From efficiency enhancements to long-term cost savings, these paints are worth the investment.
Your clients expect nothing but the best from you as a pro painter. So why should you expect anything but the best from your coatings?
Some coatings cost less upfront, but those lower price tags often come with unspoken costs down the road: lower-quality ingredients, inconsistent application, and a shorter lifespan, to name just a few.
Dennis Fiorilli, Sr. Director of Product Information & Excellence at Sherwin-Williams and PPC’s Ask Your ProPartner columnist, points out that choosing the best possible paint for the job comes with big benefits. Premium coatings feature advanced paint technology, require fewer coats—saving your business time and money—and deliver a finished product that will wow your customer.
“A premium coating not only has the performance that the end user expects, but also the application the professional painter requests to complete a project efficiently,” Fiorilli says. “Qualities that painters should be looking for in a premium product include ease of application, hide, and a uniform finish.”
Your reputation as a painter relies on not only your own skills but the quality of your chosen products. That’s why it’s important to choose the best product, not the cheapest one.
Easier said than done, you might be thinking. Try convincing my client to pay more than a competitor for this job.
While the upfront costs may be higher, it’s important to show your clients that they will ultimately be saving money long-term by choosing premium coatings. While a mid-grade paint might last six years before needing a new coat, a premium paint can last for up to 25 years. When you break that down into cost per year of service—as we did in this special report—customers actually save up to 62% by choosing a premium paint over a lesser option. And that’s before you even calculate the hourly savings that comes from your crew being able to paint fewer coats and work more efficiently.
Premium coatings not only deliver a superior paint job in the short term but also save the customer money in the long run. The numbers show that buying premium is always a worthwhile investment.
So what are the top premium products in the market today? And what exactly makes them so special? Here’s our breakdown, complete with Fiorilli’s expert product analysis and real-world testimonies from pros like you.
Emerald® Rain Refresh™ Exterior Acrylic Latex
Emerald® Rain Refresh™ Exterior Acrylic Latex combines the best-in-class hide, durability, and performance painters have come to expect from the Emerald line with cutting-edge Rain Refresh technology, so dirt washes away upon contact with rain or water for a clean, fresh look with minimal maintenance.
“Emerald Rain Refresh is unique in that it delivers many attributes that a painter considers to be a premium: self-cleaning technology, excellent durability and weather resistance, and flexibility to be used on different types of substrates,” Fiorilli says. “All of this means low maintenance for a homeowner and a longer-lasting finish.”
The result is a product built to withstand even the harshest climates and environments. Josh Cooley, owner of Color Coated Painting LLC in Olympia, Washington, has seen the proof with his own eyes.
“Four years ago, we used Emerald Rain Refresh to paint a house out on the water on Steamboat Island, and it still looks brand new to this day,” Cooley says. “My team did a phenomenal paint job, but Sherwin-Williams did an equally phenomenal job with these products. If this paint can hold up for years against everything the Puget Sound can throw at it—the saltwater, the winds, the trees, the dirt and debris—and it looks like it did on Day 1, then that’s a product my business can stand behind.”
As a result, Cooley says he personally guarantees customers up to an eight-year warranty on all his jobs, because he trusts his premium products to outperform anything else on the market.
Duration® Exterior Acrylic Latex
Pro painters seeking a long-lasting coating should strongly consider Duration® Exterior Acrylic Latex. Formulated with PermaLast® Technology, Duration boasts a thicker coat than ordinary latex paint, which gives it greater durability, an excellent hide, and protection against cracking, blistering, and peeling.
Nick Turpin—vice president of Joel Turpin Painting in Little Rock, Arkansas—has been using Duration for more than 20 years and can vouch for its durability.
“We have a long history with the product and know that it will last a long time,” says Turpin. “The product sprays excellent, brushes out smooth, and has excellent touch-up. The overall quality that we like is the longevity of the finish. We used that product on both my house and my father’s house. We believe in it.”
Fiorilli says the product’s reputation for longevity comes from the advanced technology under the lid: “The combination of advanced performance features, durability, and PermaLast Technology—proprietary technology that increases adhesion, flexibility, and color retention—all contribute to Duration being a premium exterior coating.”
Latitude™ Exterior Acrylic with ClimateFlex Technology™
One of the biggest pains in exterior painting is contending with the weather; a blistering hot day in summer, a sudden cold snap in the spring or fall, or rain clouds appearing out of nowhere can derail your plans and push back your schedule. Latitude™ Exterior Acrylic with ClimateFlex Technology ™ helps painters weather those extremes, making even more days suitable for exterior painting.
Scott Martell of Pro Experts Painting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, says Latitude “is extremely beneficial in areas where the rain can come quicker than expected. It allows for more dependable production timelines.”
Fiorilli agrees: “Latitude’s ClimateFlex Technology is a game changer for professional painters. This coating provides the flexibility to start and complete projects when temperatures are as low as 35° F or as high as 120° F. That means fewer delays and more projects completed for painters.”
Latitude also develops early moisture resistance in as little as 30 minutes, so your crew can continue to paint with confidence even when rain’s on the forecast.
“Latitude lets us do what we do best as painters: persevere and grind through, no matter what’s on the horizon,” says Kevin Sillaman of The Ohio Painting Company in Springboro, Ohio.
Because of Latitude, Sillaman estimates, “we probably get back at least 30% of what would otherwise be dead time. That’s a lot of time. Essentially, we gain another two months out of a year of operating. That helps the bottom line, helps our books, and helps our customers.”
Conclusion
When you paint with premium products, both you and your customer will have a better experience. Your customer will appreciate a longer-lasting product with unparalleled quality, while you will enjoy being able to work more productively with a product that applies faster, requires fewer coats, and can be applied in a variety of conditions.
The mutual benefit is why Aideline Amaran, owner of the Amaran Group in Miami, uses premium paints like Latitude as a key part of her sales pitch to potential customers.
“The Sherwin-Williams brand was like a calling card for me,” Amaran says. “While knocking on doors, I always emphasized that we were 100% Sherwin-Williams and would never use any other paints and coatings. … I was able to close deals by asking to paint a sample wall to demonstrate the benefits of using high-quality coatings.”
Put these premium paintings to work for your business today, and experience the cost- and time-saving benefits for yourself!
