How To Select Paint: Some Tech Tips
There was a time when Paints sole purpose was external coating either for primitive decoration or basic protection of the walls. However, modern walls have to have paints that are multi-faceted. These paints have come a long-way off from the pigment and cow’s milk recipe in which milk was the “thinner” or solvent & primitive pigments were, well, the paint. When the milk dried off, a think crude layer of paint remained stuck on the wall.
Today’s paints have a lot going for them. Manufacturers routinely add synthetic chemical into their products to give them gloss, wash-ability, toughness & resistance to mildew/algae etc. Hence choosing the correct type & grade of paint has become vital to ensure the surface remains coated & stays beautiful for a very long time. Hence one must know the basic terminology used in the painting business.
Some technical factors that are routinely involved in Paint Selection:
Primer
These are basically an intermediate layer between the internal wall & external paint. They seal a surface, & render a solid base ready for paint application & adhesion. Primers may be tinted and applied to enhance a darker shade. Primers are ideal in hiding slight imperfections or undulations, especially in porous surfaces like wallboard, patched drywall, wood, masonry, concrete, or metal. Most importantly primers vary as per substrate. Hence always ensure that the primer is made for the surface intended.
Adhesion
The most basic criterion that a good paint should possess is that it sticks and maintains a uniform appearance. The binder or “glue” joins the pigment particles and gives paint its sticking power. It also dries up & forms a protective outer-most layer. Ironically, Paints are usually classified according to the binder used. So Latex paint refers to paint with water base, whereas Alkyd paint is the other name for oil base. In Water-based paints, the binder is commonly a synthetic polymer, either acrylic, vinyl or a combination of both. The binder in oil-base paints is either some kid of natural oil or a synthetic resin (alkyd).
Spreadability
A paint is usually very thick & viscous glob. To make it spread evenly, one requires a carrier or medium. In layman’s terms, a paint thinner. “Solvent” is the industry term for such an agent. In earlier days, Wax, water, and lime were commonly used solvents used in paint. Modern day paints have water as the carrier for water-base paint, while petroleum works as solvent for oil-base paints The other ingredients like the pigment & binder lay suspended in this liquid base & helps thin the color mixture. This allows the paint mixture to spread evenly. Usually, the thinner evaporates. We will discuss the thinners in a separate article as it is vital to understand what is good & what is not.
Author Resource: Earl’s Paintworks is a commercial and residential painting contractor serving Calgary and surrounding areas. Make a contact for calgary residential painters.