Consumer Reports, Exterior Paints, Stains

Number one with a palette
A June 2005 article in Consumer Reports applied the magazine’s famed ranking system to exterior paints and stains.

California Paints’ Fres-Coat Velvet Flat paint ranked first among paints tested in the exterior paint category, followed by Glidden Endurance semigloss. Glidden’s Spred-Dura was the highest-ranked “glossier” paint.

As for exterior stains, the top spot was taken by Olympic Premium 596XX latex stain, followed by the Behr Plus 10 alkyd. Both are solids. The highest-rated semitransparent stain was Olympic Water Repellent 511XX, an alkyd.

The full report on exterior paints and stains is available at the Consumer Reports Web site or in the June 2005 print issue of the magazine.