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The Varying Price of Paint

Whether you are looking at a gas, groceries, or clothing, it seems that there are always at least 3 different versions of the same product, with widely varying prices. This is just as true in the paint aisle: the variety of available paints is mind-boggling, and they range in price from $12 to $69 dollars per gallon. So what is the difference, and why in the world would anyone pay for the premium products when it is more than triple the price?

"You get what you pay for," the old saying goes, and in paints, it is very accurate. Professional house painters agree that the price of paint is directly related to the quality of the raw ingredients it contains, and the better the materials, the higher the price. This means, then, that the more you pay, the better your paint will perform. Each paint manufacturer has higher and lower quality paints that they produce in order to be competitive in each market.

In residential painting, the quality of the materials is not immediately visible. For example, Sherwin Williams least expensive paint will be the same color and appearance as their most expensive when they are freshly applied. The differences become plain, however, in a surprisingly short time. Better paints will hold their color longer, resist scuffing and scraping better, cover in less coats, and reduce the frequency of paint jobs.

There are four main ingredients in all paint:

  • Pigment: This creates the colors
  • Binder: This causes the paint to adhere to the substrate (surface)
  • Resins: These cause the paint film to harden, like a protective shell
  • Solvent/Base: This is what makes paint a spreadable liquid. It evaporates as the paint dries

Each of these ingredients can vary in quality and cost, and the more money you spend on these materials, the longer a paint job will last. When customers seek a lower-cost product, the manufacturer must sacrifice the quality of some of these ingredients, and the paint will not perform as well. For example, Sherwin Williams produces some of the finest paints available, but their South West Builders product is designed for budget-conscious customers, and it costs about $12 per gallon. Because the pigments are not as good and the resins are cheaper, this paint will fade significantly in 4-5 years.

The bottom line for many customers is the overall price effect: will I save more by using a lower-cost product? The surprising answer is no!   When you hire a painting company, the paint is only 10% to 20% of the total project cost, so getting better paints will have only a slight impact on the overall job cost. However, the difference in paint performance could double the life of your paint, reducing the frequency of paint jobs. The cost analysis in this case clearly shows that a larger up-front investment can save substantial cash and headaches in the long-term.

For more information about specialized paint ingredients and premium paints call Brooks Painting who is a Davis-based painting contractor serving the whole Sacramento metropolitan region. We gladly service Sacramento County, Yolo County, Placer County, Eldorado County, and Solano County.

 

Our Promises to You

1. We’re committed to your project’s success

A lot of painters do the bare minimum, just to get by and move on. That’s not who we are or how we’ve built our reputation.

2. You can feel comfortable with our team

From the estimator to our office team, field employees to Crew Leader, we want you to know that you’re valued, cared for, and safe.

3. We’ll do the job correctly

You deserve total transparency, accountability, and exceptional work. No skipped steps or opting for the “easy way.”

4. We’ll stand by our job

Because we know we’re doing it all the right way, we can confidently stand by our work. We’re picky, and we want you to be 100% satisfied.

Most trusted painting company in the Greater Sacramento & Davis Areas

4.9 rating from 350+ reviews

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Brooks Painting is everything you would want. Excellence! Always on time. Great work!

Mary Jane B.

Brooks did a fantastic job on our exterior and interior paint jobs. Quality was high, price was reasonable, and the team was extremely professional and detail-oriented. Mark was our crew lead and the team performed a number of exterior wood repairs, a door re-stain, interior and exterior painting. Mark clearly takes a lot of pride in his work and went above and beyond to ensure the work was high-quality, including finding exact matching siding to fix dry rot, and performing minor repairs that weren't even included in the quote. He and the team were all consistently positive and personable, joking with each other throughout the day, while also genuinely complimenting each other on the quality of their work. It was great to see, and that positivity definitely showed through the work they did. We couldn't be happier with the end result.

Ryan Schauland
Google

This is a business you can trust to do an excellent job and keep all promises. Came on time, completed in time stated, beautiful result!

Sandra & David M.

Very professional. Painters were very accommodating on the little things.

Claude V., Dixon

We are long time happy customers with many positive experiences with Brooks Painting. We have appreciated the assistance (and patience) with selecting paint colors, the professionalism of the staff and the high quality of workmanship. We recently had some interior painting done and the crew was on time, neat, careful inside the house and very easy to work with. They also cheerfully handled some unexpected drywall repair. I highly recommend Brooks Painting.

Teri Greenfield
Google

Easy to work with - pleasant, efficient, competent, always available, answered all questions. Totally professional - each person. Thank you all! A great job!

Stephanie Brown F.

We chose Brooks Painting based on their excellent reputation. It was an excellent choice! We had them do a complete exterior and almost complete interior painting of our two story house. They were done separately, while we were out of town. We are very pleased with the quality of the work. They even fixed up a few mistakes made by a crew that painted a portion of our interior ceilings a month prior (removal of asbestos popcorn ceiling), at no extra charge. Cleanup was great, also. They repaired some dry rot that was uncovered (extra charge, but worth it), and they even moved furniture back into place as well as put back the curtain rods that I had taken down, which wasn't expected. I highly recommend them, and will use them again for any future paint jobs.

Charlie Russell
Google

Mark and the team from Brook’s Painting are exceptional at their jobs. We recently renovated a 5000sqft home and they did all the painting. Their attention to detail and investment in our project is so appreciated, and we knew we were in good hands with them. The value they add by identifying issues, making suggestions and going the extra mile to deliver quality work and make sure we are happy with our home is such a breath of fresh air. I would hire this team and company for any future work in a heartbeat and can’t say enough how amazing they are!

Kirsten Martin
Google

Brooks Painting has be in business a long time in our area. As a native resident we have seen and heard of their professional & quality painting. In looking for bids on painting our house Brooks was referred numerous times. When Jeremy came out to meet us we were sold on using their services and looked no further. Every aspect of this company was very upfront, professional and made us feel safe, valued and comfortable hiring them. The office staff kept good communication with us. The color matching was perfect. The crew showed up on time, were respectful and did a great job from prep to the final end of the project. The warranty offered was a plus and the liability coverage gave us peace of mind also. The price was well worth all that was included in the project so we had little to do but move our stuff away from the house. Thank you Brooks painting, crew and staff for making our home new again :)

Karen Boone
Google

They are on time! They show up! It was a big job and they were good and fast. Very nice guys.

Tracy W.

Brooks Painting painted our home in Sacramento in March of 2022. Tim did a great job power washing our home. Corey, Flint, and Kristen were very helpful in the bid and. planning. process. The painting crew was excellent. Arrived on time each day and the project was finished in 5 days as promised. All worked very hard.

M Hawkins

Brooks did a fantastic job on our exterior and interior paint jobs. Quality was high, price was reasonable, and the team was extremely professional and detail-oriented. Mark was our crew lead and the team performed a number of exterior wood repairs, a door re-stain, interior and exterior painting. Mark clearly takes a lot of pride in his work and went above and beyond to ensure the work was high-quality, including finding exact matching siding to fix dry rot, and performing minor repairs that weren't even included in the quote. He and the team were all consistently positive and personable, joking with each other throughout the day, while also genuinely complimenting each other on the quality of their work. It was great to see, and that positivity definitely showed through the work they did. We couldn't be happier with the end result.

Ryan Schauland
Google

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COREY SCHMIDT

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Ryan Lowery

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Residential Estimator Ryan is a fantastic new addition to our sales team! If you have a residential interior, cabinet or exterior project, book with Ryan!

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