Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive

by Ron Joseph

June, 2004

Paint

Q. I am in the process of painting my house. Recently I just finished the construction on an interior area that had not been previously finished and wanted to purchase a good quality paint. Can you advise on a brand that would be most durable. Also, I have heard pro and cons on water based vs. oil based paint. Can you speak to this as well, which is more durable. I have oil based paint in my lower level and it has tended to yellow (Duron\Sherman Williams). Can you tell me what brand is better based on composition and what I can do to prevent this yellowing from occuring in the future (Perhaps by a better paint).

A. It is difficult to recommend a coating manufacturer that can do all things for all situations. Many times a local paint supplier may be the better choice over a national brand. You can't beat local knowledge; also word of mouth sometimes helps. Don't go for a bargain price. For water based latex check the amount of acrylic resin, the higher the better.

My first choice is to use a solvent based alkyd primer and to minimize the yellowing problem would be to use a top quality acrylic latex which has much better color retention than the solvant base product. The solvent based primer will penetrate deeper into the surface than a latex primer. This is important for long term performance.

Best regards,

Tom Burke