When You Want Paint to Last, You Need to Know What to Look For
If you’re like most homeowners, the idea of repainting your home is not one you relish. It’s messy, can take a while, and can get expensive. The results are well worth the effort, but it’s not something that you want to have to redo often.
As a homeowner, you might ask, “What is the most durable paint?” to save yourself redoing the job again soon.
Business owners, too, often ask the question. Businesses are driven by budgetary concerns and possibly safety concerns, as well. Also, business areas might have a lot more traffic.
In this post, we’ll answer the question, focusing on a few different areas.
What is the most durable type of paint?
If you’re looking for sheer staying power, it’s hard to beat gloss paints. These paints will stand up to:
- Steam and condensation
- Your child’s artistic creations
- A great deal of scrubbing
The Benjamin Moore range consists of high-quality pigments and ingredients to ensure a durable finish. The company started in 1883 and has been honing its skills ever since. They’re Canada’s favourite brand of paint for a good reason.
What is the hardest paint finish?
If you’re able to apply an epoxy modified alkyd paint, you won’t find a harder finish. Thanks to the epoxy in the paint, it’s very like resin in durability.
The downside is that you must spray it on. Getting a smooth, even finish does take some skill with a spray gun.
If that doesn’t work for your project, choose an enamel or oil-based paint instead. They’re more hard-wearing than latex paints.
What is the most durable paint for metal?
Oil or enamel-based paints are your best option here. Latex paints tend to wear off a lot more quickly. Whatever type of paint you use on metal, though, priming it properly beforehand is essential.
What kind of paint do you use for high traffic areas?
Again, gloss or enamel paint are your best options. If you’ve ever had to try and strip one of these types off the wall, you can attest to how well they adhere. Their primary advantage for high traffic areas is that they’re so easy to clean, though.
We’d also advise priming the area before applying your paint. You can see how to do so in this video. It’s not always necessary to prime the area before painting it.
That said, if we’re talking about a high traffic area, the better prepared the surface, the better and more durable the finish.
Final Thoughts on Finding the Most Durable Paint
When it comes to durability, an enamel- or oil-based paint is usually the right choice. That said, if you don’t prepare the surface properly beforehand, these paints won’t last as well as they should.
It’s imperative to understand the qualities of any paint that you’re purchasing. Going over all the different types is beyond the scope of this article.
If you’re interested in learning what the difference between each type is, Elle has explained it quite nicely here.
If you’re still not sure, why not give us a call? We’re happy to provide you with the right advice.