Started in 1987, Fine Paints of Europe provides the finest paints and personalized service to discriminating homeowners, paint professionals, and the architectural and design community. Since my father’s passing in June of 2012, I’ve been proudly serving as the new President of Fine Paints of Europe.
Premium paints sold in the EU are formulated with pride to comply with strict, self-imposed industry standards assuring maximum beauty and longevity – the longevity is a direct result of the beauty. By contrast, domestic paint manufacturers are primarily focused on producing paints of modest quality for a hypothetical American family which now moves every forty seven months! In the absence of performance standards, domestic paint manufacturers freely utilize inexpensive fillers and extenders aware that as long as they forego the use of lead and mercury they can put what they want in the can. The American paint marketplace is currently saturated with impermanent and mediocre coatings. We paint our fords and chevys with paints that cost $300 per gallon, we paint our yachts, rowboats and canoes with paint that costs $100 per gallon yet the average gallon of paint used on an American home in 2009 cost less than $20 and begin failing in less than twenty four months.
In the United States today, over eighty percent of the paints intended for consumer use are sold through discount stores and mass merchandisers. The orientation of these outlets is toward offering low prices, a fact reflected in the formulations sold at a typical “big box” and the quality of service offered. Although some domestic brands are “positioned” to create the illusion of higher quality, there is in fact little difference in the formulation of budget and most premium domestic brands. The inordinately high percentage of chalk fillers combined with universal colorants compromise the integrity of domestic paints. We take note of the cynical guarantees offered by some manufacturers. Of what value is a partial refund or replacement of paint when eighty-five percent of the cost of painting is your investment in labor, always excluded in the fine print?
