The trim paint on my windows is gloss black. Some of the windows need the
trim to be repainted. The June issue of Consumer Reports has an article
that includes exterior paints. But the chart does not note whether the
paint is oil-based or water-based (aka acrylic). I assume all are
water-based. I have always thought that oil-based paints last longer.

I'm not concerned about the oil-based cleanup. I would simply buy a bunch
of Harbor Freight brushes and toss them out after each use.

Do oil-based paints last longer? Or are oil-based exterior paints no longer
made? If they are made, and they last longer, does any one have a
recommendation?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Fri, 15 May 2015 18:28:18 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

The trim paint on my windows is gloss black. Some of the windows need the
trim to be repainted. The June issue of Consumer Reports has an article
that includes exterior paints. But the chart does not note whether the
paint is oil-based or water-based (aka acrylic). I assume all are
water-based. I have always thought that oil-based paints last longer.

I'm not concerned about the oil-based cleanup. I would simply buy a bunch
of Harbor Freight brushes and toss them out after each use.

Do oil-based paints last longer? Or are oil-based exterior paints no longer
made? If they are made, and they last longer, does any one have a
recommendation?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).
A good 100% acrylic latex will outlast a "normal" alkyd paint. And
they DO make an "alkyd modified" acrylic for use on chalked alkyd
paints that sticks like snot.

Gloss black isn't the best choice for windows though ------

On Friday, May 15, 2015 at 6:28:28 PM UTC-4, Don Wiss wrote:
The trim paint on my windows is gloss black. Some of the windows need the
trim to be repainted. The June issue of Consumer Reports has an article
that includes exterior paints. But the chart does not note whether the
paint is oil-based or water-based (aka acrylic). I assume all are
water-based. I have always thought that oil-based paints last longer.

I'm not concerned about the oil-based cleanup. I would simply buy a bunch
of Harbor Freight brushes and toss them out after each use.

Do oil-based paints last longer? Or are oil-based exterior paints no longer
made? If they are made, and they last longer, does any one have a
recommendation?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

I haven't done any side by side comparison, but my impression is
that today's good, quality latex paints last as long as oil based.
I haven't used oil in years. Most recently used Benjamin Moore
and it's a great product. I think some folks believe oil has
advantages in certain situations, like maybe as a primer on certain
woods. But for previously painted surfaces, I'd use latex.

Also, any painting authority will tell you that the idea of using
a cheap, disposable brush, is a bad one, regardless of oil or latex.
Those cheap brushes leave brush marks, the bristles fall out into
the paint, they don't hold paint well... They are a real mess.
I'd use them to slop some coating on something where it doesn't matter
what it looks like or where it's some substance that can't be readily
cleaned from a good brush, but never for something like a window.
If you want to use oil, get a quality brush and clean it with mineral
spirits.

On Fri, 15 May 2015 20:00:36 -0400, wrote:

Gloss black isn't the best choice for windows though ------

I presume you are referring to the color, and not the gloss part. I have no
choice. I am landmarked and I have to paint the window trim black. It goes
best with the brownstone facade. One neighbor has brown, but I would have
to apply to landmarks to change the color. And since 99% of brownstones
have black window trim, I want to stick with black.

As for gloss, for acrylic paints it is generally semi-gloss. Full gloss is
not that common with acrylic.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Fri, 15 May 2015 20:42:18 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 20:00:36 -0400, wrote:

Gloss black isn't the best choice for windows though ------

I presume you are referring to the color, and not the gloss part. I have no
choice. I am landmarked and I have to paint the window trim black. It goes
best with the brownstone facade. One neighbor has brown, but I would have
to apply to landmarks to change the color. And since 99% of brownstones
have black window trim, I want to stick with black.

As for gloss, for acrylic paints it is generally semi-gloss. Full gloss is
not that common with acrylic.


Lots of good high gloss latex paints, and other water-born high gloss
paints too (water born urethanes like virtually ALL new cars, for
instance)
Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

First, the last time I read CR on paint was probably
10 years ago and even then they only reviewed
acrylic paint. Their assessments should be taken with
a grain of salt. In order to assign ratings they cook
up categories for testing somewhat willy nilly, rating
products for largely irrelevant things like "ease of
cleanup" or "spreadability". The main factors are
coverage, settling and durability. And CR can't really
test for durability.

