint:

y No brush or roller marks: Quality paints go on smoother than inferior, cheaper brands which results in a cleaner, more
consistent appearance and less callbacks.

y Better hiding: Better ingredients allow the paint to cover better with less work and less retouching. In the end, you’ll
need to apply fewer coats which will save you time and your customers’ budget.

y Minimal spattering: After the job, clean-up is faster and simpler because high-quality paints are less likely to spatter.

y Better resistance to dirt: Paints with quality ingredients will be more resistant to dirt and require less washing and
maintenance.

y Better resistance to scrubbing: When dirt does appear, high-end paints can withstand repeated washings and retain
color longer.

y Better resistance to burnishing: Your customers will notice fewer “hot” or “shiny” burnish spots from rubbing and
cleaning which means less maintenance and fewer repaints.

Exterior Paints

From extreme temperatures and UV exposure to excessive rainfall and high humidity, quality exterior paints are formulated
to stand up to the elements. They are designed to adhere better to the surfaces they are applied to and provide a long-lasting
finish. Some of the benefits your customers will appreciate include:

y Better color retention: Quality exterior paints keep a “freshly” painted look sometimes up to twice as long.

y Better dirt resistance: Dirt and airborne impurities will not adhere to a high-quality paint surface.

y Better resistance to chalking: Over time, the finish may show some chalking. Quality exterior paints resist chalking
longer and hold the finish longer.
y Better mildew resistance: Better additives such as mildewscides reduce the growth of unsightly mold even in moist
regions.

y Less blistering, flaking and peeling: In particular, the sun and fluctuating temperatures can have a tremendous affect on
how well paint adheres to the surface. Quality paints will offer better adhesion for an attractive exterior that will last for
years to come.

y Better hiding: High-quality paints provide a higher build for better coverage so fewer coats are required and your
customer saves money on products, time and labor.

QUALITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

Using high-quality paints not only benefits your customer, but may benefit the environment as well. In particular,
high-quality paints exhibit sustainable characteristics such as waterborne coating formulations that reduce VOC emissions,
emit almost no odor, contain low- or no-silica and contain microbial properties which resist mildew, bacteria and other
microbes. These paints can be applied without impacting the people and daily activities where they are applied. As a result,
you can work during regular business hours, without disturbing your customer’s activities and maintain your productivity.
Recent technology advances in environmentally preferred coatings have brought new performance-rich interior products to
market that offer even longer-lasting durability and high-end aesthetics than previous generations. Today, simply describing
some of the environmentally-friendly characteristics of the paint will help your customers understand the value.

These coatings have the unique ability to satisfy homeowners with high-end aesthetics and easy clean-up, and at the
same time they are suitable for commercial and institutional use because of their superior washability and burnish resistance.
You’ll enjoy working with this new generation of environmental coatings because they are much easier to apply than other
washable coatings, are self-leveling and provide very good hide and touchup. In addition, they save money by reducing the
frequency of repaints and satisfy tenants and owners by keeping walls looking fresh and clean longer.

As the old adage states, “you get what you pay for,” your customers will appreciate the information about quality
paint selection that you bring to the project. Providing them with a thorough case for high-quality paints and how they will
save time, money and aggravation in the long run will add credibility to your job, build their confidence and keep your
business productive and profitable.