What You Need to Know Before Your Next Paint Job

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Oil-Based vs. Water-Based Paint

When it comes to picking paint, selection begins with choosingbetween oil-based and water-based paints. For hundreds of years,people have been using oil-based paints for their impermeabilityand toughness.
Unlike water, oil does not dry by evaporation. It dries through aprocess of oxidation that converts the oil into a polymer chain.This means that the layer formed will be resilient and longlasting, and will withstand the degenerative effects of water andair longer than water-based paints. There are, however, severaldisadvantages to oil-based paints. First of all, oil paints takelonger to dry than water-based paints, have a strong odor thatlingers long after the paint has been applied, and contain volatileorganic compounds (VOCs).
The paint pigment in oil paint is suspended in the solvent. VOCsare found in this solvent and are released as the paint is dryingor being cured. VOCs are harmful to occupant health and theenvironment. Indoor air pollution has now been identified as beingthree times more harmful than pollution outdoors. This is mainlydue to the release of VOCs by oil-based paints and otheroff-gassing interior VOC-containing finishes and furnishings.Government regulations regarding VOCs are becoming stricter; thismay be one reason why oil-based paints are decreasing inpopularity.

As opposed to oil-based paints, water-based paints (sometimesreferred to as "latex paints" or "acrylic paints") do not usesolvents; the carrier for the pigment is primarily water. Latexpaints have come a long way from when they were considered aninferior replacement for oil-based paints, and they're now on theverge of dominating the market. The advantages of latex paints aremany. The drying time is significantly shorter than oil-basedpaint, which requires up to 48 hours to dry, leaving the roomunusable during this time. Latex paints also have a minimal odorand release significantly fewer VOCs during the drying process.
Because fewer or no VOCs are released, latex paint is significantlyless harmful to building occupants. In addition, it requires lesscare to apply than oil-based paint and solvent, which are bothhighly flammable. Latex paint can also be thinned with water,unlike oil-based paint, which requires a special thinner.
Picking the Right Paint Finish

Beyond oil- and water-based categorization, paints can also beclassified based on their function (e.g. primers, sealers, binders,finishing paints, etc.). They can also be classified according tothe type of pigment used, like zinc, lead, and titanium (each hasslightly different properties). But, by far, the most importantclassification of paint is the one that provides information aboutthe type of finish.
With the traditional application of paint, the finish reveals howthe paint reflects light once it's dry. An exception is whenspecial painting techniques (e.g. faux painting) are used, sincethese lend a completely different finish. Generally speaking, incommercial buildings, the finish depends solely on the type ofpaint used.

Certain finishes are more appropriate for certain rooms; this isbecause each finish has certain properties, apart from the way itlooks, that distinguish it from the other finishes. Finish optionsinclude:
Matte. A matte finish reflects light poorly. It's a rough finishthat's generally considered to be warm and comfortable. Mattefinishes are not slippery; therefore, they don't wash very well.For this reason, it's not recommended to use a matte-finish painton walls in rooms that have frequent visitors (e.g. a receptionarea or a conference room). The best places to use this finish arein executive offices or boardrooms: places where only a few peopleuse the room, and the chances of dirtying the walls are low. Mattefinish is great for hiding imperfections in the walls becausehighly reflective paints draw attention to imperfections bycreating a crack in the uniform light reflection. Matte paintsinherently avoid this problem.
Flat enamel. If you want to have the look of a matte finish in abathroom or a caf