People doing their own painting is a relatively new phenomenon. In the olden days, a professional painter would survey your home, then set up a large kettle in the back yard to cook up his own special paint. The painter had many years of apprenticeship to learn how to make paint, as well as how to apply the paint for each situation. This was smelly and dangerous work, especially when ingredients included lead and other hazardous materials. (Not to mention fist fights with irate neighbors, or flash fires in the kettle.)

Today, a successful painter will know how to run a business, how to paint under diverse situations, and how to read the labels on the cans of paint. A doctorate in chemistry is not a prerequisite. Paint manufacturers do the lion's share of the work by developing a wide variety of products to meet every project need, and at a fair price. Yes, a fair price. Today, many people can, and do, chose to paint for themselves. They save on labor costs, read the labels on the cans of paint to find the correct products, and have a sense of accomplishment.

With this page, I hope to explain the main points of paint makeup, paint marketing, and paint store procedures so that you will have a well-grounded understanding of how, (and why), paint is used, priced, and purchased from an insider point of view.

The ingredients in a can of paint are determined by the intended use for that paint. Knowing the general rules of paint makeup helps us to understand what to look for in a product and, by extension, how to compare like products for price and warrantee. Primitive dyes and stains have been used since prehistoric years. However, paint was first used just about 4,000 years ago. Paint was an invented compound of solids, (pigments and resins), and vehicle, (solvent and resins), that was applied to a surface and allowed to air dry. This left behind a film of the pigments held in place by the dry resins. We have new chefs and new recipes, but the basic idea is the same.

When paint is still wet in the can, we say that it has a Vehicle and Solids. The vehicle is the liquid part of the paint and the still flexible -- malleable binders. The solids include pigments for color, solid fillers -- extenders like calcium carbonate, and the soon to be hardened binding material. This seems a little confusing, but the binders have one set of properties when still wet and a second set of properties once allowed to dry into a paint film.

The liquid part of paint that evaporates to the air is called the solvent, (or sometimes thinner or diluent). An average gallon of paint will have about 3.5 pounds of solvent. When the binder, (non-volatile part of the vehicle), must be dissolved by a petroleum product or alcohol, we call the paint Oil based or Alkyd. Now Latex, Acrylic, and Water based are terms for paint where simple water is used as a diluent because the binder does not require a solvent.

Today, most oil paint products are Alkyds. Natural oil ingredients are modified, (chemically reacted upon by, probably, alcohol), to become more hard, durable, and better suited for specific applications than in their original form. Unfortunately, the solvents used in oil based products release by evaporation VOCs, (Volitile Organic Compounds) into the atmosphere. VOCs react with other hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight to contribute in the creation of ground-level ozone. Ozone way up in the now thinning ozone layer is a good thing, (blocking out harmful UV radiation from the sun). However, ground-level ozone is a major component of smog. The EPA, (Environmental Protection Agency), is one of many agencies, (others State and local), responsible for regulation product VOCs. Generally, if a paint product is sold in your area, it is almost certainly VOC compliant in your area. If in doubt, ask your salesperson to confirm VOC compliance with the manufacturer. The EPA would like the use of oil based paint products to drop off faster, but the paint buying public is doing fine on its own.

Water based paint products are improving all the time, clean up with soap and water, have less odor, faster drying times, easier and more versatile application, and can have better color retention and film life than oil based products.

