Credit: Denise Bonenti/Vega Mg
There are literally hundreds of types of paint finishes and formulas to choose from in DIY stores. But which paint should you use for which job? We look at everything from basic matt and gloss right down to eco-friendly paints and specialist, odour-eating paints.
By Sacha Markin
Easier and cheaper to get on the walls than wallpaper, a great base for wall design stickers, and a simple way to keep up with colour trends, there has never been a greater choice of paints and paint colours. With a call for more environmentally and user-friendly products, plus with the latest advances in the technology behind the creation of paint, manufacturers are developing more formulas than ever before, and the variety of paint available on the market today is ever-increasing.
This includes paints that are not only safer to use – with solvent based formulas being replaced by water-based acrylics – but which are also high performing. Many new paints are low in toxic chemicals and practically odour-free, so better for the environment and for us. However, traditional paints also have their place, as do the highly specialist lines which allow us to paint almost anything.
Paints can be divided into two groups:
Water-based products are quick-drying, easy to use and emit very little odour. They are also environmentally-friendly and often non-yellowing, plus they’re easier to clean and the brushes will wash easily in water. However, although faster drying, they can have poorer flow properties. It is often possible to apply more than one coat in a day, but brush marks are more difficult to eliminate. Paints with a water base are often not as hard or durable as those with an oil base although they are rapidly improving all the time.
Solvent (or oil-based) products take much longer than water-based products to dry and can have a very strong 'chemical’ smell. They have high VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which can contribute to pollution and can sometimes yellow with age. Plus solvent-based paints do need to be cleaned from the brush with white spirit. These types of paints need to dry overnight before further coats, but the marks left by the brush are distinctly less noticeable as the paint levels out.
It can be said both formulas have their pros and cons, but for anyone concerned about VOC levels, under an EU law which came into effect in January 2007, every single paint manufacturer must mention the level of VOC contained in their paint on the packaging. Plus from January 2008, in a further bid to keep harmful levels down, the same EU legislation has detailed acceptable levels of VOC, and has outlawed the sale of all non-compliant products.
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