How High-Quality Paint Saves You Money in the Long-Run
Budgeting for a painting project can feel like a treacherous balancing act. On the one hand, you only have so much money to invest in your property up front -- on the other hand, cutting corners can lead to expensive headaches down the road. Without a crystal ball, you can’t predict how well your paint job will hold up over time. However, you don’t need superpowers to make informed decisions about the products you use or contractors you hire. Simply put, some types of paint are more reliable than others, and this staying power is often reflected in the product’s price tag. Indeed, high-quality paints cost more than low-quality alternatives. This cost disparity creates a dilemma for those on tight budgets. In an attempt to save some money in the short-term, you might be tempted to go with cheaper paints and hope for the best. If you feel yourself leaning in this direction, however, there’s more to consider.
How High Quality Paint Saves You Money
What’s the Difference Between High-Quality and Low-Quality Paint, Anyway?
On the surface, the difference between low- and high-quality paints (cost aside) might seem nominal -- little more than a clever marketing ploy. In reality though, there is a cost difference between these products for a reason; it all has to do with composition. Paint is composed of four basic parts: binders/resins, additives, solvents, and pigments. Generally speaking, high-quality paints contain more solids (i.e., pigments and binders) and fewer solvents than their low-quality counterparts. The reverse is true for low-quality paints (these contain fewer solids and more solvents). Let’s explore the implications of these key differences and how high-quality paint ultimately saves you money in the long-run.
Fewer Coats Are Required to Protect Your Home
When calculating the cost to paint your ceiling and walls, materials (primarily paint) make up the brunt of the overall cost. The more surface area there is to cover, the more paint you’ll need, which of course, translates to a higher cost. Additionally, many paint projects require multiple coats to provide proper coverage -- this is especially the case if the paint you’re using provides a thinner finish after drying. This issue of “thinness” conveys the main drawbacks of using low-quality paint. Since these low-quality paints are filled with more solvents and fewer solids, they leave behind a flimsy finish as those solvents evaporate. As a result, more coats are needed to provide your surfaces with the right amount of protection and color.
So, while a can of low-quality paint might not cost much in relative terms, you’ll likely end up needing to buy more cans to achieve the desired outcome. The volume of high-quality paint costs more but delivers a thicker finish with fewer coats. Depending on which paints you’re comparing and the amount you need, it might end up costing you less (or about the same amount) to buy high-quality paint than it would to buy low-quality paint.
Spend Less Time and Money on Repairs and Touch-Ups
Short-term costs are bound to be your main concern when preparing for a paint job, but the money you initially spend on materials and labor to accomplish the job is only the beginning. Even if you hire reliable residential painting services and receive stellar results, your fresh paint job will wear down over time. You can mitigate this deterioration with regular maintenance and periodic touch-ups, but this requires investment as well. In other words, there’s also a long-term cost associated with paint projects, and it’s inversely proportional to the paint’s durability. So, the sturdier your paint job, the less effort is required to keep it performing and looking its best. The thicker and more adhesive nature of high-quality paint will reduce the amount of maintenance you’ll have to do, saving you money over the long term.
Quality Paint Is Easier to Apply
Whether you’re willing to tackle the job yourself or would rather hire professional local painters, painting projects take time. The job will go much quicker if you hire pros to get it done, of course, but you’ll have to cover the labor costs. The greater the amount of labor, the higher the cost. So, any decision that reduces the time and effort it takes to apply paint will also lower the cost of your project.
High-quality paint is easier to apply than low-quality paint, streamlining the process and cutting costs without cutting corners. As previously mentioned, it takes fewer coats to fully conceal a surface using high-quality paint than with low-quality paint -- fewer coats translates to less work. The labor-saving benefits of high-quality paint don’t end there, though. Premium paints are also inherently less messy than cheaper products due to their sturdier composition, so cleaning costs take a dive as well. Moreover, high-quality paint delivers more uniform coverage, preventing bubbles, streaks, and other flaws that otherwise require touching up on the job. This greater ease of application speeds up the project at every step, saving you money on the time/labor side of the equation.
Enjoy Longer-Lasting Color and Finish
Everyone wants their paint job to deliver beautiful and long-lasting results. An enduring paint job isn’t just nice to look at -- it also contributes to a property’s total value. While many factors play into a property’s market value, the quality of its paint job is something that assessors and potential buyers/renters pay close attention to. Even if you’re not planning on selling or subletting your space any time soon, it’s important to keep your property in demand to the best of your ability. Painters that employ the latest surface preparation technologies and high-quality paints provide finishes that stand the test of time, boosting your home’s or business’ value in the long run (even if you don’t see a return on your investment for some time to come).
The Many Benefits of High-Quality Paint
The paint you choose for your interior or exterior painting project will largely determine how much time, effort, and money you end up spending to maintain its performance. By opting for a lower-grade paint, you’re setting yourself up for more coats, touch-ups, and problems in the future. Conversely, high-quality paint will save you money in the long-run by reducing both material and labor costs, minimizing the need for repairs and touch-ups, and increasing your property’s market value.
Knowing this, we at Nash Painting only use products we believe in and that we know will perform for our clients across Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, TN -- this is why we primarily use Sherwin-Williams’ Emerald paints, top-tier products that deliver full, even coverage and long-lasting results. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!