This is part 2 of a 2 part series of articles on paints and stains.
Exactly What You Are Looking For - Interior Paints Coatings for Each Job
Did you ever wonder about the difference between interior and exterior paints? I once used exterior paint on an inside ceiling, reasoning that it would last longer. It may endure longer, but as I found out when I needed to touch up the ceiling only 2 years 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 surface finish.
A lot of the advances in painting technology have been with latex. Actually, latex has overtaken oil-based paint in a number of areas: strength and elasticity, as well as ease of use, clean-up, and disposal. Latexes have fewer VOCs than oil-based paints. Some, including the Pristine series made by Benjamin Moore, are created with no VOCs at all. Today's latexes are created with higher quality pigments and binders that give them more body, so each goes on thicker.
Latexes enjoy quite a lttle bit of attractiveness for interior applications, especially for walls and ceilings. Alkyds stay the professionals' choice for trim work because oil based paints are simpler to paint on detailed surfaces like molding and trim. However, that traditional approach is gradually changing as better latexes, including Pratt & Lambert's Accolade Interior Acrylic Semi Gloss, are introduced to the market.
Exactly What You Are Looking For - Exterior Paint Coatings
Moisture can be an important consideration for exterior paint selection. Each day a family group of four will generate several gallons of vaporized water inside a house.
Combined with naturally occurring humidity, this may mean a lot of moisture moving through the walls and siding. Water is highest in the baths and kitchen. If these rooms aren't sufficiently ventilated, moisture will migrate through the surfaces. Vapor barriers help contain wetness, but vapor always seeks to escape. The structure of a residence, the sort of vapor barrier they have, ventilation, and moisture all make selecting the right paint critical.
In wetter climates you require 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 floors that expand and shrink, as wood will, especially in colder climates. Latex paints have significantly more elasticity, allowing better adhesion.
I favor using latex on all exterior surfaces, including wood siding, stucco, and cement. Latexes withstand fading 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 do a great job of covering concrete. Despite its hardness, concrete is very porous, and oil-based paints don't always adhere well. For greatest 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 expenditure, 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 can spend a life learning about stains and sealers, but there's nothing mysterious about them. The bottom line in figuring out which stain to work with is to become acquainted with the product lines available. Read the label, along with any product information you can get, and speak to the staff at a professional paint shop.
Exterior stains come in oil based, varnish, polyurethane, and water-borne solvents. Stains have less colorant than paint and more solvents, providing them with better wood penetration. Waterproofing is important with exterior stains. Most come with built-in sealants to add durability and help protect the wood. The color 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 always used along with 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, which are much easier to apply, mix, and touch up. Pigmented stains are lighter in color and bring out more of the wood grain. If you're looking for darker results, a dyed stain will provide what you want in one overcoat (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 be certain to consider the ease of maintenance in your choice 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 has had most of the liquid solvent removed. Gels are easy to use. They spread on, dry out 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 hard to coat 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 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 permit better penetration for priming. The hardness of varnishes and lacquers stops them from soaking in to the wood pores. Sanding sealer provides a better bond for clear coats.
Shellacs are often added to sanding sealers to fortify the resin and offer an instant drying agent. They also add an amber tone, so if you're by using a sanding sealer with shellac, make sure it will not influence the stain. Shellacs tend to yellow aver time and contain toluene, that has a high VOC content. Shellacs are gradually giving 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 out 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 suprisingly low VOCs, but is only for interior wood and must not be used under a water borne polyurethane.
Oil-based sanding sealers can also be utilized to seal outdoor wood, especially decking, which is constantly exposed to sun and water. For color regularity in areas like decks, it's best 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, & most high end deck stains are excellent water repellent sealers that can also be utilized for priming outdoor wood.
No-Fuss Wood and Stain Sealers for Interior Wood
Sealers, including varnishes, lacquers, urethanes, and shellacs, are added to the stain itself, applied as a top coat on top of a stain, or used as a clear coating on unstained wood trim. They can be used for any type of trim, including windows, entry doors, and the casing around them. Although you can buy stain/sealer combinations, they have a tendency to yellow, are difficult to maintain, and don't endure as long as separately applied stain and sealers.
