The basics of paint

Paint is one of the most versatile media to work with. But, before you use them in your home, it is essential to get the basics right.

What is paint?

It is a mixture of solid pigments (finely-ground particles) suspended in a liquid medium (water or mineral spirits) that dries to form a protective or decorative coating. Pigments are encapsulated by resins or binders which help attach them to the surface being painted and create the paint film.

All paints fall under two categories: water-based, commonly known as latex paint, and oil-based. The former includes all water-borne paints such as vinyl-acrylic, 100% acrylic and alkyd-modified latex. You can use latex paints both indoors or outdoors. Latex provides an excellent finish and is an easier paint to use. It can be cleaned with soap or water, dries quickly, has milder odours, is non-flammable, and easy to touch up. These environment-friendly paints allow moisture to evaporate through the film thus reducing blistering.

Inexpensive latex paints use softer vinyl-resins (binders) and more water in the formulation. More durable latex paints use 100% acrylic-resins and less water. The term enamel is normally associated with paints that have a glossy finish. These are formulated with higher concentrations of resin as they are used in areas subject to heavy wear and tear. Alkyd paints are more commonly used for areas prone to impact and high wear and tear such as floors or cabinets. These paints take a long time to dry, so they do not show brush strokes as much. But they are more expensive and odour-intensive when drying.

Interior paints can be grouped into two categories:

Distempers: These are traditional economy paints which produce a perfectly satisfactory finish with good workmanship. However, their life cycle is shorter. Dry distempers (which are available in powder form) and oil-bound/synthetic distempers are not washable. Acrylic distempers, being partly based on acrylic resins, give greater smoothness and are washable.

Emulsions: Also known as plastic paints, these are based on a fine dispersion of resin in a solvent, which on drying, creates a remarkably tough, adherent and durable coating. Special additives in emulsions give them an incomparably smooth finish in various shades that last for years. These are resistant to water, chemical, fungus and algae. They come in three categories: silk—premium acrylic emulsions, with silky smoothness and a luxurious silk-like finish; regular—they produce a smooth eggshell finish; and economy—a generation ahead of distempers, they are more durable, washable, fade-resistant and smooth.

Exterior paints

Emulsions are good to be used on the exterior as they contain high acrylic content which gives them a long lifespan. Special additives also make them exceptionally resistant to algae, fungus and atmospheric erosion. Other popular choices are cement paints and textured plasters.

Cement paints come with a weather-resistant coating that is considerably effective. The coating contains special additives that are equipped to deal with the rigours of the external environment. Textured plasters are emulsion-based and provide even stronger protection than silk emulsions, besides unique visual appeal. Their thick surface can be designer-patterned by sponging, stippling or with the help of patterned rollers. They are also washable.

Levels of gloss

The sheen, or gloss, of paint refers to the amount of light reflected by its surface. There are four basic sheens:

• Flat paints exhibit non-reflective properties, providing a matte finish that helps hide surface imperfections. It is normally used for ceilings and walls in areas less prone to wear and tear, such as dining and living rooms.

• Satin finish paints are used to create soft lustre. A satin finish provides a harder surface finish, which is more durable and more stain-resistant than a flat finish.

• Semi-gloss paints are more durable, easier to clean and more stain-resistant than satin-finish paints.

• Gloss paint has a harder, more durable and more stain-resistant finish. It is easier to clean than all other paint finishes.

Painting tips

Many choices of painting material are available and the trend is to look for best-looking and durable paintwork, irrespective of the cost involved. However, simply buying the best and most expensive paints doesn't bring the desired results. Certain workmanship points too need to be kept in mind. Renaissance is the idea at the back of the mind when a house owner decides to repaint his house. The old paint needs to be removed and surfaces prepared. And, painting a newly-built house demands equal attention, as the first paintwork lays the foundation for all future works. So, a few guidelines given here and in next six episodes must be followed.

First check

Before doing internal and external finishing work, ensure that all doors and windows have been installed in position, all electrical conduits, their boxes and fixtures embedded in walls and walls finished smooth. There should be no plaster finishing marks along the conduits. All plumbing and sanitary pipeline chases must have been filled and finished. Take some more precautions. Tape all the edges of switchboards and window frames. Put jute bags or waste clothes on the floor to save it from paint droppings. When painting external walls, remove your vehicles from the site and cover the plants and shrubs, if you can't move them. Cover all door and window fittings with polythene and tape to avoid messy blotches.

Colour Magic

Decide the colours you are going to in your home very carefully. Pastel shades of pink, green and blue bring a soothing effect to a room while yellow and red are very attractive and make the room look warm. In India, pastel colors are preferred as these look cool and soothing. Decide colour scheme as per your personal liking and comfort. Take a look at the effect of each colour and take your pick.

Generally, a colour palette displaying hundreds of colours is available with paint dealers. Check it to choose shades of your choice. The present trend is to use a dark colour on one wall of a room to highlight it and project it as the feature wall while lighter colour is applied on the other walls.

If the walls and floor are light-coloured, a room will look bigger. So, choose light colours if you want your room to look bigger. If the ceiling is low, again choose light colours as these will enhance visibility in the room. If the ceiling is too high, apply a dark colour to it and see the room height decrease instantly. Shining and reflecting wall surfaces will also make the room look bigger. If you run a strip or band of colour all round a room, it will give a compact look.

