# Use Sherwin-Williams Duration Paint or Not?



## dv817 (Jul 18, 2011)

The August 2010 edition of Consumer Guide rated Sherwin-Williams Duration as the best exterior paint, and one of the most expensive. Does anyone know how long this paint will last before a house has to be painted again because of fading? I live in the Dallas area, and the sun and hail-storms can be rough on exterior of a home.

Sherwin-Williams claim's the paint is guaranteed not to blister or peel for as long as you own your house, but it does not mention anything about fading. I spoke to a painter that said he painted a house 10 years ago with Duration, and it still looks great! Another painter told me I should expect to go 12 to 15 before having to paint again if I use Sherwin-Williams Duration. 

I'm all for preventative maintenance, and that's why I'm trying to determine if the extra cost of Sherwin-Williams Duration is really worth the investment up front. If you have utilized this paint, I would appreciate your comments.


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## TrapperL (Jul 23, 2011)

I'm not a fan of any of the SW exterior paints. I painted a house 8 years ago and went back for an inspection as the HO said it looked like the facia was going to rot under the paint. He was right. The paint film was in total failure and would not stop moisture. We sprayed the facia down in spots with water, removed the paint film and the wood was soaking wet under it. Damage was extensive. I'm not a fan of Valspar, Coronado, or Pittsburg exterior paints either. I've had issues with all of those. While it's not a popular brand on this board, a 2 coat application of Behr Gloss exterior holds up far better than any paint I've used. Note, GLOSS. Gloss finishes will hold up longer and stay cleaner in an exterior application than any other finish. The biggest issue I have with Behr is that coverage is about 250-300 sq ft per gallon versus other brands that might cover 400 sq ft per gallon.


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## mustangmike3789 (Apr 10, 2011)

i would lean more toward a roof flashing issue or improperly installed drip edge. paints are protective coatings, not waterproofing membranes. paints are permeable, which allows moisture to migrate through them and this also helps them breath and not blister. i would not rely on 8-10 mils of paint to be the only means of defense against water rushing off of a roof. if the wood was rotten behind the intact layer of paint and you wet it with a hose for a few minutes, i dont see this causing a board to be fully saturated with water.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

I've been using SW paint for 35 years & feel it is some of the very best paint out there. Is Duration overpriced and overhyped? Sure. But, I love their SuperPaint. Goes on smooth and I almost always get 8-10 years out of each paint job. Once in a great while a paint job goes bad early but it's usually from other issues such as intense southwest sun/uv damage, water infiltration, etc. Duration is a good product but, for the money, I stick to SuperPaint. Duration has a learning curve to it.......you have to lay it on much thicker and that takes some practice.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

As mustang said, paint is not a water barrier. It seems to me when there is a paint failure of any kind, 9 times out of 10 it is due to moisture.

getting behind the paint film and pushing it off, not going through the paint.


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## jallen8740 (Jul 27, 2011)

Duration is a great product it goes on at a thicker film build so its not like a traditional product. The wet mills is about 1.5 to 2 times that of a normal paint such as superpaint. It is a little higher in price. The warranty does not cover fading but in florida we have many of the same issues with the sun all year long. Most of the million dollar homes on boca grande use this product exclusively after trying others such as BM and Porter and even some of the other SW lines. It is on an island with no shade on the water with wind driven ocean spray and sand and I have not seen a problem out there yet. The key is surface prep the coating is only as good as what you are painting it on. So it needs to be chaulk sealed and then painted if you follow the specs you will be happy. Catch it on sale usually you can save 30 percent or more if you time it right.


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## jschaben (Mar 31, 2010)

I believe it would be difficult for any company to warrant against fading. My experience has been that the colors themselves are more or less susceptible to fade. 
On a slightly different tack. Is Duration a sprayable paint or would Resiliance be a better choice?


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## jallen8740 (Jul 27, 2011)

Both can be sprayed but resillience is a thinner product so more easily sprayed. I would recommend that either way you back roll after the spray to ensure it is completely covered.


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## hammerheart14 (Sep 2, 2010)

I feel that Superpaint is better than Duration. Just remember, as an insider in the paint retail market, consumer reports is a joke. It's based on HOW MUCH MONEY the company pays off CR so that their products finish in the top three. I would go by what REAL PAINTERS like. JD Powers is a more accurate award because it's based on who the customers vote for. Ben Moore, Sherwin Williams, PPG, Pratt & Lambert, California Paints, C2, all have excellent higher quality paint lines. i am biased towards Pratt cause I sell them, and their top line paint, Accolade, I feel is hands down a great exterior paint line, only second to Ben Moore's Aura. Accolade is more affordable and very close in quality and just as good as Duration or Superpaint, but Aura takes the cake.


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## Thadius856 (Jun 2, 2011)

Just bought some Duration, both interior and exterior. I'm by no means a pro, but it's by far the easiest paint I've ever worked with. Though it's probably also the first premium paint I've used as well. I'm very used to Behr, Glidden and Kilz (and plenty of times having to work with a one-off clearance can somebody else bought...).

It does go on much thicker than I'm used to. The first coat hasn't been awfully impressive with obvious roller lines and semi transparency, but the second coat has looked absolutely marvelous. It's also the easiest paint I've had to brush on so far, with plenty of cutting on my project - it's very forgiving and "lies down" after brushing, hiding any brush marks. It doesn't have the coverage per gallon that I thought it would, though it's still not bad. Two coats of multipurpose primer and two coats of Duration while painting older, never-painted vinyl siding feels like a little much though.

I'm happy. But I think I'd be kicking myself if I hadn't just got it on the last 40% sale.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

Thadius856 said:


> Just bought some Duration, both interior and exterior. I'm by no means a pro, but it's by far the easiest paint I've ever worked with. Though it's probably also the first premium paint I've used as well. I'm very used to Behr, Glidden and Kilz (and plenty of times having to work with a one-off clearance can somebody else bought...).
> 
> It does go on much thicker than I'm used to. The first coat hasn't been awfully impressive with obvious roller lines and semi transparency, but the second coat has looked absolutely marvelous. It's also the easiest paint I've had to brush on so far, with plenty of cutting on my project - it's very forgiving and "lies down" after brushing, hiding any brush marks. It doesn't have the coverage per gallon that I thought it would, though it's still not bad. Two coats of multipurpose primer and two coats of Duration while painting older, never-painted vinyl siding feels like a little much though.
> 
> I'm happy. But I think I'd be kicking myself if I hadn't just got it on the last 40% sale.


 
Waste of time and $$:yes:


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