House Trim painting

[Kika]

Hi,

We are looking to have the trim on our house painted. We have a few quotes from contracters - one of which is quite different from the rest. Most quotes will pressure wash, and apply two coats of paint. Our house trim is not in very bad shape at the moment - there are spots that could use some work.

The one quote in question plans to use Sherwin Williams Duration series paint. He says one coat of paint will do. We plan to change the color of the trim very slightly - another very slight variation of a cream color. He says he does not power wash the trim, as it is not necessary. He will clean the surfaces with a TSP solution before painting. To put on a second coat of paint is quite a bit of an extra cost with this contractor. The contractor says he will clean up the areas that need help, prime and then paint. He thinks one coat will probably last 7-8 yrs.. a second coat will add another 2 yrs or so of protection.

Will one coat of the paint typically do the job?

Thanks

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Last time I used one coat it lasted about 10 or 12 years. Good paint holds up well if prepped and applied properly. As for pressure washing, it is not really needed and can do more damage if not done properly. Pressure washers can chew up the wood fiber.

I put one coat on again two years ago and so far, it is holding up very well and I expect to get a few more years easily.

[Art]

Year after year, Consumer Reports top rates Glidden Endurance. It is hard to find but worth it. Search google for SW duration and you will find a bunch of complaints.

Get references. By the way, in the Raleigh NC area, lots of painting companies are just contractors and use the same crews. Also I've heard some contractors have 3 different company names and send out 3 sets of advertisements and bid low, medium and high respectively and you get the same crew no matter what price you pay.

[jeffc]

Consumer Reports is good for middle of the road stuff, where you just don't know any better. But it's not going to cover the best stuff. For example, I'd never in a million years buy a stereo component Consumer Reports recommended. It's just not sophisticated enough for me. But I'd buy a vacuum cleaner they recommended.

There's nothing inherently wrong with one coat of primer, one coat of good paint, and skipping the power washing. If the man knows what he's doing, that will be a better job than a hack using a power washer and 2 coats of crappy paint.

[rollandbrush]

I'm a painting contractor in Kansas City. I've used Duration for three years with no problems. It is intended to be applied twice as thick as most other exterior finishes, but doesn't run or sag or have curing problems as most paints will if applied that thickly. This is great for me and my customers because they get the thickness of two coats (7 mils) without the added labor cost of a second coat.

As Edwin said, preparation is everything. TSP not only cleans the old finish, it takes off whatever shine remains on the old finish so the new paint will adhere well. Everything else your painter said sounds very reasonable. Duration takes a different technique than other paints when you brush it on. Some painters think that paint has to go on a certain way (their way) or it's "no good." Nonsense. I don't hire that sort of painter. Paint companies improve their paints at a rapid clip, and paints today are pretty remarkable.

Stick with the painter you found, as long as you and he get along well and communicate well.