MORE ABOUT STAINS AND PAINTS - PART 2
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 could last longer. It may last longer, but as I then 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 designed to withstand the outside. Interior paints have additives that help the paint dry out to a durable, uniform finish.
Most of the advances in painting technology have been with latex. Actually, latex has overtaken oil-based paint in a number of areas: toughness and elasticity, as well as ease of application, clean-up, and disposal. Latexes have fewer VOCs than oil-based paints. Some, like the Pristine collection created by Benjamin Moore, are created with no VOCs in any way. 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 lttle bit of attractiveness for interior applications, especially for walls and ceilings. Alkyds continue to be the professionals' choice for trimming work because oil based paints are better to paint on detailed surfaces like molding and hardwood trim. However, that traditional approach is slowly changing as better latexes, including Pratt & Lambert's Accolade Interior Acrylic Semi Gloss, come on the market.
Exterior Paints Coatings for Each and Every Job
Moisture is an important consideration for exterior paint selection. Each day a family of four will generate several gallons of vaporized water inside a house.
Coupled with naturally occurring humidity, this can mean a lot of moisture moving through the walls and siding. Moisture is highest in the baths and kitchen. If these rooms aren't sufficiently ventilated, water will migrate through the wall surfaces. Vapor barriers help to contain wetness, but vapor always seeks to leave. The structure of a residence, the sort of vapor barrier it has, ventilation, and humidity 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 dampness go through, unlike alkyd paints, which form a waterproof seal. Alkyds also don't flex with floors that expand and shrink, as wood does, especially in colder climates. Latex paints have more elasticity, allowing better adhesion.
I prefer using latex on most exterior surface areas, including wood siding, stucco, and masonry. Latexes withstand 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 do a great job of covering cement. Despite its hardness, cement is very porous, and oil-based paints don't always stay well. For ideal 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 requires water. Thinners add one more expenditure, are hard to get rid of, and usually end up spattered on my skin or clothes, no matter how careful I am.
Take The Headache Out of Using Stains
You are able to spend a life time studying stains and sealers, but there's nothing mysterious about them. The bottom line in determining which stain to utilize is to become acquainted with the product lines available. Scan the label, along with any product information you can get, and speak to the personnel 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 sturdiness and help preserve 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's why a pigmented stain is definitely 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, which are much easier to apply, blend, and touch up. Pigmented stains are lighter in color and draw out more of the wood grain. If you are looking for darker results, a dyed stain provides what you would like in one layer (make 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 make certain to consider the ease of maintenance in your choice of stains. You'll receive the best results by using better stains such as Minwax, Pratt & Lambert's Tonetic, Pittsburgh's Rez, or Wood-Kote.
If you wish to steer clear of the watery nature of stains, try a gel stain, which has had almost all of the liquid solvent removed. Gels are simple to use. They wipe on, dry out fast, and cover evenly. Because 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 with out a toner. Gel stains do a excellent job of bringing out the grain on embossed metal or composite surfaces. I don't recommend using them for hardwoods, which require a good dye stain to emphasize the depth and beauty of the grain.
No-Fuss Painting Using Sanding Sealers
Sanding sealers are interior primers that both penetrate and seal wood. You should use them under clear coats or on top of stains as sealers. Sanding sealers are different from a sealer like polyurethane, which is not made to prime. They're similar to varnish, but diluted with solvents to permit better penetration for priming. The hardness of varnishes and lacquers helps prevent them from soaking in to the wood pores. Sanding sealer provides a better bond for clear coats.
Shellacs are often put into sanding sealers to fortify the resin and offer a quick drying agent. In addition they add an amber tone, so if you're utilizing a sanding sealer with shellac, make sure it won't impact the stain. Shellacs tend to yellow aver time and contain toluene, that has a very high VOC content. Shellacs are slowly offering ways to new sanding sealer formulas with lower VOCs and better performance.