It's a tricky issue. Oil is better for exterior,
especially for horizontal surfaces like window
sills. Acrylic paint simply doesn't resist moisture.
Many painters will tell you acrylic is the way to
go because the pressure is on to convert to
water-base, and because water base is easier
to work with. Probably many younger painters
don't even know how to work with oil paint
because they've never needed to.

Though oil is better, oil paints have been generally
downgraded to meet EPA requirements and to save
money. At the same time, acrylic paints have improved.
But the technology simply hasn't kept up with the EPA
restrictions. * There are no current paints that compare
to the quality of what was available 10+ years ago. *

I still have some old Benjamin Moore oil house paint
that I use for things that need to really last. For ground
level trim I'm now using Cabot's oil stain. But the Cabot's
is not what it used to be, and other companies are
no longer making solid oil stain. (I know you're talking
about gloss, but gloss this year is flat 2 years later
on exterior.

B Moore and Sherwin Williams both have exterior oil
that I've used. BM version is called DTM. (Direct to
metal.) They can only sell it in quarts and apparently
have to say it's for metal, but I use it on wood. I
haven't seen the longterm results for either of the
newer oil paints, so I'm not sure what to think. And
I'm not sure if either comes in high gloss. I've only
used the satin.

If you want a tough, slick, high gloss finish the best
might be B Moore urethane reinforced oil. It's typically
used on exterior floors, but should be OK for trim. If
you can find oil base high gloss Impervo that's very
good, but it's being phased out.

If you go with acrylic it won't be as tough and you
can't get the same handsome sheen because it
doesn't settle down as flat as oil. The film is porous.
But if you prime or spot-prime first with linseed oil
primer you should end up with a reasonably durable
finish. (Linseed oil primer is important because it's
the only type that will really soak in to the wood,
which is really the main point of a primer.

Sorry to go on so long with such uncertain conclusions.
It's just the state of the market. I've been doing painting
commercially in my work since 1980. (I do some painting
work and a lot of renovation/building work on which I also
do the painting.) I used to have clear answers to questions
like yours, but there just isn't a best answer anymore.

Last week I was trying to hunt down solid oil deck stain
for my own deck. It's had Cabot's stain for many years.
I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the Cabots. Acrylic deck
stain is a bad joke, wearing away in less than one season.
Urethane reinforced deck paint is good, but when it peels
the scraping is hard work. Then there are new "high tech"
products which may be good.... but who wants to be a
guinea pig? That same dilemma also applies with exterior
house paint and interior trim paint. The best options just
aren't sold anymore.

If you want a really nice look I'd go with the urethane
reinforced oil. If you're happy with a decent finish the
acrylic will be fine and should hold up OK on vertical
trim that doesn't get too much weather exposure. Just
don't buy junk like Glidden or the stuff you can get at
Home Depot. I've used B Moore for years. Then I
switched to Pratt and Lambert, as BM has been going
downhill. P&L is consistently very good, but Sherwin
Williams bought them and now I can't get P&L. I'm
currently using mostly Sherwin Williams, with somewhat
mixed feelings. Any of those 3 brands should be good
enough.

With the black color: That's a matter of taste, but
personally I think there's nothing more elegant than
a very glossy and very smooth black finish. If it
were me I'd be happy to stick with that.

Also, a note on cleanup: If you get a decent polyester/
nylon brush and leave it soaking in thinner, then also
buy a spinner to spin it dry before use, you can go for
weeks or even months with the same brush. You don't
need to buy lots of junky brushes and throw them out.
I just keep one acrylic and one oil brush, both soaking
in paint cans inside 5 gallon compound buckets. By
leaving them soaking and using a spinner I never need
to actually clean a brush, yet I always have a high
quality brush ready to use. Just don't use bristle that
way. It will quickly stiffen in the thinner bath.

On Fri, 15 May 2015 21:25:55 -0400, wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 20:42:18 -0400, Don Wiss wrote:
As for gloss, for acrylic paints it is generally semi-gloss. Full gloss is
not that common with acrylic.

