THE PURPOSE OF PAINTS AND STAINS - PART II

This is part 2 of a 2 part series of articles on paints and stains.

Finally, Interior Paints Coatings for Every Job

Do you ever wonder about the difference between interior and exterior paints? I once used exterior paint on an inside ceiling, reasoning that it could last longer. It may last longer, but as I then found out when I was required to touch up the ceiling only 2 yrs later, exterior paints will discolor on an interior surface. Exterior paints contain special additives made to withstand the outside. Interior paints have additives that help the paint dry out to a durable, uniform finish.

Most of the advances in painting technology have been with latex. Actually, latex has overtaken oil-based paint in several areas: toughness and elasticity, as well as ease of application, clean-up, and disposal. Latexes have fewer VOCs than oil-based paints. Some, including the Pristine series made by Benjamin Moore, are made with no VOCs whatsoever. Today's latexes are created with top quality pigments and binders that provide them more body, so they go on thicker.

Latexes enjoy quite a bit of popularity for interior applications, especially for walls and ceilings. Alkyds continue to be the professionals' choice for trimming work because oil based paints are better to paint on detailed areas like molding and hardwood trim. However, that traditional school of thought is gradually changing as better latexes, including Pratt & Lambert's Accolade Interior Acrylic Semi Gloss, are introduced to the market.

Problem Solved - Finally, Exterior Paint Coatings for Every Job

Moisture is an important concern for exterior paint selection. Every day a family of four will generate several gallons of vaporized water inside a house.

Coupled with naturally occurring humidity, this can mean a a large amount of moisture moving through the wall space and siding. Moisture is highest in the baths and kitchen. If these rooms aren't sufficiently ventilated, moisture will migrate through the wall space. Vapor barriers help to contain wetness, but vapor always seeks to leave. The structure of a home, the type of vapor barrier it has, ventilation, and humidity all make choosing the right paint critical.

In wetter climates you need a paint that will let moisture pass through the wood, so water doesn't get trapped under the paint and cause blistering and peeling. Latexes are porous and let moisture pass through, unlike alkyd paints, which form a waterproof seal. Alkyds also don't flex with floors that expand and contract, as wood will, especially in colder climates. Latex paints have more elasticity, allowing better adhesion.

I prefer using latex on all exterior surface areas, including wood siding, stucco, and cement. Latexes resist fading much better than most oil-based paints, and they will cover either oil-based or latex primer (most oils have to go on top of an alkyd primer).

Latexes perform a great job of covering cement. Despite its hardness, concrete is very porous, and oil-based paints don't always stay well. For greatest durability, I recommend latex enamel.

In general, if I know of a latex product that will provide superior performance, I'll choose it over an oil-based product that should be cleaned with a thinner.

Latex only requires water. Thinners add one more expense, are hard to dispose of, and usually finish up spattered on my skin or clothes, no matter how careful I am.

How to Stain Interior Surfaces

You may spend a life time studying stains and sealers, but there's nothing mysterious about them. The bottom line in figuring out which stain to make use of is to familiarize yourself with the products available. Scan the label, along with any product information you can get, and talk to the personnel at a professional paint shop.

Outside stains come in oil based, varnish, polyurethane, and water-borne solvents. Stains have less colorant than paint and much more solvents, giving them better wood penetration. Waterproofing is a priority with exterior stains. Most come with built-in sealants to increase toughness and help maintain the wood. The colouring in stains can be pigments, dyes, or both. A semi-transparent stain has more dye for grain penetration. A solid stain has more pigment for surface covering. Pigment is a finely ground coloring that doesn't penetrate the grain as deeply as a dye. That is why a pigmented stain is actually accompanied by a sealer such as urethane or varnish.

Some high quality interior stains have dyes to penetrate and pigments to bring out the richness of the grain. Others contain only pigments, that are simpler to apply, combine, and touch up. Pigmented stains are lighter in color and draw out more of the wood grain. If you're looking for darker results, a dyed stain will provide what you would like in one coating (be sure to use a conditioner on porous wood, such as pine and birch wood, to avoid splotching). Dyed stains are almost impossible to touch up. Every coating eventually will need touching up, so make sure to consider ease of maintenance in your selection of stains. You'll get the best results by using better stains such as Minwax, Pratt & Lambert's Tonetic, Pittsburgh's Rez, or Wood-Kote.

