I painted the exterior of my old house twice. First time was right after it was built 'cuz I hated the cheap builder's paint and the second time about five years later because I changed siding and roof colors and of course paint color too. Not fun the first time. Not fun the second time. And I'll never do it again. Even tho I hired roofers to get the tippy top portions I wasn't comfortable reaching from a ladder, I'll never do it again. If you don't know what you're doing with a pressure washer, you can do significant damage that can be a PITA to repair or replace stuff. If you think you can use a sprayer to apply the paint, just make sure you do your homework. *Thinking* a sprayer is the answer and is gonna work or be easier, isn't the same as saying it *will* work or be easier. Spraying with paint is a whole 'nother skillset and involves some wickedly detailed prep. Frankly, I think it's beyond most DIY capabilities. Painting an exterior is a big deal and it's a big job. There's no way I'd waste time & money on just one coat and cheap paint. No way. Do it right or just don't do it. Lots o'times there is room for negotiation and some gray area when it comes to paint and color, however, IMO painting an exterior isn't one of 'em. An exterior requires two full coats of top shelf, quality paint applied skillfully over spot-on prep work which may or may not include priming.

PaintGuy22 - The tinting process is "almost" fool proof. It is highly automated with the name of the paint color being scanned from the bar code on the color card, or from the label on top of the previously mixed paint can. The scan guns prevent paint from being dispensed if the information on the computer screen does not agree with the bar code on the paint can. It is incumbent upon the paint associate to accurately determine what type of paint, color, sheen and amount the customer needs. The tinting machines are extremely accurate, with amounts as little as 1/ 768th of an ounce capable of being dispensed. But, anything mechanical can now and then malfunction. Anything being run by humans can also be screwed up, but if the original information was properly entered into the computer, there should not be problems. HD doesn't spare the equipment expense when trying to provide a good end product. There is over $20K of paint dispensing equipment in every HD store, this times over 2000 stores throughout the US and Canada. I would not argue that there is sometimes a problem with finding and keeping good paint counter personnel. This is not only a problem with the "big box" stores, but with other retailers. Even Sherwin-Williams has its turnover problems. The problem is that retail never pays as well as what a knowledgeable tradesman can make out working in the field, so, retailers are forced to try to train people without a paint background.

So my painting knowledge has multiplied by about a factor of 100 over the last month or so as I'm doing most of the painting for our renovation. I've painted almost every surface you can imagine, and fortunately the professional painter we hired for the ceilings has been so nice about giving me tips and suggestions. On the subject of brand of paint: Everyone seems to have their favorite and if you have one, then stick with it. I prefer Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams. I used to use Behr but once I used BM I never looked back. I sometimes use SW because they have coupons in the paper. My go-to paint is Benjamin Moore Aura. I like matte for walls and satin for woodwork/trim but that's totally a personal preference thing. Make sure you read the directions for the paint you're buying. For instance, with Aura, when you cut in, you want to cut in, let it dry completely, then roll in. This is different from most paints which want you to keep a wet edge on the cutting in. On priming: I don't care what a paint claims. I prime. I'd rather spend a few extra buck and a little extra time to ensure that it will be a good job that lasts than have to redo it in two years. On cleaning: Buy a product called Dirtex at the hardware store to clean whatever you need to. It's perfect for cleaning before painting. And my last tip: by really good brushes. I've got a set of Omega brushes now that cost about $28/each. I take good care of them and they are amazing. Worth every penny. And certainly a money saver as I would have purchased many lesser brushes by now. Oh, and on the paint matching. I got a BM color mixed in SW paint a couple weeks ago. For some reason I thought all these companies had each other's formulas in their computers, but that was not the case. They ended up scanning the color chip and matching it from that and it took three tries with it. That was a little worrisome for me. If you REALLY love a Behr color and you want it to be exactly that color, I'd probably use Behr paint.

I went to Menards off of 72nd & L st on January 7, 2022 here in Omaha. I saw the PP Metalic line of paint and inquired about it. The manager and 2 others that were working mixed me up a gallon and told me how awesome it looked when they brought it to me. I asked if I needed any special brushes or rollers and was told I did not. I came home and prepared my walls (cleaning and later applying primer) in my office for painting the next day, January 8, 2022. I applied my base coat and after a few hours started painting. This all began at 5:30 AM. My office is a very small space and it took 1/2 gallon for one wall. It still looked terrible. I ended up looking at videos and reading on different forums. Every one giving different directions. I went back to Menards where I had to purchase another gallon of the same paint and actually buy sponges and a faux sponge roller. I asked the guys that were working about all of this and they informed me that they had absolutely no knowledge about this particular paint. They said they haven’t had it in very long and that the representatives from Pittsburgh Paint have never sent anyone out to give them any information about their product. This is a complete fail on Pittsburgh Paints and Menards. You shouldn’t have a product on your shelves if you have absolutely no knowledge about that product and the Representatives from PP should be ashamed of themselves as well for not giving the proper information to the companies they sell it to. I own my own business and I deal with Chemicals on a daily basis. I took classes in order to do my job correctly. Lesson learned. Don’t purchase paint from Menards or Pittsburgh Paints ever again.