Latex Vehicle

1. Volatile (diluent-water)
2. Non-Volatile (resin binding material)
   1. Styrene, Butadiene
   2. Acrylic Resin, Latex, Vinyl acetate, Acrylic




Oil Vehicle

1. Volatile (solvent)
   1. Mineral Spirits
   2. Alcohol
   3. Xylene
   4. Naptha
2. Non-Volatile (resin binding material)
   1. Natural Resin
      1. Shellac
      2. Rosin
      3. Linseed Oil, Soybean Oil, Sunflower Oil
      4. Manila Gum
   2. Synthetic Resin
      1. Alkyd (polyester)
      2. Epoxy
      3. Urethane




Pigment for Any Paint

1. Primary Pigments (like titanium dioxide -- Ti O2 for white, Diazo for yellow, Toluidine for red, etc.) provides:
   1. hiding, the opacity of the paint film
   2. color
   3. durability
2. Inert Extenders (like Talc, Clay, Silica, and Calcium Carbonate) provides:
   1. sheen (PVC factor)
   2. leveling
   3. uniformity
   4. flowability
   5. durability, silica and clay are more washable
   6. prevent moisture penetration, clays forming platelets
   7. texture of film, particle size -- grinding coarse to fine
   8. viscosity or body of wet paint
   9. economy
3. Specialty Ingredients provides:
   1. mildew resistance (Zinc Oxide)
   2. rust inhibition (Zinc Phosphate)
   3. other characteristics needed

Properties of both Latex and Alkyd Binders

1. Adhesion -- ability to bond to the substrate, the surface being painted. Primers must have excellent adhesion to their intended substrates. Comparatively, penetrating aniline dye stains do not need to adhere well as the dye becomes integrated with the wood.
2. Behaviour during application, (after market products can be used to control these properties).
   1. Flowability -- high gloss paints are notoriously thick and stains are often thin like water. If you are using a new type of product or trying a new application technique for you, (like spraying), please ask your paint retailer for advice and technical data on the product.
   2. Leveling -- good paints will self level well before the film hardens. This limits brush stokes and roller overlap marks. In extreme heat and low humidity situations, you can alter the conditions or add a product that extends drying time.
   3. Uniformity -- binders should not get in the way of the even application of the product or an even distribution of pigments and other solids within the dry film. This might be sacrificed in formulas in a handfull of specalty primers and faux paint products.
   
3. Cohesion -- the property of internal bonding of the film monomers. When the monomers are allowed to bind together well, you have a more durable film. High grade acrylic paints have small acrylic monomers that bind better than cheaper vinyl paint with big vinyl monomers. Oil based products are almost always good in cohesion. Low PVC paints have good cohesion when compared to high PVC paints. The extra solids in high PVC products get in the way of the monomers even touching one another. A gloss paint has good cohesion and durability. A flat paint has less cohesion and less durability. NOTE: Improvements in durability of higher PVC latex paints have come along in the last few years. These paints cost more, but are worth it.
4. Sealing -- the properties of stopping bleed through from the substrate. Remember, water and oil don't mix. For blocking wood sap in a knot, a solvent, use a latex primer. To stop water from seeping through, use an oil based primer. High gloss paints of both kinds seal well. Stain suppression is a combination of sealing and hiding, (covering over the color of the substrate with pigments and other solids). When I touch up a scratch on my car, I use a high gloss oil based paint. The high quality paint film seals out the rain water. It is a thin film with little room for pigments to hide the scratch. So, I apply three or four coats of paint to hide the scratch.
5. Block Out -- sometimes you need a primer to separate, (block out), the paint from the substrate. Maybe the Top Coat, (paint), will damage the substrate. Maybe you do not wish pigments to leach into the substrate, (you intend to change color of a piece of furniture in the future, or you have an antique clock, whatever).

