What type of paint to use for your project
What type of paint to use
The type of paint you need for your project depends on several factors.
Factors include whether you are painting inside or outside, if the area you are painting is high traffic or low traffic area and what type of finish you want.
You have the choice of oil based or latex (acrylic) paints.
Oil based paint
Oil based contain either linseed oil (natural) or alkyd oil (synthetic). Oil based paints are more durable than latex/acrylic paints, but take much longer to dry and require mineral turpentine for clean up.
Alkyd based paint is less expensive and tougher than linseed oil based.
Oil based paints are better for trims and doors because these take a lot more abuse than walls.
You cannot paint oil based paint over latex/acrylic without sealing the latex paint, however you can paint directly over latex/acrylic over oil based paint.
Latex/acrylic paint
Latex/acrylic paint is good for general wall and ceiling painting, being easier to use and clean up with water. Latex/acrylic paint dry much faster than oil based paints, but are as hardy as oil based paints.
Acrylic paint is less likely to yellow or fade than oil paints do.
You can paint latex/acrylic paint over oil based paint.
Paint finishes
There are several types of paint finish, flat, satin, semi gloss and gloss.
Flat paint has a high pigment ratio making it better for covering your project and helping camouflage any defects in the surface. However flat paint is the hardest to keep clean, so shouldn’t be used in high traffic areas.
Because flat paint is very porous and shouldn’t be used under satin or gloss finish paint, it may cause flashing (patches of different sheen).
Satin finish paint is the most popular to use for interior walls because it hides small imperfections and is easy to keep clean.
Semi glass and gloss paint is best for the bathroom and kitchen. Gloss is the easiest to keep clean but gloss does show up imperfections really well. Paint preparation is very important when using gloss.
Other factors
Painting new work requires a sealer coat to seal the material used. Sealers give the surface a better key for your paint to stick to. Use oil based sealers for oil based paint and latex/acrylic sealers for latex/acrylic paint.
Surface preparation is critical for getting the best paint finish. It may take a lot more time in preparation than actually painting your project. But the time spent on preparation is time well spent.
Is your project inside or outside. check out our post below.
How to paint your house exterior
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