The Great Paint Debate: How Do You Choose?

Ep36 The Great Paint Debate: How Do You Choose?

Val Frania: Hi there and welcome to Flipping Furniture for Profit. I'm Val Frania. This podcast isn't just about paint colors, techniques, or selling furniture. We talk about the deeper things like why we get stuck, how to make better decisions, what actually helps you grow your skills and confidence over time. If you're ready for honest conversations and steady progress, I'm glad you're here. Let's have a chat about paint. There's no shortage of opinions when it comes to paint, and if you spent any time at all in Facebook groups, you've probably seen that firsthand.

One person swears by one brand. Someone else says, "Never use it." Someone jumps in and something completely different. And before you know it, you're sitting there thinking, well, now I'm more confused than when I started. And that's really the problem. Most beginners feel like they have to find the perfect paint before they even start. So they stall out or they buy something, try it once, don't love it, and then switch to something else. And before they know it, they're just going in circles and spending a whole lot of money.

So in this episode, I'm not going to tell you there's one, quote unquote, best paint. Instead, I want to help you understand how to think about paint so you can make decisions that actually make sense for your project and stop second guessing every step. Because this really is part of what I'm calling, "The Great Paint Debate." And underneath all of the opinions and recommendations, there's always that same question, "How do you actually choose?"

This is also part one of a short series I'm doing on paint, tools finishes, because there's a lot of confusion out there, and I want to simplify it for you, not by adding more noise, but by helping you see what actually matters. The first thing I want you to understand is this. Paint is not a one size fits all product. Different paints are designed to do different things. So instead of asking, What's the best paint?" It's more helpful to ask, "What kind of finish do I want?" "How durable does this need to be?" And, "How do I want this piece to look and feel when I'm done?" And honestly, "How do I like to work? What works for me?" Once you start thinking that way, everything starts to clear up. Now, I've had the opportunity over the years to try a lot of different paints, and that didn't just happen randomly.

When I first started my blog, Love My DIY Home, I remember sitting at my computer just kind of thinking, "Well, I don't have a big following yet, but I've got to start somewhere." So I started reaching out to mostly paint companies. At first I'd tell them what I was doing, that I was reviewing products, sharing projects, and asked if they'd be willing to send me something that I could try, a product of theirs that they were proud of, and they wanted to get their name out there for. Some said no, but most said yes. And when those boxes started showing up, it really felt like Christmas. This was way before people started doing unboxing many, many years ago I started this, different brands, different finishes, metallics, things I probably wouldn't have bought myself at that point because I was still figuring it out. And let's face it, some of those products can be expensive. And because I actually used them, because I didn't just take the product and disappear, more companies started reaching out. I remember one company CEO commenting in a group that I was in, saying, "Wow, this one blog post actually reviewed my paint. Most people don't follow through." And I'm sitting there reading that thinking, well, that was me. And then I commented back and thanked them again. They had no idea I was in the group.

But all of that gave me something really valuable. It gave me a feel for the different kinds of paint. Not just names, not just labels, but how it actually behaved. And that made a big difference later on for me, because like most people, I started hearing about certain paints that were being talked about everywhere. You know, the ones, the highly promoted, always coming up in lives, people saying how smooth they go on, how perfectly they level. So I thought, all right, so let's try it. I bought a couple jars, brought them home, opened them up, and you can kind of tell right away something just by the feel of it, how it's going to behave. And when I used it, it looked nice when it was done. But the experience, yeah, really didn't match the hype. It didn't glide the way I expected. It almost felt a little sticky. I know it's hard to explain. It just didn't feel smooth when I put it on. And I remember thinking, huh, okay, this isn't quite what I thought it would be. And that was one of those moments where something clicked because it reinforced something I had already started to see. It just means it's popular.

And that's where a lot of people get tripped up because it's easy to start judging products by how often you hear about them. But high levels of promotion will not guarantee you high quality. They just guarantee visibility. Now, I do want to walk through a couple of paint types, just enough to give you a frame of reference, not to overwhelm you, because this is where understanding helps you choose. You've heard of, I'm sure, chalk paint, mineral paint. Those are usually the ones where most people start and they're easy to use. They grab onto surfaces well, they're forgiving and they're great when you're still building your confidence, you know, getting a hang for it.

Milk paint is a little different. I've used Old Fashioned Milk Paint, O F M P and it's been around forever, and it can give you that really beautiful old chippy and aged look, but it also has a mind of its own sometimes. So I'll be honest, I was put off at first. You have to mix it from powder. It only lasts a couple of days, once mixed, you know you have to keep it in the fridge or it'll go bad. It just felt like more work. But over time I grew to really appreciate it because it stores forever as powder, as long as you store it right. You can mix exactly what you need, adjust the thickness depending on what you're doing. I preferred a little thicker than what they tell you, but you have that choice whether you want to mix it thin for a glaze or or to layer it. I like to layer, so I tend to mix it a bit thicker and I like to play with it. But once you understand it, it becomes a really versatile tool.