Light and shade

While deciding the colour scheme, you must see how they look in artificial light. Generally, dark colours look brighter in artificial light while light ones appear suppressed. Shade cards don't give you the exact idea. Choose by visiting a friend's house or showrooms where you could see the colours on a wall. Before buying your total requirement, buy samplers (easily available now in most leading brands). Paint a small area of wall, allow it to dry and then decide. You just cannot go wrong this way.

Sequence it Right

Paint a room in the following sequence: Always paint the ceiling first. That way, any drops trickling on to the walls will not be a problem. Next, do the walls and finally, the doors and windows. The most important part of painting, white washing and colouring your house is to find a really good painter. Take extra pain here -- a good painter can put an end to more than half your worries instantly.

Brand Matters

Always buy good quality paint from a reputed company. Never go for cheap and low quality paint even if the painter suggests so. Look for reputed names. Even if you choose a lower grade -- i.e. first, second or third quality -- let it be of a reputed brand. This will help in getting a well-finished surface. Buy the paint in one lot. Different manufacturing lots may have slight difference in appearance. So, to avoid a variation in shade and to have a uniform look, buying full quantity of paint in one lot is important.

Options Aplenty

A large variety of wall and woodwork paints is available and it is difficult for the house builder to decide which paint to choose for each surface. For internal surfaces, the choice is between whitewash, colourwash, dry distemper, oil bound (oil emulsion) distempers, plastic (acrylic) emulsion paints and premium emulsion paints. For exterior surfaces, choice is between cement paints such as Snowcem Paints red paints, semi acrylic emulsion paints, 100% acrylic emulsion paints, heritage finish, spectrum finish and cladding. For woodwork, choice is between synthetic enamel paint, French polish, polyurethane polish and melamine polish.

Calculation Time

Work out the required quantity of each type of paint to be used by measuring the areas of the walls and the ceiling. Deduct the area of doors, windows, ventilators, openings, cupboards etc from the wall area. Work out the area of ceilings. If you can't work this out, as a thumb rule, multiply your floor area by 5 and this is the approximate total area to be painted. Different type of paints have different covering capacities. Wall emulsions such as acrylic, plastic and lustre cover about 80 to 150 sq ft. area a litre when applied in two coats. Acrylic and oil bound distempers cover 60 to 100 sqft per kg per two coats. Wood enamels cover 80 to 90 sqft per litre per two coats while transparent finishes cover just 40 sq ft per litre per two coats. Exterior acrylic or textured can cover 50 to 75 sq ft area per litre per two coats and cement paints cover about 30 sqft area per litre per two coats. Coverage capacity differs from company to company.

Cost Factor

For least cost of finishing work, the combination of paints is cement paint for external walls, dry or oil bound distemper for internal walls, French polish or synthetic enamel of second quality for woodwork and third quality synthetic emulsion for metals. For best quality work and no cost consideration, use a combination of dirt proof and weather proof 100 per cent acrylic exterior emulsion paint or heritage finish or spectrum finish for external walls, premium emulsion paint for internal walls, melamine or polyurethane finish for woodwork and first quality synthetic enamel for metallic surfaces. For medium cost and quality, use textured exterior emulsion paint or semi acrylic emulsion paint or cladding for external walls, low range plastic emulsion for internal walls, low range melamine or polyurethane polish for woodwork and second quality synthetic enamel for metallic surfaces.

(via Tribune India)

Tips for cement paint

Cement paint is water based paint and is applied on external walls/surfaces of the house. It is made from cement with different pigments and gives the best results on newly concrete surface. It can also be applied on bricks. It gives the best results on newly concrete surface but it should not be applied on white wash, color wash and dry distemper.

According to Indian standard cement paint should confirm IS: 5410 of approved brand and manufacturer. ‘Snowcem’ and its variants are a popular brand. They contain white or colored Portland cement with water proofing agent accelerator and extender.

Characteristics

• Highly water resistant
• No primer is required
• Most suitable for worse environments
• No chance of drying up due to its solid form

Guidelines for Surface Preparation

• The surface should be cleaned of all mortar dropping, dirt, dust, grease and other foreign matter by brushing and washing.
• Patches in plaster should be repaired and a coat of waterproof cement paint should be applied over patches after wetting the surface completely.
• The surface should be cleaned thoroughly by scrapping of all whitewash; color wash if water proof cements paint is required to apply on existing surfaces previously treated with white wash and color wash.

Mixing Procedure

First Stage: The first stage consists of 2 parts of cement paint and one part of water stirred thoroughly and stands for 5 minutes. Care should be taken to add cement paint gradually to the water and not vice versa.

Second Stage: The second stage comprises of adding remaining one part of water to the mixture and stirring it thoroughly to obtain uniform stability.

Guidelines for Application

• Painting work should be started after preparation of the surface.
• Cement paint should be used within an hour after mixing otherwise the mixture would be set and thicken which affect the flow and finishing.
• Before applying cement paint, the cement or concrete surface should be wet thoroughly to provide moisture to aid in proper curing of the paint.
• The surface should be moist not wet when the paint is applied.
• The solution should be applied on the clean and wet surface with brushes or spraying machine.
• The solution should be stirred well during the period of application.
• The solution should be applied on shady surface of the buildings so that direct heat of the sun may be avoided on the surface.
• The completed surface should be watered after days work.
• The second coat should be applied after first coat is set at least for 24 hours.
• Water proof cement paint should not be applied on the surface treated already with white wash, color wash; distemper dry or oil bound distemper, varnishes, paints etc.
• It should not be applied on gypsums, wood and metal surfaces.
• In special cases a coat of cement primer should be applied followed by two or more coats of water proof cement paint.

(via Gharexpert.com)