Lots of good high gloss latex paints, and other water-born high gloss
paints too (water born urethanes like virtually ALL new cars, for
instance)

I was referring to what is available in acrylic exterior house paint. That
is what this thread is about.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Fri, 15 May 2015, trader_4 wrote:

Also, any painting authority will tell you that the idea of using
a cheap, disposable brush, is a bad one, regardless of oil or latex.
Those cheap brushes leave brush marks, the bristles fall out into
the paint, they don't hold paint well... They are a real mess.

The window trim we are planning to paint is on the 3rd and 4th floors
front, and some of the southwest facing back. The lower floors in the front
don't get much sun. They are okay for now. No one is going to be able to
see any brush marks or stuck-in-the-paint bristles on the 3rd and 4th
floors. Nor in the back.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Fri, 15 May 2015 21:38:54 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 21:25:55 -0400, wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015 20:42:18 -0400, Don Wiss wrote:
As for gloss, for acrylic paints it is generally semi-gloss. Full gloss is
not that common with acrylic.

Lots of good high gloss latex paints, and other water-born high gloss
paints too (water born urethanes like virtually ALL new cars, for
instance)

I was referring to what is available in acrylic exterior house paint. That
is what this thread is about.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).
So was I when I said good high gloss latex paints.
Sherwin Williams A100 gloss exterior latex.
Sherwin Williams SuperPaint
Benjamin Moore Impervex Latex High Gloss latex paint.
Dulux Weatherguard Gloss exterior latex.
or for your particular project, Beauti-tone Signature Gloss Black
Latex (available only in Canada or St P{ierre and Miquelon, (France)
at Home Hardware)
CIL Allure high gloss exterior latex.
Behr Premium Plus high gloss interior/exterior enamel (yes, it is
water thinned).
ValSpar Ultra Premium High Gloss
Dunn Edwards Versa-Gloss
PPG Regency interior/exterior Latex Gloss (65XX)
PPG Wondersheild exterior gloss
BLP SmoothKote
Sherwin Williams Resiliance

On Fri, 15 May 2015 21:51:21 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Fri, 15 May 2015, trader_4 wrote:

Also, any painting authority will tell you that the idea of using
a cheap, disposable brush, is a bad one, regardless of oil or latex.
Those cheap brushes leave brush marks, the bristles fall out into
the paint, they don't hold paint well... They are a real mess.

The window trim we are planning to paint is on the 3rd and 4th floors
front, and some of the southwest facing back. The lower floors in the front
don't get much sun. They are okay for now. No one is going to be able to
see any brush marks or stuck-in-the-paint bristles on the 3rd and 4th
floors. Nor in the back.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).
Surprising how good some of the cheap brushes on the market today are
- and how cheap some good brushes are. I've done a lot of painting in
the house recently using "low priced" brushes (less than $3 canadian
each) and have not lost a single bristle, and the finish has been
SUPERB - using water based paint, stain, and clear finishes.

On Fri, 15 May 2015 23:11:03 -0400, wrote:

Surprising how good some of the cheap brushes on the market today are
- and how cheap some good brushes are. I've done a lot of painting in
the house recently using "low priced" brushes (less than $3 canadian
each) and have not lost a single bristle, and the finish has been
SUPERB - using water based paint, stain, and clear finishes.

Last year Harbor Frieght was very generous in distributing coupons for a
free item with no purchase necessary. I was making the three mile round
trip by bicycle (good exercise -- with a purpose) and picking up an item
per day. I had lots of gifts to give away.

Now the coupons require a purchase. Plus there are always the 20% off
coupons. So I can now buy one brush a day. After discount, and including
sales tax, this one costs me $1.73, with the free gift:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-1-2-h...ush-67008.html

I see now they are only recommending it for latex and acrylic paints. ??

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Friday, May 15, 2015 at 9:51:31 PM UTC-4, Don Wiss wrote:
On Fri, 15 May 2015, trader_4 wrote:

Also, any painting authority will tell you that the idea of using
a cheap, disposable brush, is a bad one, regardless of oil or latex.
Those cheap brushes leave brush marks, the bristles fall out into
the paint, they don't hold paint well... They are a real mess.

