Traditionally, alkyds are found in solvent-based paints that
must be reduced with paint thinner or mineral spirits. "Waterborne
alkyd" is a generic term to refer to an alkyd resin that can be
used in a water-thinnable paint. Because alkyds are not miscible
with water, a chemical modification is sometimes used to produce a
hybrid alkyd resin - often acrylic/alkyd or urethane/alkyd - that
is compatible with water. These hybrids are often categorized
generically under the term waterborne alkyds.
A pure alkyd can be emulsified in water using appropriate
surfactant combinations. This type of surfactant-stabilized alkyd
emulsion has been sometimes referred to as an "alkyd latex."
Different resin manufacturers use varying terminology to describe
waterborne alkyds with the terms alkyd emulsion, alkyd dispersion,
and alkyd latex being among the most common.
