paint

1. 1. A liquid mixture, usually of a solid pigment in a liquid vehicle, used as a decorative or protective coating.
   2. The thin dry film formed by such a mixture when applied to a surface.
   3. The solid pigment before it is mixed with a vehicle.
2. A cosmetic, such as rouge, that is used to give color to the face; makeup.
3. See pinto.

1. To make (a picture) with paints.
2. 1. To represent in a picture with paints.
   2. To depict vividly in words.
3. To coat or decorate with paint: paint a house.
4. To apply cosmetics to.
5. To apply medicine to; swab: paint a wound.
6. To shine a laser beam on, especially in order to designate a target for laser-guided munitions.

1. To practice the art of painting pictures.
2. To cover something with paint.
3. To apply cosmetics to oneself: "Let her paint an inch thick, to this favor she must come" (Shakespeare).
4. To serve as a surface to be coated with paint: These nonporous surfaces paint badly with a brush.

paint the town red Slang.

1. To go on a spree.

[From Middle English painten, to paint, from Old French peintier, from peint, past participle of peindre, from Latin pingere.]

For more information on paint, visit Britannica.com.

Background

Paint is a term used to describe a number of substances that consist of a pigment suspended in a liquid or paste vehicle such as oil or water. With a brush, a roller, or a spray gun, paint is applied in a thin coat to various surfaces such as wood, metal, or stone. Although its primary purpose is to protect the surface to which it is applied, paint also provides decoration.

Samples of the first known paintings, made between 20,000 and 25,000 years ago, survive in caves in France and Spain. Primitive paintings tended to depict humans and animals, and diagrams have also been found. Early artists relied on easily available natural substances to make paint, such as natural earth pigments, charcoal, berry juice, lard, blood, and milkweed sap. Later, the ancient Chinese, Egyptians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans used more sophisticated materials to produce paints for limited decoration, such as painting walls. Oils were used as varnishes, and pigments such as yellow and red ochres, chalk, arsenic sulfide yellow, and malachite green were mixed with binders such as gum arabic, lime, egg albumen, and beeswax.

Paint was first used as a protective coating by the Egyptians and Hebrews, who applied pitches and balsams to the exposed wood of their ships. During the Middle Ages, some inland wood also received protective coatings of paint, but due to the scarcity of paint, this practice was generally limited to store fronts and signs. Around the same time, artists began to boil resin with oil to obtain highly miscible (mixable) paints, and artists of the fifteenth century were the first to add drying oils to paint, thereby hastening evaporation. They also adopted a new solvent, linseed oil, which remained the most commonly used solvent until synthetics replaced it during the twentieth century.

In Boston around 1700, Thomas Child built the earliest American paint mill, a granite trough within which a 1.6 foot (.5 meter) granite ball rolled, grinding the pigment. The first paint patent was issued for a product that improved whitewash, a water-slaked lime often used during the early days of the United States. In 1865 D. P. Flinn obtained a patent for a water-based paint that also contained zinc oxide, potassium hydroxide, resin, milk, and lin-seed oil. The first commercial paint mills replaced Child's granite ball with a buhrstone wheel, but these mills continued the practice of grinding only pigment (individual customers would then blend it with a vehicle at home). It wasn't until 1867 that manufacturers began mixing the vehicle and the pigment for consumers.

The twentieth century has seen the most changes in paint composition and manufacture. Today, synthetic pigments and stabilizers are commonly used to mass produce uniform batches of paint. New synthetic vehicles developed from polymers such as polyurethane and styrene-butadene emerged during the 1940s. Alkyd resins were synthesized, and they have dominated production since. Before 1930, pigment was ground with stone mills, and these were later replaced by steel balls. Today, sand mills and high-speed dispersion mixers are used to grind easily dispersible pigments.

Perhaps the greatest paint-related advancement has been its proliferation. While some wooden houses, stores, bridges, and signs were painted as early as the eighteenth century, it wasn't until recently that mass production rendered a wide variety of paints universally indispensable. Today, paints are used for interior and exterior housepainting, boats, automobiles, planes, appliances, furniture, and many other places where protection and appeal are desired.

Raw Materials

A paint is composed of pigments, solvents, resins, and various additives. The pigments give the paint color; solvents make it easier to apply; resins help it dry; and additives serve as everything from fillers to antifungicidal agents. Hundreds of different pigments, both natural and synthetic, exist. The basic white pigment is titanium dioxide, selected for its excellent concealing properties, and black pigment is commonly made from carbon black. Other pigments used to make paint include iron oxide and cadmium sulfide for reds, metallic salts for yellows and oranges, and iron blue and chrome yellows for blues and greens.

