Urethane House Paint
Urethane Paint | Read Tim's October 20, 2019 Newsletter to find out where this house is located. If you want to know how one picks a vibrant color as you see in the yellow and red, you should read my Selecting Exterior Paint Colors column.
Urethane Paint - It's Sticky and It's Fantastic
DEAR TIM: The exterior of my home needs to be painted this year. I would really like to buy a fantastic paint that will last a long time. In your opinion, what is the best exterior water-based paint? What are ideal painting conditions? Bradley G., Worthington, OH
DEAR BRADLEY: It sounds like you and I are in the same boat. I am painting my own home this summer. Fortunately for me, the preliminary work required to prepare my house for paint is minimal. My existing wood siding is in great shape and the previous coating is not peeling. Prep work is actually the most important part of any paint job. Whatever you do, do not take shortcuts as you prepare the surfaces for paint. Extra minutes spent in prep work can add years to the life span of a paint job. Always follow the instructions listed on paint can labels.
Is Paint Just Colored Glue?
Paints are simply glues that contain color. Poor-quality paints contain low-quality ingredients. These inexpensive paints are the ones that typically fail first. Until recently there were just two groups of exterior water-based paint. One type contains vinyl acetate as the glue or resin in the paint. The other group consists of those paints that contain 100 percent acrylic resin. Guess what? There is a new kid on the block. It is an exterior paint that contains both acrylic and water-based polyurethane resins.
This is a urethane house paint. Look at the label. CLICK or TAP HERE to order it now.
Does Urethane Resin Stick Well to Siding and Trim?
The polyurethane resin or glue in this new exterior paint tenaciously holds onto whatever it contacts. I recently started to paint my own home with this new paint. As usually happens, I tend to get paint splatters on my hands, arms, and legs. In the old days, I could clean off these splatters quite easily at the end of the day with regular soap and water. The first day I used the polyurethane paint, I could not get the paint off my hands! I was in a state of shock, not at the appearance of my hands, but at how incredibly sticky the paint was!
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Why Was Urethane Paint Developed?
The makers of this new paint actually developed it to save homeowners money. The instructions on the label of this new paint clearly state that you do not need to wash down dirty, glossy, or chalky surfaces before you paint. Evidently the polyurethane resin drives through the dirt and chalk and grabs hold of the previously painted surface. The manufacturers feel so strongly about this claim that they supply a lifetime warranty with the paint.
Should I Wash My House With Soap and Water Before Painting?
Yes, you must wash your house with soap and water before painting.
It goes against everything I have been taught and experienced to NOT clean a surface prior to painting. I feel it is always a great idea to do this extra step. If you wash the outside of your home with oxygen bleach and soap and water before you use the polyurethane paint, I can assure you that it will stick like you can't believe. I am washing my house by hand to get the best results. I avoid pressure washing because the process can damage the wood and drive water deep into cracks, holes, and the wood itself.
How Do You Use Oxygen Bleach?
I prefer to mix up oxygen bleach with hot water. Once I add the powder, I stir until it's dissolved and then put it in a hand-pump sprayer.
I then squirt the solution on the dirty surfaces so they are very wet. Keep the surfaces wet with the solution for about 5 or 10 minutes. Then apply the soapy water solution with a softer brush commonly used to clean RVs or the sides of large trucks. This brush is made to clean flat surfaces. Immediately rinse the surfaces with clean water after scrubbing.
How Much Surface Area Do You Clean?
I prefer to clean only 100 square feet of area if working alone. If I have a helper, that person squirts on the oxygen bleach solution and is the rinse person. This allows the scrubber to work constantly making great progress.
What is the Best Air Temperature to Paint?
If at all possible try to paint when the air temperature is between 50 and 85 F. You can actually exceed these limits in some instances and not void the warranty on most paints. Never paint in direct sunlight. Always paint surfaces after the sun has hit them. If you paint a surface and then the sun hits it, the paint can actually develop blisters in a matter of minutes!
Should I Paint in Stormy Weather?
Avoid painting when there is a threat of storms. A driving rain can quickly wash off a water-based paint from a surface causing all sorts of damage to roof areas, driveways, and sidewalks. Overcast days with relative humidity in the 50 percent range are ideal painting days. These weather conditions allow the paint to dry somewhat slowly. The slower dry time gives the paint adequate time to develop a strong chemical and mechanical bond to the surface being painted.
What Urethane Paint Did You Use?
