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Paint Quality for the Pros
How do you decide which paint to use? Here are some useful tips and basic understanding what paint ingredients influence performance.
Video Transcription:
Not all paints are created equal.
So when you're deciding what paint is best for your job, it's useful to have a basic understanding of how a paint’s ingredients influences its performance.
At a basic level, all paints are made up of pigments, binders, liquids, and additives.
Pigments are finely ground particles that give the paint its color and hide.
High quality paints have higher quality pigments that deliver better coverage.
So you need fewer coats to get good results.
In addition, some pigments help improve durability and color retention.
They also influence Sheen, with flatter finishes requiring a higher volume of pigments.
Binders do just what the name suggests.
They bind the paint to the surface you're painting.
But they also give the paint specific performance attributes.
For example, binders in exterior paint have greater flexibility to resist paint cracking or peeling when exposed to weather extremes.
Superior binders also have better resistance to UV rays.
So a high quality exterior paint maintains its color and gloss levels much longer than standard products.
Binders for interior paints play a different role.
These binders give paint a harder film surface so it can stand up to frequent scrubbing and washing.
The best binders also resist stains, abrasion and burnishing, which help keep painted walls looking like new, despite years of use.
The third basic ingredient is the liquid.
It's often referred to as the carrier because this is the ingredient that carries the paint from the can to the wall.
The liquid might be water, as in water-based paint.
The liquid in an oil based or alkyd paint is likely to be some type of organic solvent, such as mineral spirits.
In both cases, the liquid affects how easily the paint flows onto the surface to deliver a smooth streak-free finish.
Better paints have a higher ratio of solids to liquids and what makes up the solids in a high quality paint differs from those in a lower quality paint.
Last, but not least, coatings contain additives.
Additives include a wide variety of components that impart specific benefits to the paint's performance.
Common additives are mildewcides, which resist mold or mildew on the surface of the paint.
Additives also influence application properties, like enhancing flow and leveling for a smoother finish, reducing spatter or delivering more uniform spray application.
Some additives are unique to coatings formulated for exterior applications.
For example, they may inhibit the development of rust on metal surfaces or provide the elasticity to bridge hairline cracks.
Some high-tech additives for interior paints also reduce existing odors in the space being painted, making them ideal for kitchens or laundry rooms.
As more new residential builders and homeowners become increasingly conscious of indoor air quality, low and no VOC coatings are in greater demand.
And now some premium coatings have advanced additives that actually reduce airborne VOCs, such as formaldehyde, in the space being painted.
This type of coating is particularly well suited to new construction, where carpeting, fabrics, cabinets and drapery all contribute to elevated VOC levels.
The larger the surface area painted, the more effectively these types of coatings reduce potentially hazardous compounds.
Ultimately, the quality of a coating’s ingredients is directly linked to the quality of its performance, giving you the opportunity to choose a product that delivers the best value for your paint dollar.