Solvents are various low viscosity, volatile liquids. They include petroleum mineral spirits and aromatic solvents such as benzol, alcohols, esters, ketones, and acetone. The natural resins most commonly used are lin-seed, coconut, and soybean oil, while alkyds, acrylics, epoxies, and polyurethanes number among the most popular synthetic resins. Additives serve many purposes. Some, like calcium carbonate and aluminum silicate, are simply fillers that give the paint body and substance without changing its properties. Other additives produce certain desired characteristics in paint, such as the thixotropic agents that give paint its smooth texture, driers, anti-settling agents, anti-skinning agents, defoamers, and a host of others that enable paint to cover well and last long.

Design

Paint is generally custom-made to fit the needs of industrial customers. For example, one might be especially interested in a fast-drying paint, while another might desire a paint that supplies good coverage over a long lifetime. Paint intended for the consumer can also be custom-made. Paint manufacturers provide such a wide range of colors that it is impossible to keep large quantities of each on hand. To meet a request for "aquamarine," "canary yellow," or "maroon," the manufacturer will select a base that is appropriate for the deepness of color required. (Pastel paint bases will have high amounts of titanium dioxide, the white pigment, while darker tones will have less.) Then, according to a predetermined formula, the manufacturer can introduce various pigments from calibrated cylinders to obtain the proper color.

The Manufacturing
Process

Making the paste

• Pigment manufacturers send bags of fine grain pigments to paint plants. There, the pigment is premixed with resin (a wetting agent that assists in moistening the pigment), one or more solvents, and additives to form a paste.

Dispersing the pigment

• The paste mixture for most industrial and some consumer paints is now routed into a sand mill, a large cylinder that agitates tiny particles of sand or silica to grind the pigment particles, making them smaller and dispersing them throughout the mixture. The mixture is then filtered to remove the sand particles.
• Instead of being processed in sand mills, up to 90 percent of the water-based latex paints designed for use by individual homeowners are instead processed in a high-speed dispersion tank. There, the premixed paste is subjected to high-speed agitation by a circular, toothed blade attached to a rotating shaft. This process blends the pigment into the solvent.

Thinning the paste

• Whether created by a sand mill or a dispersion tank, the paste must now be thinned to produce the final product. Transferred to large kettles, it is agitated with the proper amount of solvent for the type of paint desired.

Canning the paint

• The finished paint product is then pumped into the canning room. For the standard 8 pint (3.78 liter) paint can available to consumers, empty cans are first rolled horizontally onto labels, then set upright so that the paint can be pumped into them. A machine places lids onto the filled cans, and a second machine presses on the lids to seal them. From wire that is fed into it from coils, a bailometer cuts and shapes the handles before hooking them into holes precut in the cans. A certain number of cans (usually four) are then boxed and stacked before being sent to the warehouse.

Quality Control

Paint manufacturers utilize an extensive array of quality control measures. The ingredients and the manufacturing process undergo stringent tests, and the finished product is checked to insure that it is of high quality. A finished paint is inspected for its density, fineness of grind, dispersion, and viscosity. Paint is then applied to a surface and studied for bleed resistance, rate of drying, and texture.

In terms of the paint's aesthetic components, color is checked by an experienced observer and by spectral analysis to see if it matches a standard desired color. Resistance of the color to fading caused by the elements is determined by exposing a portion of a painted surface to an arc light and comparing the amount of fading to a painted surface that was not so exposed. The paint's hiding power is measured by painting it over a black surface and a white surface. The ratio of coverage on the black surface to coverage on the white surface is then determined, with .98 being high-quality paint. Gloss is measured by determining the amount of reflected light given off a painted surface.

Tests to measure the paint's more functional qualities include one for mar resistance, which entails scratching or abrading a dried coat of paint. Adhesion is tested by making a crosshatch, calibrated to .07 inch (2 millimeters), on a dried paint surface. A piece of tape is applied to the crosshatch, then pulled off; good paint will remain on the surface. Scrubbability is tested by a machine that rubs a soapy brush over the paint's surface. A system also exists to rate settling. An excellent paint can sit for six months with no settling and rate a ten. Poor paint, however, will settle into an immiscible lump of pigment on the bottom of the can and rate a zero. Weathering is tested by exposing the paint to outdoor conditions. Artificial weathering exposes a painted surface to sun, water, extreme temperature, humidity, or sulfuric gases. Fire retardancy is checked by burning the paint and determining its weight loss. If the amount lost is more than 10 percent, the paint is not considered fire-resistant.

