The Truth About Cheap Paint vs. Premium Paint (From 15+ Years of Experience)

A kitchen-living room combo area being painted by Enviro Painting.

You may be tempted by the price tag on cheaper paint and wonder what makes it so different from the paints that are nearly double in price. The cheap paint vs premium paint debate comes up constantly...yet, in our 15+ years of painting houses, we have discovered that cheap paint almost never works out.

One homeowner hired us to repaint her newly-purchased home before moving in. She even supplied the paint for us—except, when we went to put it on the walls, it was like applying milk. Would you believe it was actually cheaper for us to go out and buy entirely new cans of premium paint?

Cheap Paint vs. Premium Paint: What It Actually Costs You

You may think you're saving money by choosing a cheaper paint, however, in our experience, we find that the paint will cost you in different ways.

1. Coverage

Cheaper paint has a much lower concentration of pigment, which is the primary reason it appears much waterier and milkier than high quality paint—there are simply less pigments suspended in the solution.

This actually makes the paint harder to work with as you're fighting with how thin the liquid is and how easy it is to drip everywhere. The tiniest bit too much paint on your brush and it's running everywhere. Too little and the underlying color is showing through—we've been there and it is entirely too frustrating.

2. Labor Cost of Extra Coats

With poor coverage comes requiring more coats of paint. Whether you're DIYing a paint job or having a professional do it, cheap paint will make you spend more time applying the paint and require more coats for solid coverage. This can cost you time and money.

3. Washability

When it comes to premium paints, most boast their washability, which means that it can be washed without damaging the finish. Most cheaper paints don't advertise this feature as the finish is a lot less durable. You may end up with streaks or buffing out the color in the area that you washed. 

Washability is an important feature of paint as it prolongs when your next paint job will be needed—instead of a repaint, you just wash it. When you can't wash your walls without damaging the paint, they need to be painted much more frequently. When you have children, pets, or even just high-use areas in your home, whether or not a paint is washable is something you should consider.

4. Touch-Ups

You may not be thinking about touch-ups now, but they are common and may be necessary. Life happens—you decide to change the location of a picture on a wall, or if you accidentally chip some paint on a wall by knocking something into it.

One of the best things about high quality paints is that you can touch-up the job at a later date and it blends in much better. With cheap paints, attempting to touch-up a wall will leave you with a shiny spot where you painted. At that point, you may need to repaint the entire area which always costs more.

With these front doors, we used Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint, a high-quality exterior paint made by Sherwin-Williams. On the left, you can see how some of the doors had gotten chipped which allowed moisture to get in and blister the paint.

We color-matched the paints and touched up the surface of the front door. Can you even tell that these doors were damaged and touched up? High quality paints are much better at touch-ups than cheaper paints.

5. Scuff Marks & Durability

Similar to washability, resistance to scuff marks and durability is a trait in high quality paints. With cheaper paints, the finish is much more susceptible to damage and wear and tear from everyday life. While you may think you can be careful, it's entirely too easy to have something accidentally happen and ruin your entire paint job.

A resistance to scuff marks and improved durability is a huge boon for any homeowners as it improves the longevity of your paint job's lifespan. Chipping paint can allow moisture to get in, which can worsen preexisting paint damage.

6. UV Resistance

Higher quality paints tend to resist UV better than other paints due to the quality and types of pigments used. This is important when painting the exterior of your home and particularly your siding. In Ontario, our summers get pretty hot and repeated exposure can cause color fading overtime, which affects the longevity of your paint job.

7. Moisture, Mildew & Mold Resistant

Higher quality paints also come with a better resistance to moisture and mold. This has to do with the binders of the paint that resist moisture penetrating the surface. Since moisture can cause paint to peel and flake off, it's an important characteristic of paint when moisture is present.

While this may not be a factor for most areas of your home, it is especially important to consider in damp areas such as your bathroom and the exterior of your home.

8. Warranty

While budget paints may offer a warranty, ensure you read the fine print to give a fair comparison. Oftentimes, many budget paint brands can offer a lifetime warranty, but only cover the purchase price or a replacement paint can. The real cost is in how much it will cost you to repaint.

Most premium brands we use offer a lifetime warranty.

