New Lifetime Exterior Paint Products at Home Shows
When you visit a home show, you’ll often see many new “Lifetime Paint Companies” pop up with catchy names like Gorilla Coat, Turtle Coat, Armadillo Coat, Dog Coat, Shark Coat or any other “Random Animal” Coat. These companies usually don’t last long, often surviving only a year or two if they’re lucky. They introduce mysterious products that leave customers wondering what they’ll get. Despite their promises of lifetime transferable warranties, their lack of experience and short business history make it hard for them to back up these claims.
What to Look for When Hiring a Lifetime Exterior Paint Company?
- Physical Business Location: Make sure they have an office you can visit.
- BBB Membership: Check if they’re members of the Better Business Bureau.
- Local Business License: Verify they have a local business license.
- Insurance: Confirm they have insurance.
- Product Data Sheet: Ask for the product data sheet.
- Product Verification: Ensure the product you’re purchasing is on-site by checking the labels.
- Research: Google the company name followed by “reviews” or “lawsuits” and look beyond the first page of results.
Avoid companies operating out of an apartment or home. A legitimate coating business should have a warehouse for storing, tinting, and preparing coatings before sending them to job sites. If a company relies on local big box stores or paint shops, they’re not using a specialized coating system for your property.
The Reality of Bargain Lifetime Exterior Paint Companies
Most discount coating companies at home shows or in local coupon books are just selling standard acrylic paint. Modern paints are usually designed to last 3 to 5 years because manufacturers want repeat business. Just because you call a paint a coating it doesn’t make it last longer. You can call your Prius a Porsche, but it won’t go any faster. You can’t take a person working out of the back of their truck too serious when they tell you about their lifetime paint warranty.
Are Lifetime Paints Worth the Money?
The value of permanent coatings or lifetime paints depends on the contractor and the product they use. Important factors include:
- Preparation: Proper preparation is key.
- Proven Experience: Choose companies with a proven track record.
- Product History: Make sure the product has a successful history.
Be careful about being one of the first projects the new local “Armadillo Coating” dealer does.
Home Shield Coating® Warranty Explained
What’s the Difference Between Home Shield Coating®, Tex Cote and Rhino Shield?
Everything! -different products and different warranties. Let’s compare our warranty to Tex-Cote and Rhino Shield. We have nothing to hide and are happy to explain our warranty and our competitors’ warranties as well. We’re so confident in our experience, product, application methods, and warranty. That we encourage you to schedule an estimate with both Tex-Cote and Rhino Shield as well.
Home Shield Coating’s Best in Class Warranty
Home Shield Coating® has been the premier permanent wall coating company in the industry since 1999. We started coating homes in Chicago, IL where our product has been put up against the harshest of weather conditions. Home Shield Coating® is 17 times thicker than paint, making it an ideal defensive wall coating that protects exterior walls from Mother Nature’s harsh weather conditions.
Our coating is a two-part, three-coat permanent coating system that includes:
- Part A: Bonding Agent Primer (Pink Primer)
- Part B: HSC Topcoat, available in any color of your choice
Home Shield Coating® offers a 30-Year Combined Warranty:
- First 10 Years: Covers Labor and Material
- After 10 Years: 20-Year Material Warranty
Home Shield Coating® is the only company in the industry offering a 10-Year Labor Guarantee, showing our commitment to customer satisfaction and confidence in our products. We’re the company you hire when you want it done right the first time.
Home Shield Coating®: Why Decades of Experience and Proven Durability Matter!
Protect Your Home for Decades with Home Shield Coating®
Home Shield Coating® is the longest-lasting, commercial-grade permanent exterior wall coating system available today. Our customer reviews and best in class warranty speaks for itself. Home Shield Coating® was designed to be a durable, money-saving alternative to traditional exterior house paint, which typically needs to be redone every 3 to 5 years.
The application process for Home Shield Coating® includes 11 detailed steps and involves three coats. First, a surface-penetrating Bonding Agent Pink Primer is applied. This is followed by two coats of our Home Shield Coating® topcoat, available in any color of your choice.
Our coating is 17 times thicker than standard paint and lasts six times longer. It’s engineered to be durable, flexible, and breathable, making it ideal for protecting your property from the elements. Best of all, it comes with the assurance and peace of mind of a 30-Year Transferable Warranty.
Tex Cote Paint Warranty Explained
Tex-Cote’s Lifetime Warranty What It Really Means
Tex-Cote manufactures and sells a product called Coolwall through their dealer network. They offer a lifetime warranty on the product but exclude labor. Tex-Cote is upfront about this labor exclusion. The fact that they exclude labor doesn’t mean their coating doesn’t work or is inferior. Tex-Cote has been around for a long time and has contributed a lot to the coating industry. With Tex-Cote, it’s all about the dealer’s expertise. If you have a local dealer who knows what they’re doing, you can expect a long-lasting exterior finish that will look great for decades. Avoid dealers with less than five years experience. Google Tex-Cote Paint Reviews to get an idea of the quality of work your local dealer does.
Why is Tex-Cote Dealer Experience Important
Hiring a new coating dealer with no experience can lead to poor results. The new local Tex-Cote dealer, AWA Coatings LLC in Orlando, FL, was so impressed with our before-and-after pictures that he not only used one on his website but also decided to clone our entire website design. He claims to be a veteran and to have been in business since 1961. Yet, despite these assertions, he doesn’t have any before-and-after pictures of his own work from that time. The truth is, he has been in business for only one year and has no experience in the coating industry. Most new coating dealers will fail within 3 years or less.
