Q: I've noticed that most house painters are spray painting the exterior of homes rather than rolling or brushing the paint, as was done in the past. It looks good from a distance but it seems that spray painting does not put on as thick a coat or fill in the rough surfaces as well as brushing and rolling.

My last house was painted by brush over 15 years ago with a nationally known brand and seems to be holding up better than other more recently painted houses. When I have my house painted, should I pay extra to have it brushed and rolled on or would I get as good and long lasting a paint job if I supply one of the best quality paints and let the painter spray it on?

A: Your questions bring up many issues about having your house painted these days. Understanding these points should help you make a wise decision. The main reason professional painters spray paint on these days is to save costs on both labor and materials. Quite frankly, it would probably be too expensive for you to pay professionals to hand roll or brush an entire exterior today. However, a spray is a surface application only and does not fill cracks, or seal most rough sawn wood or stucco properly. That is why we always backroll and brush after most spray applications, to enhance the look and achieve a longer lasting paint job. A painter who does not take this extra step may charge a little less than our company, but you are right that in most cases, a spray-only paint job simply will not hold up as long or well.

Spray-only applications are appropriate on smooth surfaces, where rollers or brushes will leave undesirable finishes. These would include smooth lap siding, garage doors, exterior metal doors and some gutters. In these cases, we like to spray on a good quality enamel exterior finish with a fine orifice tipped sprayer to achieve professional factory-finished results.

You are also correct about paint being different from that sold 15 years ago, largely because government air quality standards have forced manufacturers to change the chemical formulation of paints. Although this new technology has somewhat increased the price of all paints in general, the good news is that it has increased the quality, as well.

The new acrylic coatings penetrate and preserve both wood and stucco far better than the best oil based paints of old. And elastomeric coatings can outperform conventional paints 2 to 1 by providing a durable, tough protective film that is resistant to sunlight, extreme heat and cold and wind driven rains. The elastic nature of the product fills non-structural hairline cracks in wood, stucco and even masonry, virtually "stretching" when these surfaces expand and contract, according to environmental conditions. Thus elastomeric coatings can be used to repair weathered wood siding and checked plywood surfaces caused when exposed surfaces deteriorate by waiting too long to repaint. If applied thick and allowed to fully cure, it can even waterproof.

As important as the quality and type of coating and application may be, all paints are only as good as the surface they are applied to, which is why proper preparation is so important. Because preparation can be labor-intensive, this also affects the price and quality of a paint job.

1. Every exterior should be pressure washed to remove peeling chips of paint, bugs, dirt, cobwebs and chalkiness. (If you rub your hand across the surface and pick up a residue resembling chalk dust, you have picked up deteriorated paint. If chalkiness is not removed or primed, the new paint is guaranteed to peel.)
2. Then the siding must be allowed to dry out (this is a step other painters often rush).
3. After pressure washing, certain areas will probably need additional preparation, such as scraping, sanding and priming with a high quality exterior primer. (If the siding is redwood, we use one or two coats of latex stain-locking primer to prevent the wood from bleeding tannic acid.)
4. The next step is to fill deteriorated areas with spackle, caulking or acrylic or elastomeric paints. We can often use elastomeric coatings to fill and repair some deteriorated surfaces that we used to have to replace. I like to use a combination elastomeric/acrylic blend now out on the market because it is less expensive than pure elastomeric, but gives an excellent coverage that gives a better result that often outlasts exterior acrylic paint.

To answer your question: No, do not go out and buy your own paint. A professional will get a better discount than an individual consumer, and knows how much paint to buy (if you buy too much or too little, it can waste time as well as money). Also, a professional knows how to get the results you want - what you see on a paint sample will look different applied on a wall or siding. Finally, because professionals develop long-term relationships with their paint suppliers, they can handle unforeseen problems that might come up. If you bought the paint, there is nothing the painter could do if the color didn't look right, for example.

So, to get the best, longest lasting paint job, you should contact several reputable licensed painting contractors for estimates. If they have employees, ask to see proof of workers compensation. Make sure they carry liability insurance as well, to cover any inadvertent property damage that could occur to you or your neighbors, from overspraying, spilled paint, broken glass or shrubbery, etc.

Walk your home with each of them to discuss exactly what kind of results you want. They should all give you specific estimates listing what kinds of preparations, procedures and materials they intend to use, with a price. The more preparation, labor (such as backrolling or brushing) and the higher the quality of the paint or coating, the higher the price-and the longer lasting the paint job. If you question why one recommends something that another does not, discuss it with each of them. Once you understand what you need and how much you will pay for it, you should be able to choose the best painter to give you the kind of job you want.

by Kathy Maynard, reprinted courtesy of HomeAdvisor.com