The window trim we are planning to paint is on the 3rd and 4th floors
front, and some of the southwest facing back. The lower floors in the front
don't get much sun. They are okay for now. No one is going to be able to
see any brush marks or stuck-in-the-paint bristles on the 3rd and 4th
floors. Nor in the back.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Your job, your brush. But I think it's odd that someone
concerned about today's latex paints not being good enough thinks
using a cheap throwaway brush for window trim is a good idea.

On Sat, 16 May 2015, trader_4 wrote:

On Friday, May 15, 2015 at 9:51:31 PM UTC-4, Don Wiss wrote:
The window trim we are planning to paint is on the 3rd and 4th floors
front, and some of the southwest facing back. The lower floors in the front
don't get much sun. They are okay for now. No one is going to be able to
see any brush marks or stuck-in-the-paint bristles on the 3rd and 4th
floors. Nor in the back.

Your job, your brush. But I think it's odd that someone
concerned about today's latex paints not being good enough thinks
using a cheap throwaway brush for window trim is a good idea.

I don't see this. I am looking for the paint that will last the longest.
The longer I can go between paintings the more money I save. The point of
disposable brushes -- for oil-based only -- is also to save money. I pay
for my painter's time. It takes time to clean oil-based paint out of a
brush. That time would cost me more than a $1.73 brush.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

| I am looking for the paint that will last the longest.
.....
|I pay for my painter's time. It takes time to clean oil-based paint out of
a
| brush. That time would cost me more than a $1.73 brush.

It sounds like you don't have a skilled painter
and you want the job as cheap as possible. You
don't even want to know anything about how
to paint. You just want to have an unskilled,
underpaid lackey slap on some amazing product
and thereby get the best job. Your strategy
is common, but not promising.

While there are differences in paints, the biggest
factor will be preparation and adequate caulking/glazing.
(If you put on high quality acrylic but don't caulk
cracks then the wood will get wet and the paint
will peel off. If you don't sand and wash the existing
paint then the new paint won't stick well.)
The wood can also matter: Old trim that's been
weathered won't hold paint well....

But you don't want to bother with any of that. So
buying good paint would probably be a waste of money.

If it's high up and done infrequently, and the old
paint is oil, I'd be tempted to use black oil paint
mixed with thinner and boiled linseed oil. I use that
as a thin blend on rusty iron railings and it holds up
beautifully. (Maybe 30% linseed oil and enough
thinner to make it thin so that it will soak in.)
That will soak in well and the linseed oil cures
to a gummy, protective layer. Linseed oil is what's
used to seal wood gutters and used to be used for
fir decking on porches and stairs. It's also the main
ingredient in traditional house paints. (Years ago
black paint would have been linseed oil, coal
dust and drier.)

Putting it on trim will be a bit drippy and won't provide
a smooth, elegant film, but at 3 floors up that won't
matter. And if you use gloss oil you'll still get the
gloss with this mix. Boiled linseed oil dries with a
semi-gloss type sheen and mixed with gloss paint
will dry with a gloss sheen. If you put on two coats it
should last a very long time -- no priming needed.

You can try a little first to see what you think.
And best of all, it's cheap.

On Sat, 16 May 2015, Mayayana wrote:

| I am looking for the paint that will last the longest.
....
|I pay for my painter's time. It takes time to clean oil-based paint out of a
| brush. That time would cost me more than a $1.73 brush.

It sounds like you don't have a skilled painter
and you want the job as cheap as possible. You
don't even want to know anything about how
to paint. You just want to have an unskilled,
underpaid lackey slap on some amazing product
and thereby get the best job. Your strategy
is common, but not promising.

My painter has decades of experience. He is very experienced in plaster
work, as the houses around here have real plaster walls. He doesn't do as
much outside painting.

While there are differences in paints, the biggest
factor will be preparation and adequate caulking/glazing.
(If you put on high quality acrylic but don't caulk
cracks then the wood will get wet and the paint
will peel off. If you don't sand and wash the existing
paint then the new paint won't stick well.)
The wood can also matter: Old trim that's been
weathered won't hold paint well....

But you don't want to bother with any of that. So
buying good paint would probably be a waste of money.

