Choose a color

Paint interestingly !

General recommendations for choosing varnishes and paints!

Construction paint is a complex multi-component composition. It includes a film former (a binder that ensures the formation of a paint film on the surface to be painted), pigments, fillers, solvent, as well as various types of additives – hardeners, etc.

Alkyd resins (alkyd and oil paints), water polymer dispersions – styrene – acrylate, butadiene styrene, polyvinyl acetate (water dispersions), liquid glass or, in scientific terms, sodium and potassium silicate (silicate paints), silicone resins, pernica ( based on oils paints), varnishes (enamels), etc

The paints used in the interior must first be ecologically safe – housewives must come into contact with painted surfaces every day and every hour. The most environmentally friendly paints are water-dispersion paints. The binder of such paints is diluted not with an unhealthy organic solvent but with water. It is water dispersion paint specialists who recommend using it on large areas – walls, floors, ceilings, partitions, etc. Alkyd and oil paints can also be used in the interior, but in small quantities, for example, when painting window panes, metal pipes and heating radiators.

Water-dispersion paints have a number of advantages. For example, after application, they dry very quickly – an hour and a half (for comparison: oil and alkyd paints stain for at least another day). The range of uses of water-dispersion paints is very wide. They can be easily applied to pre-primed concrete, plasterboard, plaster, wood and even metal.

It should be noted that the properties and price of water-dispersion paints depend to a large extent on the polymers used as binders. The cheapest are polyvinyl acetate-based compositions (PVA). Such paints adhere well to surfaces, practically do not fade, but are afraid of moisture. Therefore, their use is possible only in dry rooms.

On the contrary, butadiene styrene dispersions are distinguished by water resistance. However, it is less resistant to light and over time turns yellow.

Compositions based on acrylic dispersion are considered to be the gold middle of water dispersion paints assortment. They have universal properties and high performance, but they are much more expensive than their “counterparts”.

All solvents used in the paint manufacturing process can be divided into solvents and diluents. The solvent dissolves the binder and at the same time reduces the stiffness of the paint. The diluent, on the other hand, only reduces the stiffness (exactly what diluent is needed in one case or another is usually indicated on the label).

At the beginning of the article, we have mentioned that alkyd and oil paints can also be used in the interior within the limits of reason (both types are made on the basis of alkyd resins). Here we will not look in detail at the characteristics of such compositions – we will discuss it later in the section dedicated to facade works. Let’s just mention that when using such paints indoors, care must be taken to ensure safety: the rooms where the painting work is carried out must be temporarily isolated (this can be done by closing the door tightly and closing the gaps with rags).

Multi-colors (mosaics) based on the water dispersion of synthetic resins are gaining more and more popularity at the moment.

Such compositions are particularly technological, easy to use and allow to obtain a wide range of colors. Figuratively speaking, multicolored surfaces look like “color in color” – capsules of one color “float” in another color. Due to the structural features of the components, these components will never mix together. The color of the capsules can even be very original – golden, silver, pearl, etc. Multicolors are applied with a special sprayer. Due to the high pressure generated in the sprayer, the colored capsules are sprayed on the wall, creating unique ornaments.

Let’s talk about the facade. Facade paints are usually divided into compositions for wood and stone surfaces.

Let’s look at them separately.
Traditionally, oil or alkyd paints have been used to paint wood. They have a high absorption capacity, they penetrate deep into the wood, forming a dense, homogeneous coating after drying, which effectively resists the penetration of moisture.

Alkyd paints can also be used to paint metal. Particularly popular are anti-corrosion compositions used without pre-treatment of metal surfaces with anti-corrosion materials. Gel-shaped alkyd paints for vertical surfaces are also available today. They do not leave runoff, even if applied in a thick layer.

However, resin-based products also have certain drawbacks.

For example, as a result of the interaction with air, the curing process of the paint film does not end over time. The resulting paint quickly (after about a year) loses elasticity, causing the film to crack. Alkyd binders are also subject to destruction by UF radiation. As a result of the effect, the color fades, whitish spots form on its surface.

Such disadvantages are not typical for water-based acrylate paints. These materials, as already mentioned, are known for their application technology, fast drying and environmental friendliness. However, with regard to facade works, they have another advantage – a high degree of resistance to atmospheric effects and the ability to maintain high aesthetic properties for a long time. Modern acrylic materials can have a service life of 15 years or more until repair.

It should be noted that the vapor permeability of acrylate paints is higher than that of alkyd paints. This allows you to effectively regulate the moisture balance of the wood. In addition, acrylate compositions are practically free from the harmful effects of sunlight and are able to retain a bright saturated color for years.

At the same time remember that acrylic materials are poorly absorbed. Therefore, the paint layer applied on the wooden surface may peel off, especially on the sunny side.

To avoid the disadvantages of alkyd and acrylate materials, leading European manufacturers developed a combined wood painting scheme. Work should begin with an initial surface treatment with compositions that provide deep antiseptic impregnation of the wood (preferably with an alkyd-based alkyd binder or in aqueous solution). An alkyd-based primer should then be used, which penetrates deep into the pores and fills the microscopic cracks in the wood. And only then it is recommended to apply one or two coats of weather-resistant acrylic materials, which ensure long-term preservation of the decorative and performance properties of the coating.

Before applying varnishes and paints, the wood surface must be dried, free from dirt and the harmful effects of bacteria. Practice shows that the best results are achieved if the wood is painted immediately after machining – wood with “open” pores.
It is not recommended to paint wood that has been exposed to atmospheric precipitation and ultraviolet for more than six months before it has been cleaned. Otherwise, the service life of varnishes and paints will not exceed one season.

Wood is a living material with a unique natural texture.

Many consumers ask themselves the question: “How will one or another paint affect the appearance of the wood, to what extent will it change the decorative properties of the wood?”

Here you can choose staining materials (which preserve the texture of the wood after painting) or completely covering materials retains a textured ornament, forms a thin film on the surface that is not particularly resistant to ultraviolet radiation, resulting in repainting after 2-5 years. 

Covering paints usually form a thicker film, so it lasts much longer – 8 to 5 years.

By stone facades we do not mean granite or marble walls, but ordinary concrete or brick surfaces, which are finished with different types of plaster or treated with sandstone.

Virtually all stone degradation mechanisms associated with physical, chemical, biological and mechanical effects are in some way based on the effects of moisture. When water enters the stone at the border between different building materials, but other times there is a significant tension between particles of the same material. As a result, cracks form on the walls.

Another harmful factor for the stone is the effect of mineral salts. These compounds can get inside the wall material, in the capillaries of which gravel moisture grows upwards, which neutralizes the binders in the stone.

In view of the above, the surface of stone surfaces must be completely water vapor permeable so that no water accumulates in its deepest layers.

The binder in paints for stone surfaces can be organic or inorganic. The most typical durable organic binders are styrene acrylic resins dissolved in white spirit, inorganic binder are water-soluble acrylate and silicone resins. Inorganic products with very little or no organic binders have the best vapor permeability. In inorganic paints and coatings, the main binder is potassium silicate (silicate paints).

In general, inorganic paints on the stone facade last longer and better than organic ones. However, silicate paints at the same time do not allow to obtain equally bright saturated colors. Therefore, lovers of cheerful facades must sacrifice the longevity.

The preparation of the stone facade for painting is largely reminiscent of the work done before painting the wood. Cracks and pits must first be filled. Then apply a primer. This will protect the wall from the external environment to the application of varnish and paint, reduce paint consumption and improve its adhesion to the surface.