Byproducts/Waste

A recent regulation (California Rule 66) concerning the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) affects the paint industry, especially manufacturers of industrial oil-based paints. It is estimated that all coatings, including stains and varnishes, are responsible for 1.8 percent of the 2.3 million metric tons of VOCs released per year. The new regulation permits each liter of paint to contain no more than 250 grams (8.75 ounces) of solvent. Paint manufacturers can replace the solvents with pigment, fillers, or other solids inherent to the basic paint formula. This method produces thicker paints that are harder to apply, and it is not yet known if such paints are long lasting. Other solutions include using paint powder coatings that use no solvents, applying paint in closed systems from which VOCs can be retrieved, using water as a solvent, or using acrylics that dry under ultraviolet light or heat. A consumer with some unused paint on hand can return it to the point of purchase for proper treatment.

A large paint manufacturer will have an in-house wastewater treatment facility that treats all liquids generated on-site, even storm water run-off. The facility is monitored 24 hours a day, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does a periodic records and systems check of all paint facilities. The liquid portion of the waste is treated on-site to the standards of the local publicly owned wastewater treatment facility; it can be used to make low-quality paint. Latex sludge can be retrieved and used as fillers in other industrial products. Waste solvents can be recovered and used as fuels for other industries. A clean paint container can be reused or sent to the local landfill.

Where To Learn More

Books

Flick, Ernest W. Handbook of Paint Raw Materials, 2nd ed. Noyes Data Corp., 1989.

Martens, Charles R. Emulsion and Water-Soluble Paints and Coatings. Reinhold Publishing Company, 1964.

Morgans, W. M. Outlines of Paint Technology, 3rd ed. John Wiley & Sons, 1990.

The Paints and Coatings Industry. Business Trend Analysts, 1990.

Paints and Protective Coatings. Gordon Press, 1991.

Turner, G. P. A. Introduction to Paint Chemistry and Principles of Paint Technology, 3rd ed. Chapman & Hall, 1988.

Weismantel, Guy E. Paint Handbook. McGraw-Hill, 1981.

Periodicals

Levinson, Nancy. "Goodbye, Old Paint." Architectural Record. January, 1992, pp. 42-43.

Scott, Susan. "Painting with Pesticides: the Controversial Organoxin Paints." Sea Frontiers. November/December, 1987, pp. 415-421.

[Article by: Rose Secrest]

A fluid, with viscosity, drying time, and flowing properties dictated by formulation, normally consisting of a vehicle or binder, a pigment, a solvent or thinner, and a drier, which may be applied in relatively thin layers and which changes to a solid in time. The change to a solid may or may not be reversible, and may occur by evaporation of the solvent, by chemical reaction, or by a combination of the two.

In modern technology, paint is classified in three major categories because of differing performance requirements: architectural paints, commercial finishes, and industrial coatings. A fourth category is artistic media.

Architectural paints are air-drying materials applied by brush or spray to architectural and structural surfaces and forms for decorative and protective purposes. Materials are classified by formulation type as solvent-thinned and water-thinned. The drying mechanism of solvent-thinned paints predominantly may be by solvent evaporation, oxidation, or a combination of the two. Solvent-thinned paints which dry essentially by solvent evaporation rely on a fairly hard resin as the vehicle. Resins include shellac, cellulose derivatives, acrylic resins, vinyl resins, and bitumens. In paints that dry by oxidation, the vehicle is usually an oil or an oil-based varnish. Water-thinned paints may be subdivided into those in which the vehicle is dissolved in water and those in which it is dispersed in emulsion form. Paints with water-soluble vehicles include the calcimines, in which the vehicle is glue, and casein paints, in which the vehicle is casein or soybean protein. Materials formed by emulsion polymerization are described as a latex, and products are called latex paints. See also Drier (paint); Drying oil; Polymer.

Commercial finishes include air-drying or baking-cured materials applied by brush, spray, or magnetic agglomeration to kitchen and laundry appliances, automobiles, machinery, and furniture and used as highway marking materials. Industrial coatings are subdivided by their intended service: corrosion-resistant coatings, high-temperature coatings, and coatings for immersion service. See also Pigment; Surface coating.

(1) In computer graphics, to "paint" the screen using a tablet stylus or mouse to simulate a paintbrush. See paint program.

(2) To transfer an image as in the phrase "the laser printer paints the image onto a photosensitive drum."

(3) To create a screen form by typing anywhere on screen. To "paint" the screen with text.

Download Computer Desktop Encyclopedia to your iPhone/iTouch

Definition: apply colored tint, often to make design
Antonyms: strip

A liquid solution of pigment in a suitable vehicle of oil, organic solvent, or water; liquid when applied but dries to form an adherent, protective, and decorative coating. Often categorized according to the solvent used for thinning, for example, water-thinned paint or solvent-thinned paint. Also see acrylic paint, cement-water paint, epoxy paint, latex paint, synthetic rubber-base paint, vinyl paint, water-based paint.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2008)

For other uses, see Paint (disambiguation).

