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Oil-based or Water-based Paint

 

When redecorating your home you don’t want to have to do it again if it doesn’t look quite right.

 

One thing you may have to decide when choosing your paint is do you want an oil-based paint or a water-based paint?

 

 

Water-Based Paint is also sometimes referred to as Latex Paint. As it is water-based this means it is quicker to evaporate and therefore water-based paint is  quicker to dry. Water-based paint is easier to clean than oil-based paint. Water-based paint tends to have more water and less solvents in the ingredients which makes it a more environmentally friendly paint. With it’s quick dry and easy clean attributes water-based or latex paint is a good paint to be used for general painting jobs like walls and ceilings.

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Oil-Based Paint contains either synthetic (Alkyd) or natural (Linseed) oil. With the inclusion of these solvents oil-based paint has a stronger smell than water-based paint. Fifty years ago almost all paint was oil-based paint. Nowadays people are using water-based paint a lot more. Oil-based paint won’t clean as easily as water-based paint and will require turpentine or paint thinners to remove. The fact that this paint includes oil does mean that it will take longer to dry but it also means that it covers better than water-based paint and it gives a smoother finish.

 

 

Water-based paint is usually used on jobs like walls and ceilings. It dries quickly and cleaning is easy. Oil-based paint is more durable and so is used for jobs where surfaces may expect more traffic, for example windows, doors, metalwork and woodwork.

Tags: water-based paint oil-based paint latex paint