We have a copy of the letter our attorney sent him, along with screenshots of his cloned website, which features a cedar house we coated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, displayed as part of his website in Orlando, FL. Unfortunately, not all veterans are honorable; this dealer is off to a bad start. What he did is extremely shady and reflects poor judgment. We would never claim someone else’s work as our own.
They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and while we appreciate the compliment, we feel that AWA Coatings LLC took it a bit too far. We wish them the very best; it’s truly unfortunate that they had to meet one of our attorneys in their first year in business.
Rhino Shield Paint Warranty Explained
Rhino Shield’s 25-Year Warranty: What It Really Means
Rhino Shield started in Indiana and was incorporated in Florida in December 2001. They sell and distribute Rhino Shield, a product private labeled for them by Nationwide through their dealer network. Rhino Shield offers a 25-year warranty but covers labor for one year. Rhino Shield has upset quite a few customers because they weren’t aware of the 1-Year Labor Warranty. All of their marketing claims to offer a 25-Year Warranty. One customer contacted the local news in Orlando, FL, after the local Rhino Shield dealer went out of business.
Rhino Shield’s One-Year Labor Warranty
According to the investigative news report above, the responsibility for covering warranty claims falls on the local dealers, not corporate, who may no longer be in business. New dealers are not responsible for the warranty claims of previous dealers. The new dealer can start fresh, turning problems into new income opportunities. Unfortunately, this has happened in several markets across the country. The Rhino Shield office in Milwaukee, WI, has had three different owners. Due to the amount of turnover, new Rhino Shield dealers should be avoided for at least five years.
Rhino Shield’s New Dealers Offer “Special Warranties”
New dealers often offer potential customers a “whatever they need to hear to write a check” warranty, but previous customers are stuck with a 1-year labor warranty. They blame problems and online complaints on the previous owner (dealer) and promise to make things right. They talk about their third-party testing and provide customers with their ASTM test results, which nobody cares about or understands. They spend money marketing Rhino Shield only to receive more service calls than new customers, and they soon find themselves going out of business.
Rhino Shield’s Unhappy Customers
Rhino Shield Problems: Customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Louisiana, California, Florida and several other states are upset to the point they were calling for a class action lawsuit. Performing a quick Google search using the phrase “Rhino Shield Class Action Lawsuit“ will make for some pretty interesting reading.
At Home Shield Coating®, we’ve had to make it crystal clear to people that we have absolutely nothing to do with Rhino Shield our products, processes, and business models are entirely different. The only similarity is the word “Shield” in our names.
Every business in the country will have some unhappy customers because it’s impossible to make everyone happy. What’s important is how you deal with customers when they have an issue. If you’re exploring your options with Rhino Shield, we recommend Googling “Rhino Shield Reviews” to see how your local dealer measures up.
Lifetime Paint Common Questions & Answers
How Much Should a Lifetime Paint (Permanent Wall Coating System) Cost?
A good quality lifetime paint—also known as a permanent wall coating system—should cost between $5.50 to $8.50 per square foot, depending on the material being coated and the complexity of the job. If you’re being quoted more than this range, you may be experiencing price gouging and should consider getting additional bids. In some markets, we’ve seen extreme overpricing from certain contractors.
How Much Does Tex Cote Paint Cost?
We’ve seen Tex Cote Paint priced between $6.50 to $11.50 per square foot.
How Much Does Rhino Shield Paint Cost?
We’ve seen Rhino Shield Paint priced between $6.50 to $12.50 per square foot.
If a Coating Contractor Is Part of a Dealer Network and Goes Out of Business, Who Backs the Warranty?
Short answer: Not corporate. If the dealer closes or changes ownership, there’s a real possibility that your warranty could become void.
Is Fading Covered by an Exterior Wall Coating Warranty?
No. Most coatings are fade-resistant, not fade-proof.
How Much Should Rhino Shield or Tex Cote Paint Cost Per Square Foot?
A high-quality professional exterior paint job should cost between $3.50 to $4.75 per square foot.
By comparison, a permanent wall coating system like Rhino Shield or Tex Cote typically ranges from $6.50 to $12.50 per square foot.
If you’re being quoted more than $8.50 per square foot, you’re overpaying. Some coating companies are known to inflate pricing—sometimes adding 30% and then offering a 30% “discount” if you commit to buying the same day. This tactic traces back to old Sears siding sales techniques.
Pro Tip:
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Get multiple quotes
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Read the warranty carefully
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Know your property’s square footage
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Ask directly how much you’re paying per square foot
Do I Have to Keep the Same Color Forever?
No. Changing colors later is simple and affordable.
Do Ceramic Wall Coatings Provide R-Value?
Not exactly. While ceramic particles in coatings can reduce exterior wall temperatures, they do not provide a measurable R-Value. The actual R-Value of your walls depends on factors like insulation type, wall structure, and the year your property was built.
Disclaimer: This blog is intended for warranty comparison purposes only. All product and company names mentioned are registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Their use does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by these entities. TEX•COTE® is a registered trademark of Textured Coatings of America, Inc. RHINO SHIELD® is a registered trademark of AmCoat Industrials LLC. We recommend that consumers obtain at least three estimates before making a decision. Exploring exterior permanent wall coatings can be a valuable investment if you ask the right questions and select a reputable company. If you plan to own a property for more than three years, investing in a high-quality coating system installed by a trusted company is a smart choice and can provide a strong return on investment. To learn more about exterior wall coatings, schedule an estimate today!