"Paints" redirects here. For the baseball team, see Chillicothe Paints.

Dried green paint

Paint is any liquid, liquifiable, or mastic composition which after application to a substrate in a thin layer is converted to an opaque solid film.

Contents 1 History 2 Components 2.1 Pigment 2.2 Binder or vehicle 2.3 Solvent 2.4 Additives 3 Color changing paint 4 Art 5 Application 6 Product variants 7 Dangers 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links

History

Cave paintings drawn with red and yellow ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal may have been made by early Homo sapiens as long as 40,000 years ago.

Ancient painted walls at Denerdera, Egypt, which were exposed for many ages to the open air, still possess a perfect brilliancy of color, as vivid as when they were painted about 2,000 years ago. The Egyptians mixed their colors with some gummy substance, and applied them separated from each other without any blending or mixture. They appeared to have used six colors: white, black, blue, red, yellow and green. They first covered the field entirely with white, upon which they traced the design in black, leaving out the lights of the ground color. They used minium for red, and generally of a dark tinge.

Pliny mentions some painted ceilings in his day in the town of Ardea, which had been executed at a date prior to the foundation of Rome. He expresses great surprise and admiration at their freshness, after the lapse of so many centuries.

Paint was made with the yolk of eggs and therefore, the substance would harden and stick onto the surface applied. Some red paint was made of blood of animals.^{[citation needed]} Pigments were made from plants, sands, and different soil types.

Components

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2008)

Pigment

Main article: Pigment

Pigments are granular solids incorporated into the paint to contribute color, toughness, texture or simply to reduce the cost of the paint. Alternatively, some paints contain dyes instead of or in combination with pigments.

Pigments can be classified as either natural or synthetic types. Natural pigments include various clays, calcium carbonate, mica, silicas, and talcs. Synthetics would include engineered molecules, calcined clays, blanc fix, precipitated calcium carbonate, and synthetic silicas.

Hiding pigments, in making paint opaque, also protect the substrate from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light. Hiding pigments include titanium dioxide, phthalo blue, red iron oxide, and many others.

Fillers are a special type of pigment that serve to thicken the film, support its structure and simply increase the volume of the paint. Fillers are usually comprised of cheap and inert materials, such as diatomaceous earth, talc, lime, baryte, clay, etc. Floor paints that will be subjected to abrasion may even contain fine quartz sand as a filler. Not all paints include fillers. On the other hand some paints contain very large proportions of pigment/filler and binder.

Some pigments are toxic, such as the lead pigments that are used in lead paint. Paint manufacturers began replacing white lead pigments with the less toxic substitute, titanium white (titanium dioxide), even before lead was functionally banned in paint for residential use in 1978 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The titanium dioxide used in most paints today is often coated with silicon or aluminum oxides for various reasons such as better exterior durability, or better hiding performance (opacity) via better efficiency promoted by more optimal spacing within the paint film.

Binder or vehicle

The binder, commonly referred to as the vehicle, is the actual film forming component of paint. It is the only component that must be present; other components listed below are included optionally, depending on the desired properties of the cured film.

The binder imparts adhesion, binds the pigments together, and strongly influences such properties as gloss potential, exterior durability, flexibility, and toughness.

Binders include synthetic or natural resins such as acrylics, polyurethanes, polyesters, melamine resins, epoxy, or oils.

Binders can be categorized according to drying, or curing mechanism. The four most common are simple solvent evaporation, oxidative crosslinking, catalyzed polymerization, and coalescence. There are others.

Note that drying and curing are two different processes. Drying generally refers to evaporation of the solvent or thinner,^[1] whereas curing refers to polymerization of the binder. (The term "vehicle" is industrial jargon which is used inconsistently, sometimes to refer to the solvent and sometimes to refer to the binder.) Depending on chemistry and composition, any particular paint may undergo either, or both processes. Thus, there are paints that dry only, those that dry then cure, and those that do not depend on drying for curing.^[2]

Paints that dry by simple solvent evaporation contain a solid binder dissolved in a solvent; this forms a solid film when the solvent evaporates, and the film can re-dissolve in the solvent again. Classic nitrocellulose lacquers fall into this category, as do non-grain raising stains composed of dyes dissolved in solvent.

Latex paint is a water-borne dispersion of sub-micrometre polymer particles. The term "latex" in the context of paint simply means an aqueous dispersion; latex rubber (the sap of the rubber tree that has historically been called latex) is not an ingredient. These dispersions are prepared by emulsion polymerization. Latex paints cure by a process called coalescence where first the water, and then the trace, or coalescing, solvent, evaporate and draw together and soften the latex binder particles and fuse them together into irreversibly bound networked structures, so that the paint will not redissolve in the solvent/water that originally carried it. Residual surfactants in the paint as well as hydrolytic effects with some polymers cause the paint to remain susceptible to softening and, over time, degradation by water.

