Home 
My Place DIY, Hints and Advice Outdoor Living Exterior Painting The Right Paint for the Job
My Place DIY, Hints and Advice Outdoor Living Exterior Painting The Right Paint for the Job
To replace difficult to manage oil-based paints,
a new generation of acrylic water-based paints are becoming more popular for exterior jobs.
|
|
The weather The defining issue when painting your home exterior is the weather. Under relatively mild conditions you should consider repainting your house every 5 to 7 years. If you live where the winters are harsh, or where the rain is heavy, or the temperature range is extreme, you may need to repaint every 3 to 5 years. This may appear to be a relatively short time-frame but it's best not to let the exterior deteriorate too much before you repaint. To get the best result from your painting effort, it's important to choose the right paint for the job. You will need to consider the type of the surface you're about to paint, its condition, age and whether it has had any prior surface treatment. We also need to consider the location of the surface and desired gloss level.  Virtually all paints fall into two categories: water-based acrylic paints and solvent-based paints, which are also known as oil-based paints. About 75 per cent of all paint sold today is acrylic.
....................................................................................................... Acrylic paint Water-based acrylic paints have always been popular with do-it-yourselfers and professional painters. They are easy to clean up with water and offer significant performance advantages as well. There are now fantastic water-based paints available for exterior use, converting even the old school of 'oil is better'. Modern chemistry offers paint formulators a wide range of acrylic, water-based resins that have the same, and in some cases, superior performance than the oil-base paints with the convenience of low odour and being much more earth friendly.  Compared to oil-based paints, top-quality exterior acrylic paints have greater durability, colour retention, and chalk resistance, ensuring they look good for years. Because of their improved elasticity, they can stretch and shrink as the surface they are applied to heats and cools during the day. This means they have better resistance to cracking and this improves their durability. Acrylic paints also dry faster than oil-based paints. This allows for a quicker second coat but means that you must be careful when you paint. It's important to paint during the cooler periods and when the surface you are painting is also cool. If not, it's possible that the paint will dry too quickly, making it difficult to apply and get a good finish. Acrylic paints adhere extremely well to a variety of exterior surfaces and have greater resistance to blistering, flaking and peeling. Acrylic paints are an excellent choice when painting virtually any exterior surfaces, including:
....................................................................................................... Insist on quality Always insist on a good quality exterior paint, at least a medium-priced paint and never just the cheapest thing on the shelf. Drive around your suburb or town and you'll see the results of cutting corners on house paint. When it comes to painting, as with all aspects of major home improvements, you get what you pay for! And with exterior paint, you're buying time, as much time as you can before you need to re-paint. ....................................................................................................... |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
