Recommendations for a REALLY good paint locally or in Guad

[mexicomoose]

Has anyone had a particularly great experience with a specific brand of paint? I am looking for interior as well as exterior, but the exterior is more important because of the beating paint takes in our environment.

I am also willing to run up to Guad, if necessary, for a higher quality, longer-lasting paint. Any information regarding your experiences is appreciated in advance.

[thevalerieleigh]

We've been happy with the Behr brand paint that is purchased at Home Depot in GDL.

Valerie

[CHILLIN]

The local professional choice seems to be Comex. While I was looking up Comex I ran across this article which will tell you more than you will ever want to know about Mexican paint.

http://www.solmexiconews.com/Tara%20Spears/paint%20mexico.htm

I assume you are looking at acrylic latex. Much easier to cleanup (water based). Acrylic paint quality is measured by the percentage of resin - more resin, higher cost, more durability. Some local painters buy the large buckets of white interior paint, then add a color concentrate, and then add resin to make it exterior. This is the lowest cost, but it takes a good eye if you ever want to patch the same color.

If you want to go into the more exotic stuff like marine, industrial and aircraft paints, I can take you there too (hint - over $100 U.S. per gallon). I am also experienced with lime finish, white wash.

[RVGRINGO]

I also recommend Comex, particularly the Vinimex matte finish exterior paint. We used it on two homes at Chapala in the course of 13 years and it holds up very well. Of course, good preparation and proper application is vital to the success of the job.

[bradshoe]

Our painter, Enrique Pineda, says that his preference depends on the project and uses all the different brands (except Shirwin Williams). The other issue becomes the preparation. I had him look at a small wall repair job (exterior) that I had done some months ago where the paint is now faded and it was next to work he'd done the year before and didn't fade. We even used the same paint. He explained that they used cheap sealer so the pigment faded into the cement. By the way the paint he used interior and exterior is Prisa's poliprisa pintura vinil-acrilica. It's almost like a rubber coating when I need to drill into it to set an anchor. Really lasts too.

[Mainecoons]

We've been using Berel 10 year after not having very good results from either Prisa or Comex. We buy it at Home Depot because they can match color precisely.

[El Cartero]

Exterior, Sherman Williams, local. Interior the best Behr has, I forget the name, Home Depot. I have found it takes 2 cans of Berel or whatever it is across from Sherman W, or Comex to cover what SW or Behr can do in one. Primers to match, SW or Behr.

[Al Berca]

I agree with Enrique Pineda and Oldshoe. Prisa's poliprisa purchased locally, can match the smallest chip perfectly and you can be painting in minutes rather than hours.

[John Shrall]

I used Sherwin Williams on our Ajijic house inside and out and it is still holding up well on the interior after 12 years. We repainted the outdoor walls after 8 years not because of damage but rather to change colors.

We remodeled a house in Guayabitos last year and had to rely on Comex Vinimex choosing satinado over matte. I found in both houses that the satin finish makes the walls easier to clean over time.

I always buy the best paint possible and never allow painters to water it down. The Vinimex costs over $400 pesos a gallon and about $1,800 for a cubeta but there is no sense in trying to save money when repainting. I don't know what SW costs now.

Prepping is probably the most important aspect of a paint job. I found that Berel Block Filler did the best job covering new concrete, smoothing it out for the real paint. Comex's primer is way too thick.

You are also better off choosing a standard color as opposed to matching an existing color. There always seemed to be slight color variations using a custom color formula every time you return for more paint.

Also, if possible always use the same store for paint. I know for a fact that calibration problems between machines in different Comex locations can cause problems matching paint already on the wall. Surprisingly enough these paint stores don't always maintain their mixing machines properly.