Properties of Pigments and other Solids in Paints

1. Body -- the Viscosity of the product when liquid and thickness of the dry film, (depending on how the monomers hold the solids in place).
2. Durability -- a paint film one can wash and scrub more often than most will have more extenders like silicate and clay. Solids, such as the pigments, help a paint film withstand abuse, one quality of durability. Paint durability formulas try to ballance the solids, (for resisting abuse), and the binders, (for film integrety).
3. Hiding -- the Opacity of a paint film is almost all from solids. The more pigment in a product, the better the hiding quality of the film. High PVC paints as flats hide better than low PVC gloss paints, all other things being equal. Note: Normally, extenders and other solids are less expensive to put in a can of paint than binders, (monomers), and pigments, (color). That is why dark and/or gloss paints are usually more expensive than light color and/or flat paints and primers. This will be true within a given line of paint.
4. Rust Inhibition -- Zinc Phosphate is the usual ingredient to make a barrier film -- inhibitor to rust, (ferrous oxidation). Sodium Benzoate will stop flash rusting from using latex paints or primers on ferrous metals.
5. Mildew Resistance -- Zinc Oxide is the usual ingredient to inhibit mold and mildew in paint.
6. Moisture Penetration -- clays can be used to form platelets that act as a barrier to moisture.
7. Sheen -- the Light Reflecting Value, (L.R.V.) is affected -- controlled by flatting ingredients like talc and silicate. Although the PVC factor is a good indication of sheen, it is the L.R.V. that is measured for specifying sheen. The more solids on the surface of the paint film, the more the light is deflected. However, some solids diffuse, (scatter), light better than others. A high quality, low sheen paint film is more expensive to make than an equally low sheen paint with less durability, hide, etc., lower quality film.
8. Texture -- the sizes of solid particles in a paint help determine the texture of the paint when wet, and working with the properties of the binders, the texture as a dry film. A flat paint has relatively large particles that sit on the surface of the film. A gloss paint has finely ground solids. It is more expensive to grind down particles to uniform small size compared to larger, less processed particles. Remember: Vinyl paints have large vinyl monomers that can accommodate larger particles for a given sheen when compared to a quality acrylic or oil based paint with small monomers -- binders. A rock bottom ceiling white paint may cost $5 and a gloss acrylic white may cost $50. Both paints with the same value, markup for profit. The gloss paint simply costs more to make than the flat paint. (With the can, label, and handling costing the same, the gloss paint is actually a better consumer value from this narrow point of view.)

Pigments in the tint spindles are used within an entire line of paint from flat to gloss. So, you can expect the pigments in a line of paint to be ground as fine as the gloss paints require. Off the shelf color paints are mixed at the factory and my have different size pigment particles. This can be a good thing. For example: One cannot custom mix a black paint because that much liquid black tint would turn a deep base paint into mush -- unable to be an effective paint film. So, black is an off the shelf color paint. Often, higher durability paints, (like floor and house paints), that are to be tinted to a dark color will start as a factory mixed color, (green, orange, or brown, whatever). Then the paint is moved with tinting to the color desired. The formula for that same color in an interior flat paint may start with a simple deep base in the flat paint.

Paint Additives

1. Anti-Skinning Agents -- To prevent skinning inside the cans of oil paints, these additives reduce the affect of Oxygen in the captured air.
2. Biocides -- Ingredients in wet paint can be food to some micro-organisms. Biocides prevent spoilage inside the can. The minimum shelf life for paint in the store should be about 3 to 5 years for latex paints, and at least 3 years for oil based paints. This, (and inventory tax), is why stores stock only small amounts of odd-ball products, or special order them with a few days notice. A latex paint that has spoiled will smell like sour milk and/or have a black film inside the can. Of course, if the micro-organisms that eat paint are not inside the can, that paint may last for many years. Oil based paints stand the best chance of long life in an unopened can because of the solvents. Shake First, then open the can to see if it is still good. I have seen ten year old oil paints still in useful condition.
3. Coalescing Agents -- Ingredients like Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol are used to help in the formation of latex paint films while drying.
4. Defoamers -- Used to reduce the surface tension in the wet paint, effectively reducing foam and bubbling during application of the paint.
5. Dispersants -- Generally, salts for wetting pigments in both oil and latex paints. Without dispersants, pigments could clump together. O.K. for a Faux painting effect, but bad for most painting projects.
6. Driers -- In alkyd paints, metallic soaps that reduce the dry time of the film by letting Oxygen into the film. Think of this as reversing the anti-skinning agents. Without dryers, some oil based paints would take a long time to dry. Do you really want bugs and leaves stuck to your new paint job?
7. Mildewcides -- Ingredients like Zinc Oxide that prevents growth of mildew and mold in the paint film. You can also buy a packet or pouch of mildewcide at the paint store, (usually a type of salt that inhibits growth of micro-organisms), to add to a can of paint or primer. Tip; have the paint store shake up the can with the additive so the mildewcide is evenly dispersed, and save your arm from stirring it in.
8. Surfactants -- Soaps that help stabilize the mixtures of paint, both oil and latex.
9. Thickeners -- Used to increase the viscosity and consistency in wet paint to avoid settling and separation of the ingredients.

