Purchasing resources for House Paints

As painting contractors know, house painting jobs can involve a variety of house paints. Interior paints, exterior paints, oil-based paints and latex paints are just some of the many options available. Selecting the correct type of house paint is crucial for every job to ensure customer satisfaction. The look your clients hope to achieve and the painting surface generally determine which type of paint and primer are necessary for each house painting task.

Before starting a project with house paints, items to consider include:

1. Whether you need interior paints or exterior paints.
2. Whether a project requires oil-based paints or latex paints.
3. How to help your clients choose colors for house painting.
4. How to store house paints.

Options for interior paints

Interior paints come in two main types: water-based, also called latex paints, and oil-based paints, or alkyd, which work well on chalky surfaces and keep rust and other stains from seeping through. Latex paints are used more often because they are easier to apply and work well on most surfaces.

Options for exterior paints

Exterior paints can be either oil-based paints or latex paints and are typically more expensive than interior paints.

Master the art of selecting house paint colors

A wealth of color tools and resources are available to help you and your clients visualize, select and coordinate house painting colors.

Specialty and premium house paints

For some clients, only the best, unique house paints will do. Fortunately, there's a growing number of specialty and premium interior paints to meet these needs.

Primers for house painting

Before using interior paints, drywall and wood must be primed with either an oil-based or latex primer. Exterior paints also last longer and look better when primer is applied first.

Use proper storage of house paints

Store any leftover house paints for future touch-ups carefully since improper storage can affect a paint's color and consistency.

• Use premium house paints for house painting. They are more likely to cover surfaces in fewer coats because they have a higher volume of solid material, pigments and binders.
• Primer should be used before interior paints to provide a clean, blank surface that will allow the color of your chosen house paints to remain true.
• Interior paints come in a number of sheens - most commonly, flat/matte, eggshell, satin, semigloss and gloss.
• Exterior paints are either flat, semigloss or gloss and contain more resin and pigment, giving them extra color and durability.
• Some house paint vendors offer accounts with discounts and speedy ordering for painting contractors.