Paint Quality — Budget vs. Premium

Now that you know how cheap paint can affect a job, what is the real difference between cheap and premium quality paint?

Pigment load

In paints, pigment load is how much actual coloring material is packed in to the paint formula. Budget paints use less pigment and instead, manufacturers replace pigment with cheap fillers called extender pigments. They are cheap pigments like calcium carbonate. They bulk up the paint and make it look similar to high quality paints while still in the can, but they don't contribute as much to color, coverage, or durability.

Premium paints use more prime pigments, which are typically high-opacity and non-chalking pigments that increase the paint's ability to cover surfaces effectively. An example of a commonly used prime pigment is titanium dioxide, which is more expensive material and can contribute to the paint's higher cost.

Pigment load is what gives paints:

• Full coverage - covering what's underneath in fewer coats

• Color accuracy - the color stays true to what you picked

• UV resistance - the color doesn't fade or chalk as quickly outdoors

Binders

Binders are the glue that holds the paint film together once it dries. Higher quality paints use more binder and have better formulated binder chemistry.

A stronger binder means:

• The dried film is harder and more flexible

• It doesn't break down as easily when you scrub it (washability)

• It better resists moisture penetrating the surface

Premium paints are typically 100% acrylic, but budget paints often use vinyl-acrylic blends or lower binder concentrations to cut costs. The film is softer and more porous, which can allow moisture in or be more easily damaged by wear and tear. This also goes back to washability—attempting to wash or scrub a cheap paint may end up with you scrubbing the color off the wall. You shouldn't be forced into repainting your walls if you want to simply wash them!

A bathroom recently painted by Enviro Painting with moisture-resistant paint.

Where High Quality Paint Matters Most

With over 15 years in the painting industry, we've applied a lot of different types of paints—we've also been responsible for repainting over low-quality budget paint years later. We can safely say we have never been impressed by cheap paint and would not professionally recommend using it anywhere in your home.

That being said, we do understand that paint prices have skyrocketed in the past couple of years. Sometimes, there isn't much of an option in what paint you choose. Based on our experience, there are several areas of your home that we would strongly recommend using a higher quality paint—for the others, you may personally find success in using cheaper paints.

Where High Quality Paint Matters:

Area of Home	Why It's Recommended
High Traffic Areas (like stairwells, doors, kitchens)	Washability and durability
Bathrooms & Basements	Moisture and mold resistance
Exterior (like siding, porches)	UV Resistance, moisture resistance and durability
Brick	Quality and durability

High Traffic Areas

High-traffic areas of your home are areas you or your family spend a lot of time in and use frequently, such as stairwells or stairs, kitchens, and doors. These areas see higher use and therefore see higher amounts of dirt and wear and tear.

Think of kids dragging their hands along the wall while walking up the stairs, the amount of walking up and down the stairs you do on a daily basis, or how many times a door is handled in a day. All of these places can accumulate wear and dirt fast and you should consider using a durable paint that is washable to ensure the maximum longevity of your paint job.

Bathrooms & Basements

Bathrooms and basements are often moisture-prone due to close proximity of water and being below ground.

Think of every time you shower—how much moisture and steam your bathroom sees daily. Low-quality paints not suited for moisture can also weep, causing yellow drips every time you shower.

Moisture can also cause paint to peel or flake away, which ruins your paint job and requires careful preparation afterwards to achieve a smooth finish again. This, again, costs time and money. Choosing a moisture-resistant paint ahead of time can save you the headache of redoing your paint job later.

We paint bathrooms with thorough, proper prep involving primer and a high-quality moisture resistant paint—you can learn more about our bathroom painting process here.

Exterior Work

Our weather in Canada is no joke, especially in Ontario with our freeze-thaw cycles and hot summers. A home is one of the largest investments you can make, so it's important to protect it properly from the weather with a high-quality exterior paint.

Exterior areas like your siding are heavily exposed to UV during the summer months, so choosing a high-quality paint that's UV resistant is important. Without it, painting your siding with cheap paint can cause it to peel, crack and warp—which may even void the manufacturer's warranty on your siding if it was done improperly. Additionally, the higher pigment in quality paints ensure your color holds up better and doesn't fade as fast over time in the sun.