Paints that cure by oxidative crosslinking are generally single package coatings that when applied, the exposure to oxygen in the air starts a process that crosslinks and polymerizes the binder component. Classic alkyd enamels would fall into this category.

Paints that cure by catalyzed polymerization are generally two package coatings that polymerize by way of a chemical reaction initiated by mixing resin and hardener, and which cure by forming a hard plastic structure. Depending on composition they may need to dry first, by evaporation of solvent. Classic two package epoxies or polyurethanes would fall into this category.^[2]

Still other films are formed by cooling of the binder. For example, encaustic or wax paints are liquid when warm, and harden upon cooling. In many cases, they will resoften or liquify if reheated.

Recent environmental requirements restrict the use of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and alternative means of curing have been developed, particularly for industrial purposes. In UV curing paints, the solvent is evaporated first, and hardening is then initiated by ultraviolet light. In powder coatings there is little or no solvent, and flow and cure are produced by heating of the substrate after electrostatic application of the dry powder.

Solvent

The main purposes of the solvent are to adjust the curing properties and viscosity of the paint. It is volatile and does not become part of the paint film. It also controls flow and application properties, and affects the stability of the paint while in liquid state. Its main function is as the carrier for the non volatile components. In order to spread heavier oils (i.e. linseed) as in oil-based interior housepaint, a thinner oil is required. These volatile substances impart their properties temporarily—once the solvent has evaporated or disintegrated, the remaining paint is fixed to the surface.

This component is optional: some paints have no diluent.

Water is the main diluent for water-borne paints.

Solvent-borne, also called oil-based, paints can have various combinations of solvents as the diluent, including aliphatics, aromatics, alcohols, ketones and white spirit. These include organic solvents such as petroleum distillate, esters, glycol ethers, and the like. Sometimes volatile low-molecular weight synthetic resins also serve as diluents. Such solvents are used when water resistance, grease resistance, or similar properties are desired.

Additives

Besides the three main categories of ingredients, paint can have a wide variety of miscellaneous additives, which are usually added in very small amounts and yet give a very significant effect on the product. Some examples include additives to modify surface tension, improve flow properties, improve the finished appearance, increase wet edge, improve pigment stability, impart antifreeze properties, control foaming, control skinning, etc. Other types of additives include catalysts, thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, texturizers, adhesion promoters, UV stabilizers, flatteners (de-glossing agents), biocides to fight bacterial growth, and the like.

Additives normally do not alter the percentages of individual components in a formulation^[3]

Color changing paint

Various technologies exist for making paints that change color. Thermochromic paints and coatings contain materials that change conformation when heat is applied, and so they change color. Liquid crystals have been used in such paints, such as in the thermometer strips and tapes used in fishtanks. Photochromic paints and coatings contain dyes that change conformation when the film is exposed to UV light, and so they change color. These materials are used to make eyeglasses.

Electrochromic paints change color in response to an applied electric current. Car manufacturer Nissan has been reportedly working on an electrochromic paint for use in its vehicles, based on particles of paramagnetic iron oxide. When subjected to an electromagnetic field the paramagnetic particles change spacing, modifying their color and reflective properties. The electromagnetic field would be formed using the conductive metal of the car body.^[4] Electrochromic paints can be applied to plastic substrates as well, using a different coating chemistry. The technology involves using special dyes that change conformation when an electric current is applied across the film itself. Recently, this new technology has been used to achieve glare protection at the touch of a button in passenger airplane windows.

Art

Main article: Painting

Watercolors as applied with a brush

Since the time of the Renaissance, siccative (drying) oil paints, primarily linseed oil, have been the most commonly used kind of paints in fine art applications; oil paint is still common today. However, in the 20th century, water-based paints, including watercolors and acrylic paints, became very popular with the development of acrylic and other latex paints. Milk paints (also called casein), where the medium is derived from the natural emulsion that is milk, were popular in the 19th century and are still available today. Egg tempera (where the medium is an emulsion of egg yolk mixed with oil) is still in use as well, as are encaustic wax-based paints. Gouache is a variety of opaque watercolor which was also used in the Middle Ages and Renaissance for manuscript illuminations. The pigment was often made from ground semiprecious stones such as lapis lazuli and the binder made from either gum arabic or egg white. Gouache, also known as 'designer color' or 'body color' is commercially available today.

Poster paint has been used primarily in the creation of student works, or by children.