Varnishes contain natural oils such as Tung oil, an extremely hard, durable sealant that can be brushed on and dries slowly. Varnishes are easy to completely clean and keep maintaining with soap and water followed by a wiped on varnish, which often keeps a wood surface looking great for years. Make sure there's no wax in your cleaner, because wax clogs wood pores. I prefer making use of Hope's Tung Oil varnish for a wipe-on maintenance overcoat. Lacquer is a quick drying sealer that almost always must be sprayed, since it becomes tacky almost immediately.
Polyurethanes do almost anything shellac does, but they're easier to maintain. While shellacs act like paint, polyurethanes act more like a clear coat that permeates the wood instead of resting on top of it. Polyurethanes brush on and dry out quickly, with little odor 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 numerous paints and stains can be more than just offensive, they can be toxic. Solvent based varnishes, lacquers, and shellacs give a ultra hard covering 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 usual VOCs of oil-based lacquers. The ethers in water borne sealers aren't combustible, another advantage, but they still have enough VOCs to warrant a respirator.
Although they resist yellowing, water borne sealers such as acrylic latex polyurethanes do have a tendency to raise the grain. They'll also harden or "flash off" quickly at temps greater than 60°F. The best working temperature for most water borne acrylic latex polyurethanes is between 50°F and 60°F, which lets them flash a bit 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 based latex polyurethane sealer that flashed off so fast he could only use it between 5 A.M. and 9 A.M. Anything later than that was too warm.
Minwax makes very good water borne polyurethane, as do Pittsburgh, Pratt & Lambert, Benjamin Moore, among others.
Method for Stains and Sealers on Exteriors
Because of their better penetration and sealing ability, 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. Some 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 usually have more solids when compared to a typical outside stain, which make them more durable. I would recommend buying a high-end stain that is semi-transparent or what's called a trans-oxide. Until just lately, the major problem with outside stains was their low UV resistance, but newer trans-oxides have finely ground metal mixed in for better protection. A high end deck stain won't need a different sealer overcoat, although you can add one (such as Olympic Water Guard) if you believe extra protection is needed to fight dampness and sun exposure. Better deck stains retail for approximately $35 a gallon and cover 300 to 400 sq. ft.
Avoid using deck stains which contain silicone. Despite their low price, they are not a good deal. Advertisements for silicon stains and deck sealers often show beaded up water over 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 remove. The broken down silicone also quits repelling water.
"High build" coatings such as Sikkens and Messmers work remarkably well on outside siding, nonetheless they are too soft to be utilized on your deck. Eliminating these coatings takes gallons of wood cleaner and way too much work.
Water borne exterior stains, such as Sherwin Williams Woodscapes, incorporate the features of oil-based and latex coatings. They run and drip less than oil based stain, and dry faster, enabling two coatings the same day. Water based stains possess the resilience and versatility of your latex stain, which gives them lasting strength. They're a great choice for most applications. But bear in mind that clearing up water borne stains can take work. You can find a couple of oil components in the solvent which have to be cleaned. First use soap and water, then alcohol. Ask your supplier for specific cleaning guidelines for water based stains, and read the label.
When In Doubt, Ask
If you still have questions about which paint or stain to use, don't hesitate to ask people in the know. A skilled, experienced salesperson can clear up any questions you might 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 read a spec sheet on the product in question.
The answers you get will rely upon whom you ask. A paint store will try to sell you one their own products, in the end, that's why they're in business. Painting contractors may not be impartial, either. They have to sell their know-how. I get lots of calls from people needing assistance with their painting problems. Most painters, including myself, don't mind giving an hour of our time, but if you want comprehensive answers, consider hiring a contractor for a professional examination. Rates vary, but I charge about $60 for a written and oral examination, with consideration to the traveling time included. A paid examination will let you know whether you should paint, stain, or re-side, as well as which finish 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
