The best paint for a commercial exterior is 100% acrylic latex. It holds up to sun, rain, and hot-to-cold swings better than other paint types. It also keeps its color longer under the wear a business building takes on.
Sherwin-Williams A-100 Exterior Latex is one common example. It covers well, needs only two coats on most jobs, and does not crack or fade under heat, cold, or repeat rain.
Why This Paint Has to Work Harder
A business building takes more abuse than a house. Loading docks, parking lot traffic, sprinkler spray, and constant public view all add up over time.
The paint is also the face of the business. A coat that fades or peels within a year or two costs money to fix, and it looks bad to every customer who walks by in the meantime.
That is why commercial exterior painting needs a tougher product than a house repaint, even when the base paint is the same.
Best Paint by Surface Type
The right paint depends on what you’re covering: siding and metal panel, stucco and masonry, or the metal doors and trim.
Siding and Metal Panel
100% acrylic latex is the right pick for fiber-cement or vinyl siding. It flexes as the temperature changes, so it will not crack the way a stiffer paint can. Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint Exterior Latex is a common choice here, and it covers most siding in two coats.
Bare metal panel needs a rust-blocking primer first, such as Sherwin-Williams Kem Kromik Universal Metal Primer. Then it needs a metal-rated topcoat, like Sherwin-Williams Pro Industrial DTM Acrylic or PPG Break-Through!. Both are built to bond directly to metal.
Stucco and Masonry
New or sound stucco and masonry usually start with Sherwin-Williams Loxon Masonry Primer, built for the high pH of fresh stucco. The topcoat is then Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint or Behr Premium Plus Ultra.
Stucco or brick with small cracks needs more help than a standard coating. An elastomeric coating, such as Sherwin-Williams ConFlex XL, is thick enough to stretch over hairline cracks instead of just covering them. It costs more, but it buys real time before the next repaint.
Metal Doors, Railings, and Trim
Metal doors, railings, and trim need a different paint than the walls around them. Sherwin-Williams All Surface Enamel, shown further down this page, is a common pick here. It is rated for both interior and exterior metal and holds up to heavy handling.
Picking the Right Sheen
Sheen means how much shine a paint has. It matters as much as the paint type you pick. Drag the slider below to see how each level trades off.
Satin
The top pick for most business exterior walls. Cleans easily and does not draw eyes to small surface flaws.
- Satin is the top pick for business exterior walls. It cleans easily, holds up to weather, and does not draw eyes to small surface flaws.
- Semi-gloss works best on trim, doors, and railings. Those get touched the most and need to wipe clean.
- Flat is best saved for stucco or brick, where hiding texture matters more than easy cleaning. Flat paint is harder to wipe clean than the others.
A gloss finish, like the one above, throws the most light and shows the most texture underneath it. That is why gloss stays on small trim details rather than a full commercial wall.
A semi-gloss enamel like this one is the standard pick for doors and trim on a commercial building. Those surfaces get touched the most and need to wipe clean.
Paint Brands and Their Top Commercial Products
Which brand fits best depends on the substrate, the budget, and whether the building needs to stay open during the work.
Sherwin-Williams
Widest local stock in St. Louis and the broadest range of commercial-grade exterior lines.
- SuperPaint Exterior Latex
- Duration Exterior Latex
Benjamin Moore
Strong low-VOC options, which matter on a building that has to stay open during the work.
- Regal Select Exterior (MoorGard)
- Aura Exterior
Behr
A lower-cost commercial-grade option that still performs well on most substrates.
- Behr PRO
- Premium Plus Ultra
PPG
Fast-drying formulas that adhere well to metal and plastic, useful for tight turnarounds.
- SPEEDHIDE
- Break-Through!
What Does It Cost?
HBP Painting Contractors prices commercial exterior work at $3.00 to $10.00 per square foot of the building, labor and paint both included.
That range is wide on purpose. The number of coats needed, the shape the old paint is in, and the surface type all move the price. So does the finish you pick.
A walkthrough is the only way to get a real number for your building.
Commercial Exterior Paint and St. Louis Weather
St. Louis gets hot, sticky summers and freezing winters in the same year. It also gets enough sun to fade a cheap paint in a season or two.
That swing is exactly what 100% acrylic latex is built for. It is also why an oil-based or builder-grade paint is not a good fit here, no matter the price.
Freeze and thaw cycles are the bigger risk for stucco and brick. This is where an elastomeric coating’s crack-bridging matters most in our climate.
Frequently Asked Questions
HBP Painting Contractors has painted homes and businesses around St. Louis since 1983. We’re BBB accredited and PCA members, and our own trained crew does every job, never a subcontractor.
If a repaint is on your list, book a free on-site consultation. We’ll walk the building with you first, or you can call us at (636) 544-1254.
