Sorting through the exterior paint options for an HOA townhome complex is time consuming, but once I've done my research, we'll have a useful report for all to use.
This Old House explains how to select a paint.
This Old House explains how to select a contractor.
Our management firm doesn't have much painting and paint contracting experience. As a result, I'm talking to paint suppliers and contractors, using my reporting and research skills to figure out how the painting industry works in the Denver area.
Here is what I think happens:
Paint manufacturers all produce pretty much the same product with similar warranties, application processes and life expectancies.
Paint manufacturers market through painting contractors and stores. To attract contractors who will help sell their paint and then apply it appropriately to minimize warranty claims, paint manufacturers try to make using their products as profitable as possible for painting contractors. They do this by giving price discounts that vary depending on the volume of business they do with each contractor. The contractor keeps the discount and marks up the paint. Manufacturers produce paints that require five applications—power wash, primer, coat one, rollback, coat two—plus caulking and other repair work. This creates work and billable time.
In addition, manufacturers work with HOAs and other commercial prospects in developing job specifications, and they share the names of their favorite contractors with prospects. This creates a bond and co-dependence between manufacturers and contractors. It also can be helpful to consumers who know the paints they want to buy and are looking for dependable contractors and vise versa.
We've started by creating specifications for bidding painting contractors. Our process began when I e-mailed specs to our HOA management firm. Our manager then combined my specs with her ideas, and we reviewed them at our board meeting. I'll publish them later.
Now I'm shopping for paint. It is important to talk to and meet with each painting company's representative for your area. Each company offers various degrees of consulting to HOAs, and they all have similar but different requirements about how you have to use their products to qualify for their warranties.
Consumer Reports gives Glidden paints, which are distributed through Home Depot, their highest ratings. HD says it sells its Glidden paints to consumers and contractors at the same price, regardless of quantity. I have contacted the Glidden representative for this area's HD stores. He is visiting our property and will send paint recommendations and a description of Glidden's warranty qualification process.
Lowe's sells a house brand made by www.Valspar.com. Valspar's a publicly-owned company and says it's the sixth largest paint maker in the world. In Denver, Lowe's doesn't have any regular contacts with painting contractors who paint exteriors. This suggests that the contractors are getting better deals elsewhere. The Warranty deal at Lowe's looks pretty simple. Your contractor pressure washes the building and lets it dry 72 hours. Then a Lowe's primer is applied followed by a Lowe's paint. Lowe's offers its top paint, American Prospect, which has a "lifetime warranty" and can be expected to last 12 to 13 years here in Colorado.
Kwal is a paint company based in Texas that serves the Rocky Mountain states. It's claim to fame is that it has established relationships with contractors who follow the processes that it specifies for a job to qualify for its 5 year warranty. It's warranty document is quite detailed, and it requires that a Kwal represenatative sign off on each stage of the job. Its local rep asked to meet with me and faxed me a lot of information about her products and warranty process.
