Is Premium Paint Worth It? What Makes a Paint Job Last

Cheap paint and better paint can look alike on the day they go on. The difference shows up later, in coverage, scuffs, washing, and how soon the room needs work again. The same is true of prep. A rushed paint job gives itself away in the details: drips, roller marks near the ceiling, wavy cut lines, and brush marks on the trim. Paint quality and prep are the first conversation on every interior painting job I quote.

Is premium paint worth it?

For walls people live with every day, yes. The can costs more, but the paint is only one part of the bill. Labour is a big part too, and better paint saves labour in two ways. It usually covers in two coats, where builder-grade paint can need a third. And it holds up longer, so the next repaint comes later. The places it pays most are hallways, stairs, kitchens, kids' rooms and anywhere with pets.

Coverage

Better paint usually covers more evenly in two coats over most existing colours. Builder-grade paint often needs extra coats to look even, especially when going light over dark. Each extra coat is more time and more material.

Scuffs and washing

Better paint can usually be wiped clean without dulling the finish. Lower-grade paint can hold dirt, or go shiny where it is scrubbed, which matters in kitchens, bathrooms and busy homes. Benjamin Moore says its Regal Select washes clean without losing colour or sheen and is made to resist scuff marks in hallways and stairs. Sherwin-Williams says its Emerald interior paint has stain blocking and resists water streaking.

How long does a paint job last?

I will not put a number of years on it, because the room decides. A spare bedroom and a busy mudroom painted the same day will age very differently. What I can tell you is what makes a paint job last longer: the prep under it, the paint on it, the right sheen for the room, and how the room is used. Get the first three right and the fourth matters much less. Outside, the weather on painting day counts too, and my guide on painting outside in the fall covers temperature, dew and drying time.

What a proper paint job includes

• Furniture moved or covered, and floors fully protected.
• Gaps caulked at baseboards, trim and corners.
• Nail holes filled and sanded smooth.
• Primer over patches and stains, so they do not show through.
• Trim, ceilings and corners cut in by hand.
• Two full coats of good paint.
• Cleanup and touch-ups before I leave.

Patches need to be flat before paint goes on, or the new finish shows every one. If the walls need more than filling, what drives drywall repair cost explains how that part is priced.

What to look for in an interior paint

• An acrylic latex base for interior walls.
• Eggshell or satin for living areas. They forgive small flaws and still wipe clean.
• Semi-gloss or gloss for trim and doors, which take the most knocks and cleaning.
• A flat or matte ceiling paint, which hides flaws and cuts glare.
• The two lines I quote by default: Benjamin Moore Regal Select and Sherwin-Williams Emerald.

What drives the cost of a paint job

I only publish one number, the $200 minimum per job. Every paint job gets a written quote, and these are the things that move it.

• Square footage of walls, ceilings and trim.
• Whether ceilings are included, since cutting in is slow work.
• The number of colours and accent walls.
• The state of the walls: filling, sanding and priming time.
• Vaulted ceilings, stairwells and tall spaces, which mean more ladder time.
• Whether you supply the paint or I pick it up.

In Abbotsford, the older detached houses around Clearbrook and East Hill are where prep matters most, because older surfaces show every shortcut. Newer Auguston townhomes more often need touch-ups, an accent wall or a colour change. See house painting in Abbotsford, interior painting in Langley or interior painting in Surrey for how I handle each town.