I do quite a bit of painting, and I like the fact that latex-base paints dry fast 9and can be cleaned up with soap and water). However, my dad (an “old school” painter) insists that oil-based paints are more durable, and retain their color longer. I can’t stand the smell of alkyd-enamel paints, and the cleanup is messy (i usually throw brushes away, rather than clean them).
So, for the pros…which type of paint is better 9for exteriors).?
It depends. Sorry.
Some applications require certain treatments. Others can be done several different ways.
To help you out a little bit, tho… Most new home exteriors in the MidWest are in latex. Ease of application, pretty durable new paint formulas, etc… Make sure it is EXTERIOR. Interior paints will weather differently on the slightly different surfaces.
Porper preparation is the key for getting latex to last. Make sure the place is clean. If repainting, get all the loose paint off. All of it.
On some very porous woods and other materials like metal, CMU, DryVit, etc… a specific primer is needed.
Interior is a completely different story. I prefer oil or laquer for wood. Latex for walls.
And that’s really what it comes down to, for the most part. What do you prefer? A job done right with latex will be better that a poorly done oil job.
Does any of this help?
Well said.
I’m not a pro, but I do end up painting a lot. Hell I even bought schaffolding for myself. And a pro sprayer.
I go with latex inside. Did the entire interior of our house a couple of years ago.
Cleaning the walls is important. I just use a rag and a little bit of of cleaner in a bucket. I make it about half strength.
We have ‘pop corn’ ceilings. No real way to wash them. I used a push broom on them to knock the dust and lose stuff off. So far so good. The newer latex seems much better than it was 20 years ago or so.
I’m a big fan of non-latex paint for trim. Ideally, that means lacquer sprayed on new construction, but few of us have that option.
The nice thing about alkyd enamels is that they dry more slowly. As you work around the room and come back and check on your work you can touch up sags without having your brush drag in the paint.
The impression I get–from looking at the shelves at Lowe’s and at many, many professional paint stores–is that latex owns 90+ percent of the market. Today’s latex is so vastly superior to the latex of 20 years ago that today it makes little sense to go with oil.
I think you’re right. The old school folks like oil based, because they grew up on it. But I haven’t seen any data to show it’s any better–or even that it is as good. Factor in ease of cleanup with latex, and there’s no contest.
(I also suspect that latex has much lower VOC levels.)
Well, there are a few things that alkyds are better for. An incredibly smooth finish for one. Since it doesn’t dry as quick, it sort of flows over the surface, into any slight imperfections.
It also seals better than latex. That’s why some painters use alkyds (oil) to prime, even if finishing with latex.
Another thing to consider with some old school painters is that formulas have changed over the years. Not only is today’s latex an awesome product (as several have pointed out), but some of the old “smelly” treatments don’t work as good as they used to.
Take ZipStrip, for instance. 15 yrs ago, it was so intense that one application would strip any paint off of any surface. It also hurt your skin to touch it and was so potent its fumes penetrated some respirator filters. Now that it’s a safer, better for the environment product, it doesn’t work.
Certain water borne lacquers are in the same boat. No, not water based, water borne. They just don’t seal wood as well and don’t powder up when sanded like regular lacquer. (When sanding lacquer, powdering up is how you know that you are smoothing the finish and not sanding the wood itself.) But, they are safer to use and don’t harm the environment (as much).
Watco is another product that has disappeared in some places. I can get it here (OK) still, but couldn’t find it in Washington or Iowa when I did jobs there.
So, maybe that old school guy needs to get some new info. The times, they are a changin’ 
There is no such thing as better.
Better is a function of the surface being painted, the use to which it will be subject, ambient drying conditions, desired appearance, and the skill of the applicant.
Sometimes an alkyd with japan drier is the best choice. Other times a linseed-oil based paint, and sometimes a waterborne latex. Other times, a good old premium latex enamel works just fine.
For success: use top quality brushes, top quality paint, read the label, and if in doubt, don’t.
Thanks for the posts…anybody KNOW WHY paint companies make three grades of paint? Basically, you can buy:
-PREMIUM: this is the best-covers in one coat, thick, easy to apply, no drips!
-Standard: more drippy…less coverage, you often need two coats!
-CONTRACTOR: the cheapest crap made…like water, lousy coverage…I once bought contractor grade paint (big mistake!). I actually spent MORE money, because the stuff covered so poorly (needed 3 coats)!
Given the fact that the material cost difference between the expensive and the cheap stuff is probably $1.00/gallon, WHY do reputable paint mfrs. keep making the cheap stuff?
With all due respect, you’ve contradicted yourself.
I think you mean: “Performance is relative and subject to [yadda, yadda, yadda.]”