The "painter's mussel", a European freshwater mussel. Individual shell valves were used by artists as a small dish for paint.

Application

Paint can be applied as a solid, a gaseous suspension (aerosol) or a liquid. Techniques vary depending on the practical or artistic results desired.

As a solid (usually used in industrial and automotive applications), the paint is applied as a very fine powder, then baked at high temperature. This melts the powder and causes it to adhere (stick) to the surface. The reasons for doing this involve the chemistries of the paint, the surface itself, and perhaps even the chemistry of the substrate (the overall object being painted). This is commonly referred to as "powder coating" an object.

As a gas or as a gaseous suspension, the paint is suspended in solid or liquid form in a gas that is sprayed on an object. The paint sticks to the object. This is commonly referred to as "spray painting" an object. The reasons for doing this include:

• The application mechanism is air and thus no solid object ever touches the object being painted;
• The distribution of the paint is very uniform so there are no sharp lines;
• It is possible to deliver very small amounts of paint;
• A chemical (typically a solvent) can be sprayed along with the paint to dissolve together both the delivered paint and the chemicals on the surface of the object being painted;
• Some chemical reactions in paint involve the orientation of the paint molecules.

In the liquid application, paint can be applied by direct application using brushes, paint rollers, blades, other instruments, or body parts such as fingers.

Paint application by spray is the most popular method in industry. In this, paint is atomized by the force of compressed air or by the action of high pressure compression of the paint itself, which results in the paint being turned into small droplets which travel to the article which is to be painted.

Rollers generally have a handle that allows for different lengths of poles which can be attached to allow for painting at different heights. Generally, roller application takes two coats for even color. A roller with a thicker nap is used to apply paint on uneven surfaces. Edges are often finished with an angled brush.

After liquid paint is applied, there is an interval during which it can be blended with additional painted regions (at the "wet edge") called "open time." The open time of an oil or alkyd-based emulsion paint can be extended by adding white spirit, similar glycols such as Dowanol (propylene glycol ether) or commercial open time prolongers. This can also facilitate the mixing of different wet paint layers for aesthetic effect. Latex and acrylic emulsions require the use of drying retardants suitable for water-based coatings.

Paint may also be applied by flipping the paint, dripping, or by dipping an object in paint.

Interior/exterior house paint tends to separate when stored, the heavier components settling to the bottom. It should be mixed before use, with a flat wooden stick or a paint mixing accessory; pouring it back and forth between two containers is also an effective manual mixing method. Paint stores have machines for mixing the paint by shaking it vigorously in the can for a few minutes.

The opacity and the film thickness of paint may be measured using a drawdown card.

Oil-based paints when dry tend to be very durable, washable, and long-lasting. The paint would take about almost 1 day to dry.

Water-based paints tend to be the safest, and easiest to clean up after using—the brushes and rollers can be cleaned with soap and water.

It is difficult to reseal the paint container and store the paint well for a long period of time. It should be stored upside down, for a good seal. Storage should be in a cool dry place, protected from freezing.

Proper disposal of left over paint is a challenge. Sometimes it can be recycled: Old paint may be usable for a primer coat or an intermediate coat, and paints of similar chemistry can be mixed to make a larger amount of a uniform color.

If it is necessary to dispose of paint, one approach is to dry it, either by leaving the lid off until it solidifies (which tends to work well only for small quantities), or by pouring it into a disposable drying device, such as a piece of plywood surrounded by a lip. Once dry, the paint may be discarded with normal trash. Wet oil based paint should be treated as hazardous waste, and disposed of according to local regulations. ^[5][6]

