Non Drip paints are a special category of paints that do not ‘run’. They feel jelly like. In reality, they possess a property called Thixotropy. Thixotropic paints do not have a fixed viscosity over time. That means that their consistency changes depending on the conditions. In this regard, they are called “Non-Newtonian”, which means that their viscosity cannot be captures by a single constant.

Image Credit: david (hello india, nice to meet you!)

These paints become liquid under pressure. The will be jelly like in the can. But if you stir it inside the can itself, it becomes a liquid. If you leave it alone for a while, the paint will be a jelly once more.

Non-Drip paints are useful if you don’t want the hasse of cleaning up the floor after your paint job. Or if you have a carpet that you don’t want to take out. There is a trick in applying the paint however. The idea is to take out a blob of paint with the brush without wiping off any excess. You must ensure that not too much paint is applied so that it does not run.

Also, overbrushing will cause the gel like paint to undergo stress and become a liquid, which will run down the wall, hence defeating the very purpose of the Non-Drip paint.

Faux Painting is the art of Mimicking any type of surface on a wall, with a coat of paint. Having real marble or wood in your home is an expensive, and time consuming proposition. In addition, you probably don’t want the hassle of maintaining a real finish.

Faux painting allows you to fool your guests into thinking that you have real marble, or rare wood on your walls. The technique was much prized in the middle ages, with painters apprenticing for 10 years or more, before they dared to make their own faux finishes. Painters who could really make their paintings look like the original were in much demand, and commanded a high price.

Marbleizing

This is the process of making it look as if your walls are covered with marble.The picture on the left, shows what the effect looks like. It really looks like marble! Marble happens to be the most imitated stone. The painting centers around mimicking the streaks and patterns of real marble.

Graining

Graining is the process of painting a surface so as to resemble wood. Rare, expensive, or hard to work with woods like Zebrawood, are common targets of Faux painting. The picture above shows a wall painted to look like Zebrawood. Notice how it is pretty much impossible to tell the real thing from the faux!

There are many other faux surfaces and techniques. To get the best results, leave the painting to a professional.

Painting your kitchen can be an easy way to give it that ‘new’ look without actually having to remodel. Remodelling is an expensive proposition, and one that you will want to avoid if possible. Even a cabinet refacing would be more than you would be comfortable with.

Painting your kitchen is very simple, and will take you a full day. Do this in the summer, since you will need to keep the doors open to let out the paint fumes.

Image Credit: rochelle, et. al.

Preparing to Paint

First, remove all the doors and associated hardware like knobs from the cabinets with your screwdriver. After cleaning them thoroughly, paint them with the Wood Cleaner that you have bought. This will remove the grease and oil from the wood. If there is even a little bit of that, the primer will not adhere properly.

Make sure the surface is dry before checking the wood for any rough patches. Sandpaper these areas, and wipe away all dust from the surface after doing so. Now apply the Primer sealer, starting from the center, and following the grain of the wood. Make sure the coat is even.

Painting the Cabinets

You need to choose a paint that will suit you. Apart from the colors, the choices are high gloss, or semi gloss paint. Whatever you choose, remember that the brush you use is important. A good quality brush will ensure a superior finish. Just like the primer sealer, you need to start painting at the center, and follow the grain of the wood.

You will need three coats of top paint to get a good finish. Allow for upto four hours for the paint to dry between each layer. Once the doors are done, start on the bases of the cabinets. Since we are not doing the insides, you can apply a thin layer of paint on the inside edge of the cabinets for a more consistent look.

To complete your stylish new kitchen, you can replace the hardware for the doors and drawers. Take some time off to admire your handiwork, and congratulate yourself on a job well done!

In a previous blog post, you read about what Eco friendly paint is. In this article, we will learn some more about them. During the curing and evaporating process, paints release their solvents in the atmosphere. You remember our articles explaining solvents right?

