PAINT BY THE NUMBERS
Consumer Reports tests whether expensive brands are really worth it
Choosing paint colours is hard enough, but these days consumers have to decide among dozens of paint brands, plus different quality levels within those brands. And then there’s price. Will paying $100 a gallon get you a better paint than if you pay $30 a gallon? It’s almost as maddening as choosing between Paper White and Whisper White.
The non-profit magazine Consumer Reports tests paints, grading them on the traits consumers say are most important. Exterior paint is judged on its appearance after tests that simulate multiple years. Interior paint is evaluated for factors including its ability to withstand scrubbing, resist mildew and cover old colours in a single coat.
In the most recent rounds of testing, a remarkable four out of the top five interior and exterior paints were hardware store brands. So right away we know you don’t have to buy a premium brand to get great paint. Still, the cheapest paints, costing $17 to $27 a gallon, didn’t make it into the top five.
“Generally, spending more money does not always equate to a better paint,” said Rico De Paz, paint-testing program leader at Consumer Reports. “But it’s probably a good idea to stay away from the most inexpensive brands at most retailers without checking our ratings first.”
To choose among the top-rated paints, you could go for the lowest price. After all, Behr’s Premium Plus Enamel scores almost as high as its Marquee interior paint, but it costs less per gallon. But as home improvement projects go, painting is one of the cheapest. A gallon of paint will cover up to 400 square feet. You can take price into account, but maybe it shouldn’t be at the very top of your decision tree.
So what is the most important factor? “Consumers should start with the best-performing paints, but then look among those to select the paint that has the best performance for the attributes of their particular project,” De Paz said.
For example, if you’re painting over a dark wall, you’ll want a paint that covers well. If you’re painting a dank basement bathroom, mildew resistance could be your top priority. And if you worry about chemicals, you’ll look for a paint with low or no volatile organic compounds. (Low-VOC paints used to lack durability, but Consumer Reports says many now perform well.)
But you shouldn’t choose a paint brand based on colour. “It’s possible to match pretty much any colour these days to the point where the human eye can’t detect the difference,” De Paz said. Perhaps no paint company is more famous for its colours than upscale British company Farrow & Ball. But that paint costs about $100 a gallon, and Consumer Reports rated it “very good,” not “excellent,” like the top five above. So the magazine did an experiment, asking hardware store clerks to match a Farrow & Ball colour by mixing their own paints. They nailed it within one per cent.
Another option is to use an online colour-matching tool to find an equivalent colour by a different company, rather than buying custom-mixed paint. I tried the tool at colour-swatches.com. Under “Our Services,” I chose the search feature and typed in Norway Spruce by Benjamin Moore. Once that colour came up, there was an option to convert to another brand. I asked for a Behr match and the website recommended Behr’s Scotland Road, and the two swatches looked remarkably similar. Just be aware that the sheen of different companies’ paint can vary, which could make the colour look different. This is why a test patch on your own wall is key.
Once you’ve chosen a great paint, you need a great plan. Here are Consumer Reports’ suggestions for making your painting project as efficient as possible. Covering: If you are painting over a very dark colour, choose a paint rated excellent for “hiding,” and it should cover it in one coat. All top five interior paints listed above are rated “excellent” for covering. Priming: Modern paints that claim to be self-priming really do work, so you can skip using a separate primer. Calculating costs: Paint manufacturers and retailers offer online calculators to help you determine how much paint you need and avoid overbuying. (Be sure to check whether the calculation is based on one coat or two.) Bulk buying: If a calculator shows you need more than five gallons, price your paint in five-gallon containers, which are often cheaper. The Washington Post