The paint I used in the summer of 2010 to paint my New Hampshire house was Duration available at Sherwin Williams stores. Be SURE to ask for the manager and have her/him show you on the label the paint is made with urethane resin. Since that time, the Duration brand has transitioned to a lower-quality acrylic-resin paint. You now must ask for the Emerald brand as of 2023 OR click the paint can above and buy urethane paint on Amazon.com.
Here's how good the urethane paint looks after thirteen years of harsh winter weather! There's not one place where it's peeled.
This photo was taken the first week of March of 2023. This is how deep the snow can get at the end of my sidewalk where the snow blower piles it up high. A month later the sun had melted all of this frozen water. I could have built a fantastic snow cave inside this mound! Copyright 2023 Tim Carter
Will this paint work to paint ceramic tile backsplash. If so, what is the name of this house paint & do you know where I can purchase it.
Kim, you need to schedule a 15-Minute call with me. There's simply too much to talk about and type.
Tim:
I clicked through to this article to find out WHICH PAINT this was yet you did not tell us in the article. Who makes this outstanding paint??
Sherwin Williams DURATION
What brand of urethane paint are you using.?
It could have been Sears Weatherbeater. But they no longer sell paint. Try Sherwin Williams Duration.
Tim,
I can't avoid any article on painting aluminum.
Found this vary informative.
My real interest is in finishing my aluminum boat restoration project.
Need the real low down on prep. and finish. (paint provider).
Hope to prime areas as I finish them, with my HVLP unit.
Then sand primer if really necsisary prior to finish coat.
and paint myself if my confidense is up, (I've painted a few cars succesfuly) or hire the finish coat proffesional.
Have looked at "system three marine water based" products extensively.
Found enough pros and cons to get confused.
Looking for a recommendation.
Who to trust for advice on how to procede with home grown
Aluminum boat restoration.
Tom Sargant
Weird I get this article and we have a two story farm house with aluminum sideing. Thanks for the aeticle
In 1999, I followed your cleaning methods and priming with oil primer, and painted the first floor front aluminum siding on my 1979 house which had faded. I used the best Sears Weatherbeater paint. In 2013, 13 years later, the Weatherbeater paint still looks great - not much fading, no blisters, no mildew or dirt.
Using the same cleaning methods, in 1980 I painted aluminum siding on the upper front, and the upper and lower levels of the south and west sides of my house with a new best Sears paint I think was called Ultra. It looked like new for several years, but later began developing a darkness that looked like dirt - no other problems. By 2011, the dirt looked awful, and my son and I scrubbed all paint surfaces with soap and water and also a solution of 1/3 household bleach and 2/3 water. The paint looked new again.
However, within one year most of the dirty look has returned; except when the sun shines on it, you cannot see it from the street.
Consumer Reports now indicates the Sears Ultra does not resist mildew. I am kicking myself for not using the Weatherbeater I used in 1999 on the lower front of the house.
The north side of the house did not need painting until now.
In that I will be 78 years old 9/2013, I will not be doing any more cleaning and/or painting of the siding.
I have decided to have new vinyl siding installed, but cannot find a local siding contractor that installs Consumer Reports best recommended siding. All of the Cincinnati contractors want to install siding that Consumer Reports indicates is inferior to the best siding (way down on the list that starts with the best on top). The contractors give me the "song and dance" that their brand has changed since Consumer Reports did its tests of the siding. Consumer Reports states that contractors will try pull this on the customer. I am going to do nothing until the magazine tests siding again.
I wish to amend my response to Urethane House Paint.
In 1999, I did not use primer or bleach on the aluminum of the first floor front of my house which I painted using the best Weatherbeater latex paint (not Ultra which may not have been available at that time) which still looks very good. I cleaned with Spic and Span and maybe with TSP. I applied the paint with a small paint roller and used a paint brush to paint the underside of each aluminum panel. This method applied just the right amount of paint and it looked good with no brush marks.
In 1980, I used Spic and Span and TSP to clean the other sides of my house that I painted with Sears Ultra that several years later began to show mildew which got really bad looking. I do not recall using bleach in 1980, and do not recall mildew being on the aluminum then.
I painted the aluminum siding in 1979 and 1980, because it looked faded and the color was gone from some areas. It had been "egged" several times (not since I painted - the suspects may have moved away - if you live there long enough the troublemakers may leave), my cleaning or the eggs may have caused some color to disappear.
Where I said 1999 should be 1979. Sorry.
Hi Tim, i was reading your post about this amazing new paint but I don't see the brand or the name anywhere. Wasn't sure if the "Sherwin Williams Duration" noted in the thread was the name as it was attached to a reply in your thread. I'm looking to paint my fiberglass trailer and this sounds like a great option. Here is your comment below about the paint: thanks for your help.
