What I learned at the Paint Quality Institute

“In a can of paint, you really get what you pay for,” says Debbie Zimmer from the Paint Quality Institute.

And there’s more to selecting paint than just deciding on the perfect color.

My mind is full of new paint knowledge, thanks to an afternoon at the Paint Quality Institute with my husband Mark. We geeked out on paint and stain data, ingredients, and more, learning from the experts and walking around their paint ‘farm.’

Yes, it’s a paint farm. From the highway, the 6 1/2 acres of panels sectioned off and filled with paint test areas, the casual passerby might think it’s a field of solar panels. But it’s the PQI paint farm, a highly organized and perfectly choreographed testing site that coordinates its data with sites from around the globe. Daily, specific panels are brought inside to be photographed. And these photographs are cataloged, so that researchers and scientists can view the changes that occurs on every little rectangle over time.

For the wood stain, there’s also a decking area set-up for the stain to not only weather but also tested for foot traffic. A little electronic counter keeps track of the foot traffic on the decking boards, so that it can be used as part of their evaluation.

Amazing.

After collecting all of this knowledge and being dazzled by the research, we were able to don lab coats and try out different brands of paint, noting the performance.

Of course, the brand names of the ‘best’ performing paints are not released by PQI.

But one easy way to identity a higher quality paint is by the viscosity (thickness) of the paint, meaning the runnier the paint, the lower the quality. Runny paint means drips and splatters that are every painter’s enemy.

If you have a favorite paint brand or paint frustration we can help solve, I’d love to know about it. Please share in the comments below, or write me a note info@myfixituplife.com.