Lots of exterior areas are high-traffic in nature (think front doors, decks, stairs, railings) and must hold up against the elements year-round. In our opinion, choosing a high-quality paint that's durable, UV resistant, and moisture resistant is non-negotiable. It's protecting one of the biggest investments you could have and increasing its value—if you can help it, there is no point in being cheap on exterior paint.

All Brick

When staining or painting brick, you must make sure you are always using a high-quality, masonry grade stain or paint. Brick is breathable by design, and with the improper paint or stain, you could permanently seal those pores, potentially causing thousands of dollars in damage to your home.

We explain this more in-depth in our Brick Painting: The Dos and Don'ts Every Homeowner Should Know post, where we discuss staining vs. painting and the importance of choosing a high-quality product. If you're looking for a professional, we provide brick staining and painting.

Types of Paint We Use and Why

At Enviro Painting, we generally prefer using two brands of paint: Cloverdale Paint and Sherwin-Williams.

Cloverdale Ecologic Paint

Cloverdale Paint

Cloverdale Paint is a Canadian family-owned paint company that manufactures paint in Canada. Our painters generally prefer the application of Cloverdale's paints and they often mention how easily it applies. Their colors are beautifully vivid and truly hold up.

We primarily use their Ecologic line. Ecologic is an ultra low-VOC paint, making it perfect for indoor spaces or for those who have odor sensitivities. Ecologic is a primer and paint built into one and can be used on both interior and exterior surfaces with great results. The paint is washable and durable as well.

We use Renaissance for trim and doors, which we believe to be on par with Sherwin-Williams' trim paint. It's durable and the end result hardens quite nicely for high-traffic areas like doors and stairs. For ceilings, we use their Premium Classic Flat Ceiling paint.

Emerald Exterior Paint

Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams is a big name painting company based in the US that many professionals use. Sherwin-Williams has an extensive color library and their paints are the standard for a reason—they're easy to apply, durable and washable.

We primarily use their Emerald Designer Interior Latex Paint, Emerald Exterior Acrylic Latex Paint and Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel for trim and doors. Emerald has great application and a flawless finish. Both interior and exterior Emerald paints are a primer and paint in one. When using Emerald, we find the color coverage and payoff to be so opaque and vibrant. The washability is fantastic and the paints are durable.

We also use Duration Home Interior Acrylic Latex with great results as well. Duration is specifically recommended for areas with high moisture such as bathrooms and basements, because it's formulated with special anti-mildew properties. For ceilings, our choice is their Premium Ceiling Paint.

Budget Paint We'd Recommend

We understand that paint is expensive and it isn't always an option to buy the best paints available. However, we do have a few suggestions on budget paint lines that have worked for us and our clients in the past.

Everyone's budget for paint can be different. If these don't happen to fit your budget, above all else, we would advise homeowners to always go to a paint store (like Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore or Dulux) rather than a big box store (like Home Depot) to buy paint.

Oftentimes at big box stores, employees lack the product knowledge and expertise that paint store employees are trained on. Chances are, if you buy a product at a paint store, you'll have much more success than if you were to buy it from a big box store. Any time a client has supplied us with paint—and it was like applying milk to the walls—the paint has been purchased from a big box store. Weird coincidence, huh?

The paint lines we'd recommend on a budget are:

• Cloverdale's Ecologic - Even though we consider it a high-quality paint and use it often, it actually boasts a much lower price than its counterparts. Ultra-low VOC, great performance, color options, durability and it's washable. Made in Canada too!

• Cloverdale's Super2 - Another great option from Cloverdale, with smooth application, great durability and stain blocking technology.

• Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint (both interior and exterior) - A great midrange paint that provides excellent hide and washability at a lower price than Emerald or Duration.

• Benjamin Moore's Ultra Spec 500 Interior Paint - A great all-rounder paint and is a good bang for your buck. Available in 5 different sheen levels.

Choosing the Right Paint For Your Job

It can be difficult choosing the right paint for your painting project. After over 15 years of painting homes across Kitchener-Waterloo, the single biggest thing we've seen affect the outcome of a paint job—outside of prep—is the paint itself. It isn't always about spending the most money, but it is about making an informed choice.

If you're planning a project and want a professional opinion on what paint is right for your home, we'd love to help. Reach out for a free quote and we'll walk you through exactly what we'd recommend for your space.