Product variants

A collection of cans of paint and variants

• Primer is a preparatory coating put on materials before painting. Priming ensures better adhesion of paint to the surface, increases paint durability, and provides additional protection for the material being painted.
• Emulsion paint is a water-based paint used for painting interior or exterior surfaces.
• Varnish and shellac provide a protective coating without changing the color. They are paints without pigment.
• Wood stain is a type of paint that is very "thin," that is, low in viscosity, and formulated so that the pigment penetrates the surface rather than remaining in a film on top of the surface. Stain is predominantly pigment or dye and solvent with little binder, designed primarily to add color without providing a surface coating.
• Lacquer is usually a fast-drying solvent-based paint or varnish that produces an especially hard, durable finish.
• An enamel paint is a paint that dries to an especially hard, usually glossy, finish. Enamel paints contain either glass powder or tiny metal flake fragments instead of the color pigments found in standard oil-based paints. Enamel paint is sometimes mixed with varnish or urethane to increase shine as well as assist its hardening process.
• A glaze is an additive used with paint to slow drying time and increase translucency, as in faux painting and Art Painting.
• A roof coating is a fluid applied membrane which has elastic properties that allows it to stretch and return to their original shape without damage. It provides UV protection to polyurethane foam and is widely used as part of a roof restoration system.
• Fingerpaint is a kind of paint intended to be applied with the fingers; it typically comes in pots and is used by small children, though it has very occasionally been used by adults either to teach art to children, or for their own independent use.
• Inks are similar to paints, except they are typically made using finely ground pigments or dyes, and are designed so as not to leave a thick film of binder.
• Titanium dioxide is extensively used for both house paint and artist's paint, because it is permanent and has good covering power. Titanium oxide pigment accounts for the largest use of the element. Titanium paint is an excellent reflector of infrared, and is extensively used in solar observatories where heat causes poor seeing conditions.
• Anti-graffiti coatings are used to defeat the marking of surfaces by graffiti vandals. There are two categories, sacrificial and non-bonding. Sacrificial coatings are clear coatings that allow the removal of graffiti, usually by pressure washing the surface with high-pressure water, removing the graffiti, and the coating (hence, sacrificed). They must be re-applied afterward for continued protection. This is most commonly used on natural-looking masonry surfaces, such as statuary and marble walls, and on rougher surfaces that are difficult to clean. Non-bonding coatings are clear, high-performance coatings, usually catalyzed polyurethanes, that allow the graffiti very little to bond to. After the graffiti is discovered, it can be removed with the use of a solvent wash, without damaging the underlying substrate or protective coating. These work best when used on smoother surfaces, and especially over other painted surfaces, including murals.
• Anti-climb paint is a non-drying paint that appears normal while still being extremely slippery. It is usually used on drainpipes and ledges to deter burglars and vandals from climbing them, and is found in many public places. When a person attempts to climb objects coated with the paint, it rubs off onto the climber, as well as making it hard for them to climb.

Dangers

• Non-toxic paints – Average household paint contains up to 10,000 chemicals, of which about approximately 300 are toxins, and 150 are harmful and have been linked to kidney damage, liver damage, or cancer.^[7] Even after application and drying, paints and finishes continue to release these toxic emissions into the air for many years to come. The source of those toxins are VOCs. Up until recently very high levels of VOC's were widely utilized in paint products and finishes.^[8] Non-Toxic paints do not contain as many volatile organic compounds, which makes enclosed air safer to breath for people vs. regular paint. It also has a less damaging effect on the environment as it reduces landfill, groundwater and ozone depleting contaminants. VOC's are the second largest source of emissions into the atmosphere after automobiles.

See also

• Formulations
• Powder coating
• Primer
• Lacquer
• Varnish
• Fresco
• Faux painting
• Brush
• Adhesive
• Adhesion Tester
• Roof coating
• Society for Protective Coatings
• Soy paint
• NACE International
• Paint (software)
• Bresle test
• Dewcheck
• Environmental issues with paint
• Paint recycling

References

1. ^ * Berendsen, A. M., & Berendsen, A. M. (1989). Marine painting manual. London: Graham & Trotman. ISBN 1853332860 p. 113.
2. ^ ^{a b} Berendsen, A. M., & Berendsen, A. M. (1989). Marine painting manual. London: Graham & Trotman. ISBN 1853332860 p. 114.
3. ^ "FORMULATIONS Fundamentals, Manipulation, Calculation and Data Management"p. 61.
4. ^ DailyTech - Nissan Develops Color Changing Paint for Vehicles
5. ^ "Safe Use, Storage and Disposal of Paint"
6. ^ "Storage and Disposal of Paint Facts"
7. ^ HowStuffWorks - How Low-VOC Paint Works
8. ^ EearthEasy - Non-Toxic Paints

Further reading

• Bently, J. (Author) and Turner, G.P.A. (Author) (1997). Introduction to Paint Chemistry and Principles of Paint Technology. Unk.. ISBN 0412723204. 
• Talbert, Rodger (2007). Paint Technology Handbook. Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. ISBN 1574447033. 
• Woodbridge, Paul R. (Editor) (1991). Principles of Paint Formulation. Unk.. ISBN 0412029510. 

