Why does nobody mention that cheap paint hides like garbage

I read a post from a pro painter saying you need at least 400 square feet per gallon with premium paint, and cheaper brands barely cover 200. That hit me because I just repainted my living room with a $18 gallon from Home Depot and it took 4 coats to even look decent. Cost me more in time and extra paint than just buying the good stuff upfront. Even with the $12 savings per gallon, I wasted 3 extra hours of work. Has anyone else had to do 3 or 4 coats with budget paint and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

graydavis12d ago

Four coats sounds like a win to me, you got way more mileage out of that cheap paint than you would have with the expensive stuff. That extra labor is just time you could have spent watching a movie or something while the paint dries, and now your walls have way more protection from that extra buildup. You think premium paint is actually saving you money when really you're paying a premium for thinner coverage that'll show every little scuff mark after six months. That Behr Marquee stuff costs twice as much and covers in one coat, sure, but what about the next time you want to change colors or patch a hole? You'll be fighting that thick layer for years.

king.aaron4d ago

Can't believe you spent 6 hours on touch ups with cheap paint. That's brutal.

fiona_murphy12d ago

Home Depot's $18 Behr Marquee is actually decent for one coat but anything cheaper than that is basically tinted water lol. The real kicker is that cheap paint uses more titanium dioxide in the solids which sounds good but actually makes it chalky and hard to level out. Spent 6 hours doing touch ups on a small bedroom with the cheap stuff before I learned my lesson.