Specialized companies focus on quality paints. But this does not mean that expensive paints are necessarily of high quality. What matters are the components of the paint. A professional painter knows best what a good paint should contain to ensure optimal application. In this article we tell you how to choose your brand of paint for your painting job.
Quality criteria of a professional paint brand
No matter which brand of paint you use, it must provide certain quality criteria for an optimal job. Among these we have listed six.
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Covering power of the paint
Each wall paint has a different degree of opacity. The hiding power is divided into different classes from 1 to 4. The number 1 corresponds to the highest hiding power, the number 4 to the lowest hiding power.
The advantage of a higher hiding power is that one coat is usually sufficient. With a lower hiding power, it is often necessary to paint twice or more until the old surface is no longer visible. A cheaper paint is therefore not necessarily cheaper and is sufficient to paint fewer square meters of wall.
If the previous support is stained or already painted, a low covering power does not allow to go further.
In addition, the disadvantage of a low covering power is that if you paint several times, traces often appear on the wall.
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Wet abrasion class of the paint
How much dirt and grime can I remove from my dry wall with a wet cloth? The wet abrasion class of a paint, divided into five classes from 1 to 5, answers this question.
The number 1 corresponds to maximum resistance and cleanability. With a wet abrasion class of 1, it is therefore possible to remove dirt with a cloth without any problems. High-quality latex paints usually have this class. Most of the time, level 2 is sufficient for normal use. At this level and above, a paint is considered “rub-resistant”. This means that you can wipe the wall without any problems. However, only the highest quality paints reach this level.
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Gloss level of the paint
Here it all depends on personal taste. The gloss level of a paint describes the appearance of a paint when it is dry. The gloss palette consists of the following gloss levels:
- Matt paint
- Glossy paint
- Satin paint
- Velvet paint
The choice of paint depends, among other things, on the fact that the wall must also be able to be cleaned. Glossy colors are easier to clean than matte colors.
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Degree of whiteness of the paint
It is precisely the degree of whiteness that allows us to recognize the differences in quality of the paints. Whiteness refers to the purity and brightness of the color. Cheap products use cheap white pigments and more fillers. Better quality paints use higher quality white pigments. This usually shows up in the final product: colors with a higher degree of white radiate more and appear purer. With cheap paint, however, the wall looks a bit grayish – and repainting several times does not make it whiter.
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Slipping of the paint
When the paint spreads well on the wall and is easy to paint, painters say the paint has a good glide. One of the things that this affects is range. If a paint is too viscous and too thick, it will paint less square footage than indicated. This is why it is better to buy a brand of paint that is already pre-mixed and does not need to be thinned. When diluting, it is difficult to obtain the same consistency twice.
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Label and technical data sheet
Some inexpensive paints lack information on coverage, wet abrasion class or gloss level. Avoid these paints and read the manufacturers’ labels carefully.
Which brand of professional or mass-market paint to choose?
You can find many different brands of paint in home improvement stores.
Considering the criteria mentioned above, you know that the price of the paint bucket is not a guarantee of savings.
But why do we sometimes find the professional brands at the improvement store? Because the manufacturers sell part of their production to DIY stores. However, you should know that the recipes are adapted to the products, which certainly makes them cheaper but also of lower quality (greater dilution). You will have to apply more coats and work longer.
What about airless paint brands?
You can indeed find so-called ready-to-use airless spray materials. But is it really necessary to change, especially if you are using a brand of paint successfully on your jobsites? A good quality paint can be diluted to 5% (10% maximum) to be perfectly sprayable. You can then continue to use your brand of paint, even if you change your work tools.
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