Paint Quality: You Get What You Pay For, Part II | Southwest Florida Painting

Dec 31, 2014 -- Posted by : ajpereira

Last week, we covered what makes for good quality paint and shared with you a few examples. This week, we’ll talk more about the paint itself. The very best paints are made with the best available ingredients.  To know what one paint outperforms another, you have to understand what's inside each can of paint.  One of the key ingredients of paint is titanium dioxide, which is what gives paint its whiteness, hide and ability to deliver clean, crisp colors.  Some manufacturers of paint have turned to lower-quality, higher volumes of titanium dioxide to cut costs. The quality of titanium dioxide - not just the quantity - matters when it comes to paint, and titanium dioxide is just one of hundreds of ingredients that are used in paint.

Ingredients of Paint

Pigment: This provides color and hide - and in the case of lower-grade "extender" pigments, bulk.

Why does pigment matter? A higher quality paint contains more prime pigments, giving you better hiding and color retention.

Liquids: Simply the "carrier" to help you get the paint from the can to the wall.

Why do liquids matter? The lower-quality the paint, the more "watered down" the paint usually is.

Additives: "Extra" ingredients that give paint specific performance characteristics it wouldn't otherwise have.  Examples include mildewcides and rheology modifiers.

Why do additives matter? Depending on your project, the right additives can offer you better flow, leveling, dry time and extended storage, or even help to reduce odors already present in room.

Binders: Provide adhesion and resistance to cracking, blistering and peeling.

Why do binders matter? The type and quality of binders affect everything from stain resistance to gloss and adhesion.  Latex paints contain acrylic binders, while oil paints contain linseed oil, soya oil or alkyds.

I don't want you to think I am a chemical engineer; I got the above information from my latest Sherwin Williams magazine that is mailed to painting contractors.  When I read the article I wanted to share this information with my clients, to hopefully help them understand the importance of using premium grades of paint and not the construction grades of paints which many painting contractors use for clients.

Like the old saying goes..."You Get What You Pay For!”  

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