The wood is not weathered. The windows are only 10 years old. This would be
only the second painting for the ones in front. The sills, where there is a
little weathering, he would sand. Remember my painter has decades of
experience.

Some in the back (the sunny side) already have had a second painting. They
may not be repainted this go round. It will be a window by window thing.

Some of the back were repainted with Impervo. I had a different painter
then (the boss of the fellow I now hire directly). When the windows were
new, the fellow I hired supposedly painted a primer and two coats of black
oil-based paint. Looking at the job he did I can't believe he actually
painted that many coats. Unless he thinned it a lot.

That painter 10 years ago was one recommended by the window people. I
caught him not filling in the nail holes. I asked him to do so. He did not.
He said it wasn't necessary. I had to replace one of the back windows. The
nail rusted and broke and the molding popped out. This time my painter will
be sure to fill in the nail holes.

If it's high up and done infrequently, and the old
paint is oil, I'd be tempted to use black oil paint
mixed with thinner and boiled linseed oil. I use that
as a thin blend on rusty iron railings and it holds up
beautifully. (Maybe 30% linseed oil and enough
thinner to make it thin so that it will soak in.)
That will soak in well and the linseed oil cures
to a gummy, protective layer. Linseed oil is what's
used to seal wood gutters and used to be used for
fir decking on porches and stairs. It's also the main
ingredient in traditional house paints. (Years ago
black paint would have been linseed oil, coal
dust and drier.)

Maybe that was what was done 10 years ago. Or he thinned it with something.

Looking at the front windows (the shady side) up on the top floor they do
get some sun. And really it is only the sills that have paint cracking and
peeling.

Putting it on trim will be a bit drippy and won't provide
a smooth, elegant film, but at 3 floors up that won't
matter. And if you use gloss oil you'll still get the
gloss with this mix. Boiled linseed oil dries with a
semi-gloss type sheen and mixed with gloss paint
will dry with a gloss sheen. If you put on two coats it
should last a very long time -- no priming needed.

You can try a little first to see what you think.
And best of all, it's cheap.

Labor is the cost. Not the paint so much.

You have some good ideas. My painter (and handyman) has other things to do
here on Monday. So I will be able to discuss this with him then.

More important is finishing the sealer on the wood fence, and scraping and
painting the iron stairs in the back. This as that is the tenant's space,
and we want to get it all as nice as possible before they go all out and
use it during the Summer.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Sat, 16 May 2015 12:56:24 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Sat, 16 May 2015, Mayayana wrote:

| I am looking for the paint that will last the longest.
....
|I pay for my painter's time. It takes time to clean oil-based paint out of a
| brush. That time would cost me more than a $1.73 brush.

It sounds like you don't have a skilled painter
and you want the job as cheap as possible. You
don't even want to know anything about how
to paint. You just want to have an unskilled,
underpaid lackey slap on some amazing product
and thereby get the best job. Your strategy
is common, but not promising.

My painter has decades of experience. He is very experienced in plaster
work, as the houses around here have real plaster walls. He doesn't do as
much outside painting.


Then he has his own brushes, so why talk about brushes?
The only times I've used cheap brushes is for touch ups.
Or varnishing or painting unplaced wordwork on sawhorses, even foam
works fine. Good paint self levels unless you've screwed it up.
Talking about the time to clean brushes (inconsequential) misses the
point. How a good brush loads up and applies the paint is where the
time is saved.

On Saturday, May 16, 2015 at 4:01:47 PM UTC-4, Vic Smith wrote:
On Sat, 16 May 2015 12:56:24 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Sat, 16 May 2015, Mayayana wrote:

| I am looking for the paint that will last the longest.
....
|I pay for my painter's time. It takes time to clean oil-based paint out of a
| brush. That time would cost me more than a $1.73 brush.

It sounds like you don't have a skilled painter
and you want the job as cheap as possible. You
don't even want to know anything about how
to paint. You just want to have an unskilled,
underpaid lackey slap on some amazing product
and thereby get the best job. Your strategy
is common, but not promising.

My painter has decades of experience. He is very experienced in plaster
work, as the houses around here have real plaster walls. He doesn't do as
much outside painting.