That said, now let's talk about latex for a minute, because this one... it really needs a little clarification. When most people think of latex paint, they're thinking of the typical wall paint, the kind that you pick up at the store for painting rooms. That type of paint is made to expand and contract. It's designed to be flexible, a little stretchy, which works out great for walls, but furniture? Not so much. That's not what we want. We want something that dries hard, something durable, something that can handle real use. Years ago, I was visiting my daughter out in Virginia, and she showed me an end table that she had painted. It was a hand-me-down from our Aunt Emmy. D H 's aunt. And I had given it to her as she moved out to Virginia to use. And she had painted it with latex and she said, look, it's starting to peel. And so I took a hold of that spot where it was peeling and no lie, I peeled off the paint off that entire end table. It was kind of cathartic. I really enjoyed peeling it. But that just goes to show you that without proper prep and without the proper kind of paint, you're going to run into an issue. And of course, we repainted it. And it's beautiful to this day, years later, and I've seen it happen more than once, where this paint has peeled, especially if the prep wasn't perfect. And to me, that says something. If a paint is that dependent on perfect prep, just to stay put is probably not the best choice for furniture. And the thought of it expanding and being like rubbery. Yeah, that's not what I want for my stuff. Now it's a great debate. People that use it, those debates get a little heated online when someone mentions it, because you'll have people who have used it for years and swear by it. And I get that. But just because something has been used for a long time doesn't necessarily mean it's the best option available.

Now, I will say this. You'll also see some paints labeled as latex today that are not that same basic wall paint. So this is where it's helpful to talk to the professional in the store. You know, go to someplace like Sherwin-Williams or Benjamin Moore and ask questions about their paint. Ask questions about furniture paint and what suggestions they have. They don't necessarily require that you buy their paint to pick their brain. Understand what you're actually buying because the label alone doesn't always tell the full story. And I think that's the bigger takeaway here. Don't just follow what you hear. Learn what you're using. Experiment. Find out why you like it. Find out why it's a good paint. And yes, sometimes you just want to know that it works, I get it.

One of my go to paints right now is Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel. Now that's a mouthful, isn't it? It levels nicely, holds up well and does not yellow like some of those other paints that are not quality paints. It's a water - based paint. Easy to use, goes on smooth, has a beautiful feel to it when it's dry. It works for me. And the cure time is pretty short, especially compared to Benjamin Moore. Benjamin Moore's cure time is quite a bit longer than the Sherwin-Williams, so that's another plus. It works for me, but that doesn't mean it's the answer for everything.

I do use other paints because at the end of the day, the goal isn't to find the best paint. It's to learn how to choose the best paint that's going to work for you, that you enjoy using, that gives you what you need and fits the project you're working on. It's to learn how to choose. And I see this same hesitation showing up with tools too. How many, now be honest, how many of you have a sprayer sitting in a box right now? Because you're not sure you'll do it, right? You're afraid of messing up? Meanwhile, that tool could completely change your process.

We've seen it ourselves. D H handles the spraying now and it's amazing how fast things are moving here. I just stand there thinking, well, that was fast. If fear keeps that tool in the box, most of the time, what's holding people back isn't the paint. It's not the tools. It's not even the process. It's fear. Yep. Fear of doing it wrong. Fear of wasting product, fear of someone seeing your work and picking it apart. And that shows up in small ways. The sprayer stays in the box. You stick with the same paint because it feels safe. You don't try something new, even when you know you probably should.

When I discovered this verse years and years, oh, many years ago, everything changed for me. You know how it is. You read the Bible throughout your life, and one day a verse you've read over and over, suddenly applies, and then on comes the light bulb. And you're never the same again. Here's the verse. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love, and of a sound mind." And I thought, "That applies here more than we realize." Because fear doesn't come from a place of confidence, experience, or plain ol' knowledge. It comes from uncertainty. from overthinking, from worrying about how things will turn out before we even try. When I was a young adult, a preacher said that once you accomplish boldness in what you believe, you experience a new level of influence. The same goes for your confidence in any area of life. You've been given the ability to think clearly, to learn, to grow, and to make decisions as you go. That's what this really comes down to. Not eliminating mistakes, but not letting fear stop you from making progress.

Sometimes mistakes turn out so well. That's why I call myself the accidental artist, because sometimes my mistakes turned out better than what the vision was I had for that piece to begin with. But the truth is, fear of being judged, whether it be by others or your own expectations, will keep you stuck, longer than any mistake ever will. And confidence comes after you do the thing that you weren't sure about.

So whether it's trying a different paint or picking up a new tool, don't let fear decide what you never try. And now I got a quick tip for you before we wrap this up. Don't dip your brush into your paint jar. Pour it out like on on a plate or in a cup. Because once that jar is contaminated, oh boy, you'll know it. And yes, I've done it. One time I opened up a jar and oh boy, it was rancid. And there was twenty plus dollars down the drain. Yes, you have probably seen me dip my brush into the jar, the paint jar in my videos, but typically I don't. I do it strictly for the video because I value the tools that I have. And you know what? Your bottom line is affected by more than the price of the piece. Taking care of your tools, taking care of your paint, your stain, your poly, whatever that affects your bottom line, your ROI, your return on investment, as well.

And at the end of the day, the great paint debate really comes down to this. It's not about finding the best paint. It's about educating yourself on how to choose wisely. Sometimes that's experimentation. Sometimes that's by reading reviews or talking to the professionals at the store. But whatever it takes, learn your paint. And if you want help understanding the different paint types and where they fit. I'm sharing my paint types information for you from my Blueprint to help you start seeing your options without all the noise.

Go to ValFrania dot com forward slash paint and you'll get a free PDF. You can look through it and get yourself more versed on what kind of paints are out there. You don't need to know everything. You just need to start seeing things differently. And if you're a beginner and you would like the whole enchilada right in front of you twenty four over seven, then start with ValFrania dot com forward slash ClearPath and that'll get you started. It's a thirty page PDF that will help you make some good choices, get you started, and help you build that confidence.

Talk soon. God bless.