Lead in Paint is a problem, even in expensive homes built before 1978.

A little perspective on lead in old paints. Here in the USA, paint manufacturers voluntarily dropped lead from interior products by the early 1950's. (Remember to allow a few years for product to be used up.) Main line paint manufacturers diligently worked to reformulate and/or replace leaded exterior products to phase out lead as an ingredient as quickly as they could. I personally know of one major company that dropped lead completely by 1968. Unfortunately, some customers will always insist on old technologies in any business, and lead was still showing up in a few products to meet this demand. Legislation was needed to level the playing field, (market place). The paint manufacturing industry was a strong supporter of a federal ban on lead in paint, a ban that took effect in 1978. So, ALL paint films from 1978 and later should not contain lead. Exterior paints made before 1978, (even if used on interior surfaces like furniture and cabinets because of high durability), should be tested for lead. Interior paints made before 1960 should also be tested. That is, IF you can find a paint film that old, from say, behind an old wallpaper you are scraping off in a renovation.

I look at it this way; -- The further back in time one goes, the more likely a paint was to have any lead in it and the most lead was in the oldest paints. This is why I do not recommend putting a vegetable garden or 'play in the dirt areas' around the foundation of an older home. Leaded paint chips scraped from the exterior walls generations ago may have fallen into the ground around the house and contaminated the soil.

For more information, please go to my Links Page. Click on Lead in Paint, and jump to other sites from that section. There are new laws about leaded paint for people who are buying or selling, or renovating, or renting an older structure. Also, some laws and regulations cover the removal and disposal of old leaded paint films. There are other sources of lead exposure you may wish to know about, like lead in the solder of plumbing, (leaching into water running through the pipes, especially hot water).

Major Subjects.

Main Page	Faux Paint	Window Treatments	Wallpaper.
Carpet	Flooring	NOW What?

Special Insert -- from NOW What Page 7 - 14 - 1999.

PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE.! I recently saw two different men, at two different houses, painting the outside of those houses on walls in the Sunshine. (Temperature in the shade was in the low 80's.) I did not see any contractor van's, so they were probably the home owners or relatives. I like to help people, but pulling into a man's driveway to say to his face that he is risking paint failure can lead to a split lip. So, this page is where I would like to mention a few things.

1. Normally, the ideal temperature for applying paint is about 70 degrees Fahrenheit. (With 60 to 70 fine, and 50 to 80 or 85 degrees typically allowed for in the formulation of many paints. Just READ THE LABEL for the acceptable temperature spread of your paint. I have sold paint and stain formulated for as low as 35 degrees.) In the lower range of the allowed temperatures, the wet paint film will be thicker and may dry too slow. In the higher range of allowable temperatures, the wet paint film will be thinner and may dry too fast.
2. It is a good idea to apply paint in the same temperature for a whole project, (at least a given color). A few degrees either way is OK. This is a matter of consistency. Among other things, uneven gloss called 'flashing' can happen with the same paint when applied during very wide temperature and/or humidity changes.
3. Direct Sunlight dramatically raises the temperature of the substrate and the wet paint over the air temperature. You might be comfortable in 72 degree air, but the paint can be 90 degrees or more in the Sunlight. That is a problem.
   
