Consumer Reports: Color your summer with CR’s top paint

INDIANAPOLIS (CONSUMER REPORTS) — If your summer projects involve a fresh coat of paint in or around your home, the expert testers at Consumer Reports and News 8 consumer anchor Jeremy Jenkins have you covered… pun intended! They’ve brushed and rolled on dozens of gallons from the top brands revealing which ones give you the most bang for your buck, and brush. 

Lilly Carrera from Consumer Reports explains CR’s testing process, “the amount of prep work that goes into it is a lot. We actually have to prep all the paint boards; we have to cut them to size and then we have to mark them off.” When the samples are ready, testers run exterior paints through a mildew resistance test. And of course, weathering — to see how well it stands up to the elements after years of exposure. These samples are left on CR’s roof for three years, which simulates nine years on a home. They’re tilted south to amplify the sun’s effects, then inspected for cracking, dirt collecting, and fading every year. 

If you’re planning an outdoor paint project CR recommends Behr Ultra Exterior Home Depot ($52 per gallon) and Clark + Kensington Exterior from Ace ($47 per gallon.)

For staining, CR’s top-rated Behr Premium Solid Color Waterproofing Stain & Sealer from Home Depot ($50 per gallon) resists fading, cracking, dirt, an...