Interior Primers

Making the right choice for today's painting challenges

Paint finish is critical to any job’s success. But before you pick up that brush or roller and jump in, consider the numerous factors involved in achieving an attractive, durable finish. 

Questionable substrates, new materials, workmanship, time constraints, scheduling conflicts and tight budgets combine to make a quality, profitable finish more difficult than ever to achieve. That’s why primers – as mundane and ordinary as they may seem – are key to the final outcome of any paint job.

Primers solve problems. Chances are, you won’t be satisfied with the topcoat if you don’t use the right primer. In many cases, you’re likely facing a myriad of surface problems that prevent you from achieving the finish your customer demands and expects. If substrates were perfect, there would be no need for a primer, but such surfaces are few and far between.

Using the right primer can also influence job efficiency. Primers reduce surface preparation expense, improve paint coverage, speed top-coating and reduce callbacks – all which can lead to significant savings in time and money.

All good primers perform the basic functions of sealing, hiding and binding to form a firm foundation for topcoats. Modern research and development has allowed for the emergence of new primer technologies – products that not only provide the basics but attach specific problems. If you have a tough stain to cover, rough tape joints or even a porous surface, chances are there’s a primer solution that will help you achieve the finish you and your customer expect.

High Production Paint Brushes

Advancements in technology are not limited to just computers and golf clubs. 

Now you can paint faster and save time on the job site with Sherwin- Williams new Contractor Series High Production brushes. 

They’re called “High Production” because they contain specially crimped WAVE polyester filaments. Each of these filaments creates extra bends and curves where paint can be held until it’s released onto the substrate. Extensive laboratory testing has concluded that High Production brushes pick up and release more paint than any other brush on the market. 

High Production brushes are available in two separate lines: one for latex, one for alkyds. 

Latex brushes are offered in seven sizes. Made of WAVE polyester and the highest quality nylon, High Performance latex brushes pick up 25% more paint per dip than any other synthetic brush. These brushes are also excellent for trimming and delivering a sharp cut line. 

There are five sizes of High Performance brushes for oil painting. Combining WAVE polyester with the finest natural white China bristle, these brushes pick up 35% more paint per dip than any other 100 percent natural bristle brush on the market. 

For the ultimate in productivity, choose High Production brushes. Contractor Series brushes are available at your local Sherwin-Williams store.

Developing a maintenance painting program that works

Downsizing. Outsourcing. Shrinking maintenance budgets. Competition. Fluctuating occupancy rates. The list is endless for facilities managers facing these and other challenges. It’s tough to stay abreast of all these changes and stay competitive.

While at first it might seem to be a mundane consideration, a well-planned maintenance painting program can be one of the most useful tools in the ongoing quest to control facility maintenance and upgrade costs while keeping commercial, industrial and institutional buildings in top shape.

Cosmetic appeal is a key factor in how a building is perceived, and there’s no quicker, easier fix than a fresh coat of paint for sprucing up lackluster spaces. But why is such a program needed? Why not simply redo a space here and there, or contract for a complete repaint when a particular area starts to lose its aesthetic appeal?

A100

Long-lasting with excellent performance that goes beyond comparably priced products.

A-100 meets the tough standards professionals have for exterior coatings, with a high-quality Advanced Resin Technology formula.

Contractors choice for proven performance

With A-100, any exterior surface is efficiently and easily covered with a finish that lasts. It has a proven formula that translates to fewer callbacks, a heightened reputation, and more referrals. Contractors can be confident that it covers well, lasts long and resists fading and chalking.

Use A-100 for residential or commercial applications on:

Wood

Brick

Concrete block

Metal

Aluminum siding

Masonry

Asbestos siding

Choosing The Right Paint

It’s important to know that interior house paints fall into one of two categories - latex or oil (or alkyd); and each has different characteristics.

Easy to use latex

Latex paints combine the longest-lasting finish with the best gloss retention. Sherwin-Williams latex paints are easy to work with, dry quickly and are extremely durable. Do-it-yourselfers favor them for almost any painting project.

Latex paint mixes with water. This means you can:

wipe spills with a damp rag

clean brushes and rollers with soap and water after use

wash paint off your hands with soap and water

Stain resistant oil (alkyd)

Alkyd/Oil paints offer good adhesion and stain resistance. Because of this, many users prefer alkyd products for trim and for kitchens and bathrooms. Tools clean up with solvent.

Mildew

The appearance of mildew depends on various conditions, which are:

Continuously high humidity. 

As the humidity increases, mildew growth becomes more rapid.

High average temperature. 

Optimum temperature for mildew growth is 77ºF.

Poor ventilation. 

Still air increases mildew growth.

Composition of surface. 

Mildew will grow on any surface that provides a nutrient, even dirt.

Light colors of paint film. 

Colors that do not absorb the sun’s heat provide a surface for mildew growth. Dark colors become hot and discourage mildew growth.

Solution 

Wash mildewed areas with a solution of one part household bleach and three parts water. This will destroy mildew and bleach stains caused by mildew growth. Apply solution by brush or a garden sprayer apparatus. Heavy mildew may require additional applications, and scrubbing may be required. Flush area with clean water to remove bleach solution. Allow to dry thoroughly. 

Follow label cautions when using bleach solution.

For maximum durability in eg-shel finishes, you have to consider both scrubability AND burnish resistance.

Fresh, clean walls that do not require frequent repainting is a common expectation of specifiers and facility managers. Proof of this is seen in the popularity of eg-shel finishes in commercial buildings. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of wall paint on commercial jobs is an eg-shel finish. But all eg-shel paints are not created equal when it comes to durability. The term has been tossed around rather loosely in the paint industry. Specifications are often written for “best ” contractor grade coating. But what defines best? What defines durable? 

Multiple factors

Interior paints are often incorrectly specified for durability based on volume solids and/or scrub test data alone.  Volume solids measurements, while important in other ways, are not a good yardstick for durability. And scrub test measurements alone cannot ensure final film performance. 

Durability in today’s popular interior eg-shel coatings is better defined as the combined coatings performance in both scrub and burnish resistance testing. Burnishing and marring – an increase in gloss or sheen – can occur when the paint film is subjected to rubbing, scrubbing or having an object brush against it. 

How well a coating resists burnishing is critical to customer satisfaction.  Walls that remain free of these unsightly marks look better longer. That translates to less frequent repaints and, consequently, happier customers. For example, an eg-shel paint that has high scrubs, but poor burnish resistance, is not the best choice for durability. 

Developing a standard

To help assess product durability in eg-shel paints, Sherwin-Williams has developed Interior Excellence, an online comparative coatings reference. Interior Excellence contains scrub cycle and burnish resistance test results conducted by an independent testing lab, DL Laboratories of New York, following ASTM methods. 

In the scrub cycle test, paint is applied to a panel in a uniform thickness and dried for seven days. A shim is then inserted under the panel to accelerate the failure. A stiff bristle brush is attached to a mechanical arm and the control panel is scrubbed until the film is broken and the panel is exposed. To test burnish resistance, the change in angular sheen is evaluated after the paint has been subjected to 20 cycles of rubbing with a soft cloth, using test machinery similar to the scrub testing apparatus. 

Because the results are derived from third-party tests, it’s an objective evaluation of interior paints that can be used to evaluate performance criteria when discussing product selection with facility owners, architects, designers, property managers and other specifiers. No longer do you need to wonder which “best grade” paint is really the best for the job. 

Your Sherwin-Williams rep can provide painting contractors with these important test results and other information that can help you explain the important concept of durability to you.