If you want to stay away from the watery nature of stains, try a gel stain, which had most of the water solvent removed. Gels are simple to use. They wipe on, dry fast, and cover evenly. Since they're colored with pigment, gel stains don't penetrate that well. They're a good choice for porous woods that are challenging to cover evenly without a toner. Gel stains do a great job of showing off the grain on embossed metal or composite surfaces. I don't recommend using them for hardwoods, which need a good dye stain to emphasize the depth and beauty of the grain.

No-Fuss Painting Using Sanding Sealers

Sanding sealers are interior primers that both penetrate and seal wood. You should use them under clear coats or over stains as sealers. Sanding sealers are different from a sealer like polyurethane, which is not designed to prime. They're more like varnish, but diluted with solvents to allow better penetration for priming. The hardness of varnishes and lacquers helps prevent them from soaking into the wood pores. Sanding sealer provides a better bond for clear coats.

Shellacs tend to be put into sanding sealers to strengthen the resin and provide an instant drying agent. They also add an amber tone, so if you are utilizing a sanding sealer with shellac, make sure it will not affect the stain. Shellacs have a tendency to yellow aver time and contain toluene, which has a very high VOC content. Shellacs are gradually offering ways to new sanding sealer formulas with lower VOCs and better performance.

Alkyd resin sanding sealers also have high VOCs, although less than their shellac based cousins. Pittsburgh Paints makes a slow drying alkyd resin sanding sealer without shellac named Rez 77-1. This specific primer/sealer is good for both interiors and exteriors. Pratt & Lambert's Latex Sanding Sealer has very low VOCs, but is purely for interior wood and must not be used under a water based polyurethane.

Oil-based sanding sealers also can be utilized to seal outdoor wood, especially decking, which is constantly exposed to sun and water. For color consistency in areas like decks, you need to completely coat, or back prime, the wood before it is in place, using the same sealer or stain. Olympic Water Guard, Messmer's UV Plus, Behr's, and most top quality deck stains are great water repellent sealers that can also be used for priming outside wood.

Method for Wood and Stain Sealers on Interior Wood

Sealers, including varnishes, lacquers, urethanes, and shellacs, are put into the stain itself, applied as a top coat over a stain, or used as a clear coating on unstained wood trim. They can be used for just about any type of wood trim, including windows, entrance doors, and the casing around them. Although you can purchase stain/sealer combinations, they tend to yellow, are difficult to maintain, and don't last as long as separately applied stain and sealers.

Varnishes contain natural oils such as Tung oil, a very hard, durable sealant that may be brushed on and dries slowly. Varnishes are easy to completely clean and maintain with soap and water followed by a wiped on varnish, which usually keeps a wood surface looking ideal for years. Make certain there's no wax in your cleaner, because wax clogs wood pores. I favor to work with Hope's Tung Oil varnish for a wipe-on maintenance layer. Lacquer is a fast dry sealer that almost always needs to be sprayed, since it becomes tacky almost immediately.

Polyurethanes do almost everything shellac does, but they're simpler to maintain. While shellacs act like paint, polyurethanes act more like a clear coat that permeates the wood instead of sitting on top of it. Polyurethanes brush on and dry quickly, with little smell and VOCs. They have more or less replaced shellacs as a clear sealer. Another reason urethanes have grown to be such popular sealers is that they don't require sanding sealers.

The smells associated numerous paints and stains can be more than just offensive, they can be toxic. Solvent based varnishes, lacquers, and shellacs give a super hard coating but contain very high VOC levels. Water based sealers, like the stains, match the performance of many solvent based sealers, with fewer VOCs. The VOC content of water borne sealers such as Sherwin Williams Kern Aqua Lacquer average about 250 grams per liter, or 2 pounds per gallon, half the usual VOCs of oil-based lacquers. The ethers in water based sealers aren't combustible, another advantage, but they still have sufficient VOCs to warrant a respirator.