Alkyd resin sanding sealers also have high VOCs, although significantly less than their shellac based cousins. Pittsburgh Paints makes a slow dry alkyd resin sanding sealer without shellac known as Rez 77-1. This specific primer/sealer is good for both interiors and exteriors. Pratt & Lambert's Latex Sanding Sealer has very low VOCs, but is purely for interior wood and must not be used under a water borne polyurethane.
Oil-based sanding sealers also can be used to seal outside wood, especially decking, which is continually subjected to sun and water. For color uniformity in areas like decks, you need to completely coat, or back prime, the wood before it goes up, using the same sealer or stain. Olympic Water Guard, Messmer's UV Plus, Behr's, & most top quality deck stains are great water repellent sealers that also can be utilized for priming outdoor wood.
Method for Wood and Stain Sealers on 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 coating on unstained wood trim. They could be used for any type of wood trim, including windows, doors, and the casing around them. Although you can purchase 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 may 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 ideal for years. Make sure there's no wax in your cleaner, because wax clogs wood pores. I prefer to work with Hope's Tung Oil varnish for a wipe-on maintenance layer. Lacquer is a quick drying sealer that almost always must 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 resting on it. Polyurethanes brush on and dry quickly, with little stench and VOCs. They have more or less replaced shellacs as a clear sealer. Another reason urethanes have become such popular sealers is the fact they don't require sanding sealers.
The smells associated with many paints and stains can be more than simply offensive, they can be toxic. Solvent based varnishes, lacquers, and shellacs provide a ultra hard covering but contain very high VOC levels. Water borne sealers, like the stains, match the performance of many solvent based sealers, with fewer VOCs. The VOC content of water based 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 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 will also harden or "flash off" quickly at conditions greater than 60°F. The 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 this case, flashing-off simply means that the solvent evaporates and leaves the resins to finish the drying process. A contractor I knew once used water based 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, among others.
Stains and Sealers for the Exterior
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 grow 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 also easier to maintain as it ages. However, I favor 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 usually have more solids than a typical exterior stain, which make them stronger. I would recommend buying a high-end stain that is semi-transparent or what's called a trans-oxide. Until lately, the major problem with outside 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 different sealer coating, although you can add one (such as Olympic Water Guard) if you believe extra protection is required to combat water and sun exposure. Better deck stains retail for approximately $35 a gallon and cover 300 to 400 sq. ft.
Avoid using deck stains that contain silicone. Despite their low price, they are not a good deal. Advertisements for silicone stains and deck sealers often show beaded up water on the deck, and many people are fooled into thinking that this is actually the indication of a successful coating. However, silicon breaks down quickly, usually in just a matter of months, leaving a discolored, waxy coat that is clearly a pain to eliminate. The broken down silicone also stops repelling water.
"High build" coatings such as Sikkens and Messmers work remarkably well on exterior siding, but they are too soft to be utilized on your deck. Stripping these coatings can take gallons of wood cleaner and a significant amount of work.
Water based outside stains, such as Sherwin Williams Woodscapes, combine the features of oil-based and latex coatings. They run and drip less than oil based stain, and dry out faster, allowing for two coatings the same day. Water based stains have the resilience and overall flexibility of any latex stain, which gives them stamina. They're a great choice for some applications. But bear in mind that clearing up water based stains needs work. You can find a couple of oil components in the solvent which may have to be cleaned. First use soap and water, then alcohol. Ask your supplier for specific cleaning directions for water based stains, and read the label.
When In Doubt, Ask Questions
In the event that you still have questions about which paint or stain to make use of, don't hesitate to ask people in the know. An experienced, proficient salesperson can clear up any questions you might have. Look for a paint store with personnel having at least 10 years of experience in the business. Ask them what has worked best for your particular application and ask to see a spec sheet on the merchandise in question.
The answers you get will be based upon whom you ask. A paint store will try to market you one their own products, in the end, that is why they're in business. Painting contractors might not be impartial, either. They have to sell their competence. I get lots of telephone calls from people seeking help with their painting problems. Most painters, including myself, don't mind 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 traveling time involved. A paid analysis will tell you 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 require specific answers.
Sound Quality Painting
824 90th Dr SE suite B
Lake Stevens WA 98258
(425) 512-7400
