Best Value Paint for Your Money

A coat of paint can really transform the look of any room, floor, doors or deck, and it doest cost you a small fortune to get a new look from some ageing items in your home. But when you see paint on the market ranging from $8 a litre all the way to $20 or more, it starts to raise questions. Are those more expensive paints REALLY worth the money? 

One factor that you need to consider, is the type of paint. Oil based paint or water based latex. Oil paints are great for durability and provide a really smooth coat. But they are also a lot harder to clean up. water based latex on the other hand has come a long way with the improved chemistry behind them, and can be cleaned with water. 

Another deciding factor in the higher grade, higher priced paints, is application. The higher grade paints contain a titanium in the mix, which gives the paint more coverage and a smoother finish. So it does a better job at covering up those small imperfections that come with time. With a lower grade paint, you may need 3-4 and sometimes even 5 coats to get the same effect as you would with the more expensive paint. 

When applied by paintbrush, cheaper paints show brush marks and provide poor coverage due to the thin layers they create. Higher-quality paints provide smooth, one-coat coverage. This will save you a lot of time, and also mean less usage. You may only need 4 litres of a high quality paint, as compared to 12-16 litres of the lower grade to cover the same area with multiple coats. 

Another big difference is in durability. The more expensive paints are also more washable and offer greater scrub resistance. If you try washing dirt off a cheaper paint, you're likely to wash off some of the paint itself. And noone wants to see that 1970’s green showing up on your newly refreshed wall do they?

When choosing paint colours, pick a paint chip that appeals to you, and match it to the store's fan deck; the colours are listed alphabetically and numerically. Next, check the light reflective value (LRV) of the paint. This is a scientific measurement of how dark or light the paint will be once it's on your walls. As a general rule, interior paints should have an LRV of 50 percent or more. Keep in mind that the colour will appear more vibrant when you apply it to the walls.