External links

Look up paint in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Paints, Coatings and Inks Formulation – Daily updated library of Articles and Editorials; Additives, Resins & Pigments Database; Technical Solutions to innovate with Paints Coatings and Inks.
• 20 recipes for homemade paint
• Homemade Paint Recipes for Children
• DIYinfo.org's All About Painting – A lot of information on paint, finishes, preparation, etc.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - maling, kosmetik, pensling
v. tr. - male, sminke , pensle
v. intr. - sminke sig

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    male sig ind i et hjørne
• paint out    male over
• paint over    male over
• paint program    tegneprogram; software
• paint stripper    maling/lakfjerner
• paint the town red    male byen rød

Nederlands (Dutch)
verf, verfstof, cosmetica, schilderen, beschrijven, penselen, verven, zich opmaken

Français (French)
n. - (gén, Art) peinture, fard (hum)
v. tr. - (lit) peindre, faire le portrait de, (fig) dépeindre, (Méd) badigeonner (de)
v. intr. - peindre

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    se mettre en mauvaise position
• paint out    faire disparaître sous une couche de peinture
• paint over    couvrir de peinture
• paint program    (Comput) programme de dessin
• paint stripper    décapant, racloir
• paint the town red    faire la noce

Deutsch (German)
n. - Farbe, Schminke
v. - malen, anstreichen, (sich) schminken

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    sich selbst in Verlegenheit bringen
• paint out    übermalen
• paint over    übermalen
• paint program    Malprogramm
• paint stripper    Abbeizer
• paint the town red    auf die Pauke hauen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - βαφή, χρώμα, μπογιά
v. - βάφω, μπογιατίζω, χρωματίζω, απεικονίζω, ζωγραφίζω, μακιγιάρω, φτιασιδώνω, περιγράφω με ζωηρά χρώματα

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    οδηγούμαι (μόνος μου) σε αδιέξοδο
• paint out    απαλείφω με μπογιά, ζωγραφίζω από πάνω
• paint over    σκεπάζω με μπογιά
• paint program    (Η/Υ) πρόγραμμα ζωγραφικής
• paint stripper    αποχρωστικό υλικό
• paint the town red    ξεφαντώνω

Italiano (Italian)
dipingere, pitturare, verniciare, colore, pittura

idioms:

• paint out    cancellare
• paint over    dipingere su
• paint stripper    sverniciatore
• paint the town red    fare baldoria, farne di tutti i colori

Português (Portuguese)
n. - tinta (f)
v. - pintar, colorir, descrever (fig.)

idioms:

• paint out    disfarçar algo com pintura
• paint over    pintar por cima
• paint stripper    descascador de tintas
• paint the town red    pintar o sete

Русский (Russian)
красить, краситься, расписывать, краска, окраска

idioms:

• paint out    закрашивать
• paint over    закрашивать
• paint stripper    средство для снятия краски
• paint the town red    пускаться в загул

Español (Spanish)
n. - pintura, color, tinte
v. tr. - pintar, describir, untar, dar unos toques
v. intr. - pintar, pintarse, servir de modelo

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    meterse en camisa de once varas
• paint out    tapar con una mano de pintura
• paint over    repintar, volver a pintar
• paint program    (informática) programa de pintura
• paint stripper    quitapintura
• paint the town red    irse de juerga, irse de parranda

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - målarfärg, pl. färger, färgtuber, smink
v. - måla, stryka med färg, färga, sminka, skildra (bildl.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
油漆, 绘画作品, 颜料, 画, 绘画, 涂以颜色, 涂, 搽, 化妆, 涂脂抹粉

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    使自己陷于困境
• paint out    用油漆或颜料等涂掉
• paint over    涂掉
• paint program    画图软件
• paint stripper    脱漆剂
• paint the town red    狂欢, 胡闹

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 油漆, 繪畫作品, 顏料
v. tr. - 油漆, 畫, 繪畫, 塗以顏色, 塗, 搽
v. intr. - 油漆, 化妝, 繪畫, 塗脂抹粉

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    使自己陷於困境
• paint out    用油漆或顏料等塗掉
• paint over    塗掉
• paint program    畫圖軟體
• paint stripper    脫漆劑
• paint the town red    狂歡, 胡鬧

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 그림물감, 페인트, 착색
v. tr. - 페인트를 칠하다 , 색칠하다
v. intr. - 페인트로 칠하다 , 그림을 그리다, 화장하다

idioms:

• paint oneself into a corner    도망가거나 조치를 취할 여지를 주지 않다
• paint out    페인트로 칠하여 지우다
• paint over    위에 페인트칠을 하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - ペンキ, 絵の具, ほお紅, 化粧品
v. - ペンキを塗る, 絵をかく, かく, 生き生きと描写する, 化粧する, 塗る, 絵を描く, 飾る

idioms:

• paint out    ペンキで塗り消す
• paint over    覆い隠す
• paint stripper    ペンキ落とし
• paint the town red    底抜け騒ぎをする

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) طلاء, دهان, صبغه (فعل) يدهن, يطلي, يصبغ, يتبرج بمستحضر التجميل, يرسم, يصور‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צבע‬
v. tr. - ‮צבע, צייר, מרח, תיאר‬
v. intr. - ‮מרח, כיסה בצבע‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.