   A few possible results of painting in direct Sunlight are:
   1. Checking -- narrow breaks in topcoat that exposes the undercoat.
   2. Cracking -- deep cracks in topcoat that exposes the undercoat.
   3. Blistering -- bubbles in the paint film can form when the surface of the new paint dries before all of the solvent is allowed to be released into the air. The trapped solvent or water expands under the paint film to blister the topcoat.
   4. Orange Peel -- (when spraying) film resembles skin of an orange because the solvent evaporates too fast.
   5. Dry Spray -- (when spraying) dry pebbly film surface formed when the solvent evaporates on the way to the substrate. In other words, the paint is half dry before it reaches the substrate, and you get lumps of thick paint.
   6. Flashing -- uneven sheen on nail heads or metal hardware of windows or wood fences when painted the same as the surrounding wood. Metal retains heat more than wood. The temperature difference can affect the drying of the paint to cause a difference in film gloss from the nail head to the wood.
   7. A thinner paint film than the paint was formulated for. The properties of the film are lessened, (like Adhesion, Hide, Color, Durability, Protection, and the ability to expand and contract with the exterior surface). If no other problem occurs, wait for the paint to dry -- then apply another topcoat or two.
      
      Also;
      
   8. A shorter pot life if the can heats up in the Sunlight.
   9. Extra drag on your brush.
   10. A really, really bad sunburn on the back of your neck.
   11. Eyestrain.
   12. You come back from lunch and sit on the hot ladder, slightly branding yourself. Actually, if you are uncomfortably warm in long pants, the day may be to hot to paint. Please read the label on the paint can.
   13. If you placed clear plastic completely over the shrubs, (no air flow), they might be cooked.
   14. A complete stranger driving up and telling you to your face that you are risking paint failure. (That would not be me.)

If you are thinking about painting the exterior of your house this summer, now is the time to start planning the job. First, survey your home as to prep work, (replacing caulk around windows, areas to be scraped, trimming back plants near the house -- especially trimming tree branches scraping the house, generally anything that will need doing before painting begins). Second, keep an eye out for sales -- rebates on supplies and paint products.

TIP: A locally owned store may give you a discount on what you buy for a whole project if the job is big enough, just ask.

Start the prep work, a little at a time is fine. Prep work can often be done in weather that is not suitable for painting. If the time consuming prep work is mostly completed before the really nice weather comes along, you have a decent head start on painting. While the days or weeks go by doing these things, you can 'discuss' with your significant other the choices for colors. If you are trying something radically different, I suggest you buy quarts of the new colors as a test.

It is best to buy the paint within about a week of painting so you do not need to re-stir the cans to any great degree. For large surfaces, I recommend 'booking' the cans, (mixing together the paint from different cans), to ensure that same color over the whole surface. (Avoiding any minor variations in pigmentation that should not happen, but can anyway.) Another tip; ask the clerk to give you all cans of paint, of a color, from the same lot if possible. Why? The lot is a batch made at the same time with the same quality and quantity of ingredients. Because minerals and other ingredients can be different from one lot to the next, there is a tiny risk of the paint behaving differently from one lot to the next. As paint is being made, the employees test the batch each step of the way and make small alterations when needed to accommodate the natural variations caused by the minerals and other ingredients. In other words, they 'correct to center' each batch so it has the same end result for the customers.

End of Special Insert.

The Alan J. Krist Web Site, ynow.net, is copyrighted material. This web site, (and any sub-page of this web site), may not be re-broadcast, published, copied, or disseminated in any way, in hole or in part, without my express written permission. I will allow two exceptions based on the honor system.

The Two Exceptions:
1. You may print the Graph Paper ad nausea.
2. Only as a memory aid, you may print a sub-page for yourself or one sub-page each for personnel training provided,
   1. Each person that holds a print-out understands that this is copyrighted material, not to be disseminated.
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I hope people will comply with the honor system for each sub-page they find useful no mater how the page was read.

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