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Painting news
Are oil based paints on the way out?
Some people seem to think so. Like the old lead based paints of long
ago, the V.O.C.s (or volatile organic compounds) in oil finishes have
raised environmental as well as health concerns for quite a few years
now. Also, with the cost of petroleum on the rise, these products are
becoming increasingly more expensive to manufacturer.
Left over oil paint is considered hazardous materials waste and needs to
be disposed of accordingly. Also the solvents used to thin the paint and
clean the tools can pollute the air as well as the ground water.
Left over latex paints can generally be dried out with sawdust, kitty
litter or shredded up newspaper and taken away with the trash. (Check
with your individual towns for specific regulations)
The good news is that 100% acrylic and waterborne paints are continuing
to improve, and with advances in technology, many of them already
outperform oil based paints.
For now we still have the option of oil or latex, but the writing’s on
the wall, and soon the oil might not be on the label.
Washable flat paint finish
In the past, the
trade off for interior paints was the glossier the paint, the more
washable and durable it was, but the more you could see the
imperfections on the surface. The flatter the paint, the better it would
hide those imperfections by diffusing the light but if your walls got
dirty, they couldn’t really be washed very clean.
Along comes scrubbable matte finishes. I don’t really know which
manufacturer developed these finishes first, but in recent years, most
of the major paint companies have come out with their own version of
this remarkable product.
These paints offer a flat finish that hides many defects and they’re
durable enough to be scrubbed clean when the walls get dirty.
Now, no paint will wash clean when your three year old artist gets a
hold of a permanent marker and uses your walls for a canvas, but for
everyday traffic these paints really seem to hold up quite well.
Paint quality
It’s not really news, but I believe it’s worthy of mentioning one more
time.
When it comes to the quality of product, you do get what you pay for.
Lower quality paints have a lot more water in them, and since water
doesn’t cost much, the paint is less expensive. Higher quality paints
have a much greater content of paint solids, so when the water
evaporates as the paint dries, you’ll be left with a thicker film of
actual paint on the surface.
It will resist fading and look better for a much longer time.
If we’re talking about a rental unit that you know you’ll be painting
again in a few years, or a house that your just trying to sell, then by
all means save a few bucks and buy the cheaper paint. But, if you want
that room to look as good as possible for many years to come, spend the
extra few dollars now and in 4 or 5 years when you’re NOT repainting
that room again, you’ll be glad you did.
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Painting 1995 - 2009
Brookline, NH
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