A lot of updates to paint in the last few years. They have paints that claim to have the primer in them. Otherwise I’d Prime first. Two coats total either way.
Home Depot paint has been rated very highly by Consumer Reports. I’d stick with that.
An airless sprayer is definitely the way to go. I’d rent one for the job. You can do 500’ in an hour or two. If it’s a nice day you can nearly start the second coat when you finish the first.
Here’s Consumer Reports current 3/19 top 5 exterior paints-
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Interesting. I used to love Behr paint and bought it almost exclusively. But then the government got involved and it became something that I struggled with to the point that I tell my clients that it's not a good choice. Some still want to use it and I adjust my bid to factor in the additional time it will take to do the job. Same as if they want to use Olympic or Walmart paint. With enough time, it will come out looking good, it just takes more time.
I really like Consumer Reports on things that I don't know anything about, like TV's. I bought me LG oled TV based on their reviews. After reading what they said, I went to the store and looked at as many TV's as I could find, which convinced me that the LG had the best picture out there. More money, but we really like that TV.
I used Behr a couple times last year on interior jobs. Mostly trim, and it's horrible. I just don't understand this review by Consumer Reports.
The paint with primer marketing campaign came out right after the government forced them to reformulate their paints. Lots of people fell for it, but all it accomplished is people buying more paint to do the job then if they had primed first, and then painted. Primer makes a huge difference in how much paint you have to apply to get an even finish. $20 Zinnsser compared to a $45 interior paint saves you $25 per gallon needed on paint.
A custom car painting buddy once told me that the best primer is the original paint. There is no reason to sand the paint down to the metal if the original paint is still good. Same thing applies to houses and fences. Where the paint is still good, just sand it smooth and leave it there. It's working!!!! Prime bare wood, bare sheetrock, and dark colors. Never buy Kilz, it's pure junk. For the same money, Zinnsser is night and day better. For exterior projects, and wood fences, I would go to Sherwin Williams and buy their specialty primer designed for outdoor wood. That's as good as it gets!!!