Then he has his own brushes, so why talk about brushes?
The only times I've used cheap brushes is for touch ups.
Or varnishing or painting unplaced wordwork on sawhorses, even foam
works fine. Good paint self levels unless you've screwed it up.
Talking about the time to clean brushes (inconsequential) misses the
point. How a good brush loads up and applies the paint is where the
time is saved.

Add in the time wasted trying to cut a decent straight line
with a $1 brush or when some of the bristles go rogue, stick out
and leave paint on the wrong surface, instead of the one
it's supposed to go on, etc. Or paint drips from it and lands
somewhere that has to be cleaned up, redone, etc.

Have to agree, I was mystified too when he dragged a painter into
it. Any real painter, I've never had to provide brushes, nor would
any pro painter I know accept a cheap HF brush. They have their
own brushes that they know and trust. But then it's his job, his rules.

On Sat, 16 May 2015, Vic Smith wrote:

On Sat, 16 May 2015 12:56:24 -0400, Don Wiss wrote:
My painter has decades of experience. He is very experienced in plaster
work, as the houses around here have real plaster walls. He doesn't do as
much outside painting.

Then he has his own brushes, so why talk about brushes?
The only times I've used cheap brushes is for touch ups.
Or varnishing or painting unplaced wordwork on sawhorses, even foam
works fine. Good paint self levels unless you've screwed it up.
Talking about the time to clean brushes (inconsequential) misses the
point. How a good brush loads up and applies the paint is where the
time is saved.

He has his own brushes. He doesn't want to use them on oil-based paint. As
I wrote, he works interior. No one around here uses oil-based paint in the
interior. And many of the houses here have unpainted woodwork. So he is
mostly restoring plaster. These 120 year old houses settle and the walls
get cracked.

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

| He has his own brushes. He doesn't want to use them on oil-based paint. As
| I wrote, he works interior. No one around here uses oil-based paint in the
| interior. And many of the houses here have unpainted woodwork. So he is
| mostly restoring plaster. These 120 year old houses settle and the walls
| get cracked.
|

Vic Smith makes a good point. Anyone with decades
of experience should know what he's doing -- in or out,
acrylic or oil. Patching failing plaster is a very minor
skill that most painters know. It' not a trade. It sounds
like your helper is either not very bright or is a plasterer
(doing new walls with blueboard) who occasionally does
other odd jobs.

It's up to you if you want to use unskilled workers
and try to plan the job yourself, in order to save money,
but I don't see why you're representing your worker as
an "old master". However many years he's been working,
he's clearly not very skilled. If he were you wouldn't be
here asking for advice because he would never agree to
do the work according to what you were told by a bunch
of wiseacres online. Nor would he agree to be your
employee by the hour, which seems to be the arrangement.

A separate note: If you have your mind set on using junk
brushes you can make that more efficient by freezing them
overnight. I usually do that with any rollers or junk brushes
I'm using and don't intend to clean. Oil in the freezer. Acrylic
in the fridge. Acrylic rollers will last for days, at least, so
that I can use just one for each wall color and keep it for
the duration of a job. Oil rollers and junk brushes in the freezer
will last for weeks. In both cases I just wrap them in aluminum
foil or put them in a plastic bag.

On Fri, 15 May 2015 18:28:18 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

The trim paint on my windows is gloss black. Some of the windows need the
trim to be repainted. The June issue of Consumer Reports has an article
that includes exterior paints. But the chart does not note whether the
paint is oil-based or water-based (aka acrylic). I assume all are
water-based. I have always thought that oil-based paints last longer.

I'm not concerned about the oil-based cleanup. I would simply buy a bunch
of Harbor Freight brushes and toss them out after each use.

Do oil-based paints last longer? Or are oil-based exterior paints no longer
made? If they are made, and they last longer, does any one have a
recommendation?

Don. www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


I just retired from over 50 years of doing this crap. I'd start by
giving all the black surfaces a light sanding to put some tooth on
them. Then prime with an agressive oilbase primer in black or as deep
a grey as possible if the current coating is OB. Otherwise, use an
acrylic primer. Then I'd top coat with a black acrylic latex in semi
or high gloss as desired. The EPA has pretty much regulated OB
exterior paint into a real second rated product, so unless you have a
burning desire to use oil I'd pass on it.