FEATURES OF STAINS AND PAINTS - PART TWO

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

High Demand Interior Paints Coatings for Each and 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 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 outdoors. Interior paints have additives that help the paint dry 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: durability and elasticity, as well as ease of use, clean-up, and disposal. Latexes have fewer VOCs than oil-based paints. Some, like the Pristine brand made by Benjamin Moore, are made with no VOCs whatsoever. Today's latexes are created with top quality pigments and binders that give them more body, so each goes 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 easier to paint on detailed surfaces like molding and hardwood trim. However, that traditional approach is gradually changing as better latexes, including Pratt & Lambert's Accolade Interior Acrylic Semi Gloss, come on the market.

Take The Headache Out of Finding Exterior Paint Coatings

Moisture can be an important concern for exterior paint selection. Every day a family group of four will create several gallons of vaporized water inside a house.

Combined with naturally occurring humidity, this can mean a lot of moisture moving through the wall surfaces and siding. Wetness is highest in the baths and kitchen. If these rooms aren't sufficiently ventilated, water will migrate through the wall surfaces. Vapor barriers help contain wetness, but vapor always seeks to escape. The structure of a residence, the kind of vapor barrier they have, ventilation, and dampness all make choosing the right paint critical.

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

I favor using latex on all exterior surfaces, including wood siding, stucco, and concrete. 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 over 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 stick well. For very best durability, I would 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 needs water. Thinners add one more expense, are hard to dispose of, and usually finish up spattered on my skin or clothes, regardless of how careful I am.

Amazing Way to Use Stains for Interior Work

You could spend a life time studying stains and sealers, but there is nothing mysterious about them. The bottom line in figuring out which stain to work with is to familiarize yourself with the products available. Read the label, along with any product information you can get, and speak to the staff 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, providing them with greater wood penetration. Waterproofing is important with exterior stains. Most come with built-in sealants to add 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's why a pigmented stain is always used along with a sealer such as urethane or varnish.

Some high quality interior stains have dyes to penetrate and pigments to draw out the richness of the grain. Others contain only pigments, that are better to apply, blend, 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 want in one coat (make sure to use a conditioner on porous wood, such as pine and birch wood, to avoid splotching). Dyed stains are extremely difficult to touch up. Every coating eventually will need touching up, so make sure to consider the 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 avoid the watery nature of stains, try a gel stain, which had the majority of the liquid solvent removed. Gels are simple to use. They spread on, dry fast, and cover evenly. Since they're colored with pigment, gel stains don't penetrate that well. They're a great choice for porous woods that are hard to cover evenly without a toner. Gel stains do a excellent 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.

Amazing Way to Use Sanding Sealers

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

Shellacs are often added to sanding sealers to strengthen the resin and offer a quick drying agent. They also add an amber tone, so if you're utilizing a sanding sealer with shellac, make sure it won't influence the stain. Shellacs tend to yellow aver time and contain toluene, which has a high VOC content. Shellacs are gradually providing 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 known as Rez 77-1. This particular primer/sealer is wonderful for both interiors and exteriors. Pratt & Lambert's Latex Sanding Sealer has suprisingly low VOCs, but is purely for interior wood and shouldn't be used under a water borne polyurethane.

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

Improved Wood and Stain Sealers for 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 coat on unstained wood trim. They could be used for just about any type of wood trim, including windows, entry doors, and the casing around them. Although you can purchase stain/sealer combinations, they have a tendency to yellow, are difficult to keep up, 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 can 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 great for years. Make certain there is no wax in your cleaner, because wax clogs wood pores. I prefer using Hope's Tung Oil varnish for a wipe-on maintenance coating. Lacquer is a fast dry sealer that almost always needs to be sprayed, since it becomes tacky almost immediately.

Polyurethanes do almost everything shellac can do, 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 out quickly, with little odour and VOCs. They have more or less replaced shellacs as a clear sealer. Another reason urethanes have grown to be such popular sealers is the fact they don't really require sanding sealers.

The odors associated with many paints and stains can become more than just offensive, they can be toxic. Solvent based varnishes, lacquers, and shellacs provide a ultra hard coating but contain 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 most common VOCs of oil-based lacquers. The ethers in water borne 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'll also set up or "flash off" quickly at temperature ranges higher than 60°F. The very best working temperature for nearly all water borne acrylic latex polyurethanes is between 50°F and 60°F, which lets them flash a little more slowly. In cases like this, flashing-off simply means that the solvent evaporates and leaves the resins to complete the drying out process. A contractor I know once used water borne 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, as well as others.

No-Fuss Stains and Sealers for Exteriors

Due to their better penetration and sealing power, most exterior stains sold today are oil-based. However, oil-based solid stains peel off as they get older, making them more difficult to maintain. A solid stain is like paint: It coats more than it penetrates. A latex solid stain peels less and is much easier to maintain as it ages. However, I prefer oil-based products for semi-transparent stains. Added oil solvents let them penetrate deeper. A number of the better stains on the market 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 will often have more solids than a typical exterior stain, which make them more durable. I recommend buying a high-end stain that is semi-transparent or what is called a trans-oxide. Until recently, the major problem with outdoor stains was their low UV resistance, but newer trans-oxides have finely ground metal mixed in for higher protection. A high end deck stain won't need a separate sealer overcoat, although you can include one (such as Olympic Water Guard) if you think extra protection is needed to combat moisture and sun exposure. Better deck stains retail for approximately $35 a gallon and cover 300 to 400 sq. ft.

Stay away from deck stains which contain silicone. Despite their attractive price, they aren't a good deal. Advertisements for silicon 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, silicone breaks down quickly, usually in a matter of months, leaving a discolored, waxy coat that is a pain to remove. The deteriorated silicone also quits repelling water.

"High build" coatings such as Sikkens and Messmers work remarkably well on exterior siding, however they are too soft to be used on your deck. Eliminating these coatings needs gallons of wood cleaner and way too much work.

Water borne exterior stains, such as Sherwin Williams Woodscapes, combine the benefits of oil-based and latex coatings. They run and drip significantly less than oil based stain, and dry out faster, enabling two coatings the same day. Water based stains have the resilience and flexibility of a latex stain, which gives them stamina. They're a good choice for some applications. However that cleaning up water borne stains requires 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 directions for water borne stains, and read the label.

When In Doubt, Ask

If you still have questions about which paint or stain to make use of, please ask people in the know. A skilled, proficient salesperson can clear up any questions it's likely you have. Choose a paint store with staff having at least 10 years of experience in the business. Ask them what has worked best for your unique application and ask to see a spec sheet on the product in question.

The answers you get will rely upon whom you ask. A paint store will try to market you one of their products, after all, that's why they're in business. Painting contractors might not be impartial, either. They need to sell their knowledge. I get lots of phone calls from people desiring aid with their painting problems. Most painters, including myself, don't object to giving one hour of our time, but if you want in depth answers, consider finding a contractor for a professional evaluation. Rates vary, but I usually charge about $60 for a written and oral analysis, depending on the driving time involved. A paid examination will tell you whether you should paint, stain, or re-side, as well as which covering might be best for 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