The Gull's Call - Jan/Feb/Mar 2025

ArchitecturalNews House Paint Case Study: Material & Labor Costs - Premium vs. Standard Printed with permission from Benjamin Moore L ET’S TAKE A LOOK AT HOW DETAILED SPECIFICATIONS make a considerable difference when it comes to material and labor costs for a project. For this study, we will look at painting the exterior of a 3500 square foot house in a dark color. You could just tell your contractor that the color you want to use is Chelsea Gray HC-168. From there the contractor may use a premium product, or they may use a product that is less expensive and from a store that just happens to be closer to your home, so that it is convenient for them. On the other hand, you could write a detailed specification, noting that you want to use Chelsea Gray HC-168 in a premium exterior product in a Low Lustre finish, and that substitutions will not be permitted. By being more specific, let’s see how this works out from a material cost and labor perspective. As you can see from the chart below, by using a conventional paint, the job requires more product because it entails 3 coats – if a premium product was used that had better ingredients and advanced technology, only 2 coats would be needed to complete the job. This makes a big difference when it comes to labor.

It is in your best interest to use a premium paint from the start, to save money in the long run, with better substrate protection. You get what you pay for! This is true across innumerable products, services, and industries, including paint. Another way to look at it is return on investment or “bang for your buck”—what do you get for every dollar you spend? This helps us determine the value of a product or service. Let’s take a look at the Paint Value Equation. If a paint performs better, protects better, requires fewer coats, has richer color, solves a problem, or better yet prevents a problem, it is worth spending a little more money.

It’s far better to spend more upfront to prevent an issue than a lot more on the back‐end to correct it. In short, the value of quality is arguably greater than cost. But the reality is, cost is important ‐ especially if you are looking for value. When faced with the quality/cost conversation, it’s important to look at true cost, not just cost per gallon of paint. Let’s look at a hypothetical paint scenario. The first step is to calculate how much paint will be needed for the finish coats—to keep it simple, we’re not going to worry about primer for this exercise but in the real world, always prime! For a 3500 sf house, assuming an average coverage of about 300 – 350 sf per gallon, each coat will require roughly 12 gallons. Subsequent coats may require less paint than the first coat, depending on the type of siding, how rough it

That’s not all, it is also important to consider the cost per year of service. A conventional or lower quality paint may require repainting much sooner, especially in this example where we are looking to use a dark color on an exterior. A premium paint utilizes advanced resin and colorant technology so there is less maintenance and fewer repaints over time.

22 January | February | March 2025

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