Although they resist yellowing, water borne sealers such as acrylic latex polyurethanes do tend to raise the grain. They will also set up or "flash off" quickly at conditions greater than 60°F. The very best working temperature for nearly all water based acrylic latex polyurethanes is between 50°F and 60°F, which lets them flash a little more slowly. In this case, flashing-off simply means that the solvent evaporates and leaves the resins to finish the drying process. A contractor I know once used water based latex polyurethane sealer that flashed off so fast he could only put it on between 5 A.M. and 9 A.M. Anything later than that was too warm.

Minwax makes very good water based polyurethane, as do Pittsburgh, Pratt & Lambert, Benjamin Moore, among others.

Stains and Sealers for Exterior Applications

Due to their better penetration and sealing power, most exterior stains sold today are oil-based. However, oil-based solid stains peel as they get older, making them more difficult to maintain. A solid stain is similar to paint: It coats more than it penetrates. A latex solid stain peels less and is better to maintain as it ages. However, I favor oil-based products for semi-transparent stains. Added oil solvents let them penetrate deeper. Some of the better stains on the marketplace include Pittsburgh Solid Color Latex Stain, Messmer's U.V Plus, Moorwood Solid Color Exterior Stain, Sherwin Williams Woodscape stains, Pittsburgh Semi-transparent Exterior Stain, Rez Deck Stain by Pittsburgh, and the Sikkens Cetol system.

Deck stains usually have more solids when compared to a typical exterior stain, which make them stronger. I recommend buying a high-end stain that is semi-transparent or what's called a trans-oxide. Until lately, the significant problem with exterior stains was their low UV resistance, but newer trans-oxides have finely ground metal mixed in for greater protection. A higher end deck stain won't require a different sealer overcoat, although you can add one (such as Olympic Water Guard) if you believe extra protection is required to battle wetness and sun exposure. Better deck stains retail for about $35 a gallon and cover 300 to 400 sq. ft.

Stay away from deck stains which contain silicone. Despite their low price, they are not a good deal. Advertisements for silicone stains and deck sealers often show beaded up water on a deck, and many people are fooled into thinking that this is actually the indication of a successful coating. However, silicon deteriorates quickly, usually in a matter of months, producing a discolored, waxy coat that is a pain to eliminate. The deteriorated silicone also stops repelling water.

"High build" coatings such as Sikkens and Messmers work remarkably well on outside siding, but they are too soft to be utilized on your deck. Removing these coatings calls for gallons of wood cleaner and way too much work.

Water based outside stains, such as Sherwin Williams Woodscapes, incorporate the benefits of oil-based and latex coatings. They run and drip significantly less than oil based stain, and dry faster, enabling two coatings the same day. Water borne stains possess the resilience and versatility of the latex stain, giving them lasting strength. They're a great choice for most applications. However that cleaning up water based stains needs work. You will find a couple of oil components in the solvent which have to be cleaned. First use soap and water, then alcohol. Ask your dealer for specific cleaning guidelines for water based stains, and read the label.

Ask Your Painting Professional When In Doubt

If you still have questions about which paint or stain to utilize, please ask people in the know. A skilled, competent salesperson can answer any questions it's likely you have. Look for a paint store with staff having at least 10 years of experience in the business. Inquire further what has worked best for your particular application and ask to read a spec sheet on the merchandise in question.

The answers you get will rely upon whom you ask. A paint store will attempt to sell you one of their products, after all, that's why they're in business. Painting contractors might not be impartial, either. They have to sell their experience. I get tons of calls from people looking for assistance with their painting problems. Most painters, including myself, don't mind giving an hour of our time, but if you want in depth answers, consider finding a contractor for a professional analysis. Rates vary, but I usually charge about $60 for a written and oral evaluation, with respect to the traveling time included. A paid evaluation will let you know whether you should paint, stain, or re-side, as well as which covering might be best for finishing your project. Each painting job has unique conditions that warrant specific answers.

Sound Quality Painting

824 90th Dr SE suite B

Lake Stevens WA 98258

(425) 512-7400

Sound Quality Painting