Right, so I’ve been painting exteriors for about 16 years now, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that Australia’s weather will absolutely destroy cheap paint faster than you can say warranty claim.
Coming from a real painter, I thought I’d put together a list of the best exterior paint that I’ve actually used and seen hold up over time, not just the ones with the flashiest marketing.
The first thing you think of with exterior painting challenges would be the sun right??
The thing about exterior paint in Australia is that its not just about UV resistance, though that’s obviously huge.
You’ve got salt air near the coast, massive temperature swings, hail storms, and then there’s the dust. If youre a painter you get it, the dust in some areas just seems to stick to everything.
Dulux WeatherShield
This is probably my go-to for most residential exterior work. I’ve been using WeatherShield for maybe 8 years now and generally get good results. The coverage is decent – usually two coats over primer – and it holds its colour pretty well even on north-facing walls.
Had a job a couple years back where the client was worried about fading because they’d had issues with previous paint jobs. Used WeatherShield in their “Lexicon Quarter” and went back to check on it about 18 months later when I was doing another job nearby. Still looked great, no noticeable fading or chalking.
Price wise, your looking at around $65-75 a litre depending on the colour, which isn’t cheap but reasonable for a quality exterior paint.
Taubmans Endure
This one’s interesting because it uses some kind of advanced resin technology – not sure about the exact chemistry but it definitely performs differently than regular acrylic. I first tried it maybe 5 years ago on a coastal house and was surprised by how well it handled the salt air.
The thing that stuck with me was how easy it was to clean. Client had kids who somehow managed to get sticky handprints all over the front door area, and it just wiped off with a cloth. Most exterior paints you’d need to scrub.
Durability wise, I’d say its comparable to WeatherShield but maybe slightly better in really harsh conditions. Bit more expensive though.
Resene Lumbersider
Ive been using this for weatherboard houses for years. Resene’s colour range is massive – they claim to have over 1000 colours or something ridiculous like that.
What I like about Lumbersider is that it’s specifically formulated for timber, so it moves with the wood as it expands and contracts.
Had a heritage house in Adelaide where the owner wanted to match the original 1920s colour scheme. Resene’s colour matching service was excellent – they actually analysed paint scrapes from the original timber and recreated the formula.
Only downside is availability can be patchy outside major cities. Sometimes you’re waiting a week for special colours.
Haymes UltraPremium
This is definitely top-tier stuff. More expensive than the others but the performance reflects that. I use it mainly for high-end residential where clients want the absolute best.
The self-cleaning properties are genuine – dirt and grime just doesn’t stick the same way. Used it on a white render house and after two years it still looked freshly painted. With regular paint, white shows everything.
Actually, should of mentioned that Haymes technical support is excellent. Had an application issue once with temperature and humidity, called their help line and got proper advice from someone who actually understood painting.
Wattyl Solagard
This was my main exterior paint for years before I switched to Dulux. Still use it occasionally when clients want a specific colour that Wattyl does well. The UV resistance is solid and it’s been around long enough that you know what your getting.
Coverage can be a bit inconsistent depending on the batch. Some tins go further than others for reasons I’ve never figured out. Quality control maybe?
Berger Silk Finish
Used this on a few commercial jobs. It’s tough stuff – designed for industrial applications but works fine for residential if you want maximum durability. The finish is quite glossy which some people love and others hate.
Pricing is competitive and it’s readily available through most trade suppliers. Not the most exciting paint to work with but gets the job done.
British Paints 4 Seasons
The name says it all really – designed to handle Australia’s extreme seasonal variations. I’ve had good results with it in areas that get really hot summers and cold winters.
One thing I noticed is that it seems to handle colour retention better than some cheaper options. Had a job where half the house was in shade and half got full sun all day – usually you’d see noticeable difference after a year or two, but this held up pretty evenly.
Other brands worth mentioning
There’s heaps of other exterior paints out there but honestly I haven’t used most of them enough to have a proper opinion. Seen some at trade shows that look interesting but half the sales reps don’t even know there own products properly.
Solver MaxiShield is okay for rental properties I suppose. Cheap and cheerful. Coverage is pretty ordinary though – definitely need two coats minimum, sometimes three if your unlucky with the batch.
Feast Watson does some specialty stuff for timber that works well enough.
It does take forever to dry though especially in humid weather which can be an issue over the weather sometimes. Had a job once where it took four days to cure properly because of unexpected rain.
Supply problems that drive me crazy
One thing that really annoys me about exterior paints is getting them when you actually need them. Premium brands love to discontinue colours without warning, or require special orders for anything interesting.
Had a client last year who wanted this specific blue for there heritage cottage. Ordered it in March but it didn’t arrive until May, as you can probably guess the client wasn’t impressed with that delay and honestly neither was I. I ended up losing momentum on the whole project.
Regular suppliers often don’t stock much beyond basic whites and creams. End up having to deal with specialty stores that charge extra just because they can.
Price reality check
Look quality exterior paint costs serious money and if youre willing to fork it out then you know your quality will match the price.
Budget around $70-90 per litre for decent stuff, more for the really premium brands. Clients always get sticker shock but what’s the alternative? Repaint every three years with cheap rubbish?
Had one client try to negotiate paint costs down by 40%. Told him he could have cheap paint or long-lasting results, not both. He went with cheap option from Bunnings. Guess who called me 18 months later wanting a repaint quote?
Sometimes you just have to educate people about false economy. Though not everyone listens.
What actually matters for longevity
Surface prep is everything. Don’t care how expensive your paint is, if the surface isn’t prepared properly it’ll fail. I probably spend more time scraping and filling than actually painting.
Weather conditions during application matter more than most people realise. Painting in direct sun in the middle of summer or when its absolutely bucketing down – youre setting yourself up for failure.
But then again try explaining that to clients who want the job finished by Friday regardless of conditions! So I hear you and I feel you.
Two coats minimum, no exceptions. Manufacturers love to claim one-coat coverage but I’ve never seen it work properly in real conditions.
Oh, and primer. Don’t skip it even if the paint claims to be self-priming. Good primer is half the job done right.
I had a kitchen renovation disaster once where the client insisted we could skip primer on the cabinets – paint failure started showing within weeks and we ended up having to strip everything back and start over.
My honest take
Dulux WeatherShield or Taubmans Endure are safe bets for most residential work. Available everywhere, perform consistently, decent technical backup when things go wrong.
Haymes UltraPremium is worth the extra cost if clients want maximum durability. Self-cleaning properties are genuine – saves on maintenance long term.
Coastal properties need premium paints, no compromise. Salt air will destroy cheap paint faster than you’d believe, it’s a luxury living by the beach but luxuries come with a pricetag!
Anyway, that’s most of what I’ve learned about exterior paints over the years. Technology keeps improving but the basics haven’t changed much. Good prep, quality materials, proper application conditions. Get those right and most decent paints will perform adequately.