"There is a new kid on the block. It is an exterior paint that contains both acrylic and water based polyurethane resins.
The polyurethane resin or glue in this new exterior paint tenaciously holds onto whatever it contacts. I recently started to paint my own home with this new paint. As usually happens, I tend to get paint splatters on my hands, arms and legs. In the old days, I could clean off these splatters quite easily at the end of the day with regular soap and water. The first day I used the polyurethane paint, I could not get the paint off my hands! I was in a state of shock, not at the appearance of my hands, but at how incredibly sticky the paint was!"
Easy way to keep paint off hands - put on hand lotion before you start painting!
Sadly, I have masonite siding, and can't afford to have it all replaced. I've been told that I can't use acrylic/poly paint on masonite. What's your take on this?
Thank You!
As others have mentioned this paint isn't really a "new kid on the block." About 12 years ago i resided my garage with T1-11 wood siding and painted it with Sears Weatherbeater with Polyurethane. I didn't know if it was a gimmick (gal at local Sears Hardware store (so sad they closed them all down around here) recommended it and said all their paint was made by Sherwin Williams. Recently repainted for the first time with SW Duration (what luck!) as I didn't even know they still used the poly. But seems like a great paint and will be going to SW from now on. Thanks Tim-you're one of the few good guys out there on the internet that people trust!
You're right on the money with Duration Tim. When SW first introduced this paint many years ago I was persuaded to use it on my old house. I about died on the cost of the paint at the time compared to other brands ,but went with it. I've never regretted the decision. Outside of a bit of fading on the sun sides, the paint still looks good. No cracking or peeling. I do remember doing lots of prep work cleaning and scraping old peeling paint before painting. I've never regretting the cost. Recently purchased Duration to paint some new siding on sheds and it's still expensive but worth it in the long run.
Can this DURATION paint be used on stucco with the same fantastic results
We used Sears' latex white semi-gloss Weatherbeater urethane paint around 8 years ago. It was used on our exterior brick. The problem we have now is that it is fading in one small place that is very noticeable in the front of the house. The other problem is that Sears has stopped selling paint at their retail store in my city and you have to order "off-shore" for it. I called "off-shore", and they said that they could not ship the paint to the store in my particular city - that it did not have the right zip code". My city is Columbia, SC. I think an inexperienced pressure washer guy caused the problem about a year ago with the paint fading. Can anyone tell me where I can purchase this exact paint? Thank you for any help you can give us. Joe and Eloise Seegars
Many years ago elastomeric paint was all the rage on exterior concrete block walls. Allowed the paint to stretch and contract and also provided a waterproofing. I wonder if this paint also performs these task. The Sherwin-Williams does mention "resist warping or buckling when applied to sound, stable vinyl siding". Worth more research. Thanks, Tim. Robert
Hi, Tim! I spoke with you on April 20 (I believe), 2020 about this paint. I have not heard back from you since I posted a comment about Duration paint after our phone call AND after speaking with a SW rep at the paint store. He and the corporate office SWEAR their DURATION never had both acrylic resins and polyurethane resins in it. Now what do I do? I need to paint my house this spring/summer. Which paint do you suggest? I want a good quality exterior paint that will last a long time and am willing to DO IT RIGHT by washing (I have Stain Solver), etc. Also, I need to prime first, since some bare spots are now showing. Are you still offering a free phone call to your faithful readers?? Or can you email me?? I will need your exterior primer paint and exterior paint suggestions, please! I have south and southwest facing areas. I tried to send you pics but you said you never received them. I might try to send again to your email listed. Thank you, Tim! I am close to your former residence of Cincy.
Hi Tim!
I can't find this brand of paint anywhere in my area. I know I can order online, but would like to have it tinted. Is this paint tintable? If not, is there another porch paint that is tintable, you might recommend? Thanks as always for your great advice!
Maggie
I was not aware that Duration was a urethane paint but I am familiar with S-W's Emerald urethane. I use it exclusively for trim and cabinet painting - and I gave it the same shower test as you.
One thing you may not be aware of, which I learned the hard way, is that the "cure" time is 30 days! After painting one side of some cabinet doors I waited 4 days before flipping them to paint the other side. A few days later when applying a second coat I discovered they were stuck to the surface - I'd laid them on the inside corner of quarter round. Smaller pieces were stuck to the newspaper I laid them on.
Lesson learned but you'd think cure time would be noted on the can, it is not.
I just have a question. I want to paint my clay-colored vinyl siding. I plan to clean it and am wondering if I need a primer before painting? Also, what do you recommend for a specific brand of paint to use on vinyl siding?
Thank you!