The release of these Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) into the atmosphere, can precipitate effects ranging from Ozone Depletion, to smog, and yes, to Global Warming too. Public sentiment has only been getting stronger in the past few years, and unlike the 1990’s, where the introduction of Green paints bombed, the latest revolution is not going to end.

Image Credit: Sunfrog1

The crux of the matter however, is that painting experts maintain that, despite what the marketers say, paints without VOC’s don’t perform as well as paints that have them. They claim that they require more coats to achieve the same finish, and are not as long lasting.

However, with VOC’s being linked to dizziness, and asthma, public demand is only getting stronger, and the industry has no choice but to respond.

One solution, is to use Latex Paints, that are water based, with an acrylic resin acting as a binder. In addition to being environmentally friendly - Water based means no more VOCs - Latex paints have several other advantages over traditional paints including washability, and better opacity (Ability to completely cover another color).

Of course, being water based means that the Latex paints cannot be used to paint iron, as it will speed up the rusting process. Even so, there is a distinct trend towards latex paints, and new innovations are popping up everywhere.

The term ‘Green Paints’ can not only refer to the overt effects of the paint itself, but the manufacturing process that is followed in order to obtain the paint ingredients. For example, Titanium Dioxide, is widely used in paints for it’s whiteness, and for the fact that it has high ‘Hiding power’. This refers to the refractive index of the material. If the refractive index is high, it will provide greater opacity when it is disbursed in a solvent.

Titanium Dioxide

However, Titanium Dioxide is manufactured by processes called the sulphate, and chloride processes that resulted in diluted Sulphuric acid being created as a by product. These were dispersed into the sea, prompting debate on whether or not this was acceptable. It also meant that all substances that were dissolved in the acid, would also be released into the sea.

Quite apart from more efficient manufacturing practices, Titanium Dioxide, when applied as an exterior coating, reacts with sunlight causing smog. The International Agency for research on Cancer (IARC), has also classified Titanium Dioxide as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen, which means that it is probably an agent leading to the promotion of cancer in humans. Despite this, Titanium Dioxide is widely used.

Given the serious health and environmental damage that paints can have directly through their effects, as well as indirectly through their manufacture, Eco Friendly paints are set to have a major impact on the industry, as well as changing the way we view paint.

You have probably come across the term “Enamel Paint”. Like varnish, it is used to create a hard glossy finish on the substrate that is being enameled.

The special substances that allow Enamel paint to achieve this effect, are nonetheless inferior to true enameling. Real Enameling, also called vitreous enamel, consists of powdering glass, and firing it onto the substance at 850 degrees Celsius. The glass melts onto the surface, and presents a smooth glossy surface that is extremely resilient.

Image Credit: jurvetson

Enamel paints however, can be made simply by adding varnish to regular paint! Most Enamel paint of course, is a bit more complex than that. The modern paints are Latex or water based. The paint is also more opaque than ordinary paint.

Enamel Paint can be used for a wide variety of purposes, like covering concrete floors, industrial uses where the paint has to be extremely quick drying, making a substance heat resistant, or providing special protection to objects that are prone to rust. Nowadays, spray paints are packaged in cans, and these are also enamel paints.

Enamel paints are popular since their hardness allows them to withstand repeated cleaning, and binds well to just about any surface, old and new.

Paint pigments are one of the three primary components of any paint, the other two being the solvent, and the binder. The pigment is the most visible part of the paint, and that’s not surprising, since the purpose of the pigment is to give paint it’s color.

Image Credit: yourbartender

The pigment usually takes the end form of a powder, that is insoluble. This point is important, since it is the main distinguishing factor between pigments and dyes. As pigments do not dissolve, they remain in a state of suspension in the solvent, often resulting in what chemists call, a colloidal solution.

In the olden days, the most valuable pigment was used to produce a color called Ultramarine. This was rare because the only way to obtain the pigment of the color, was to crush the semi-precious stone known as the “Lapis Lazuli”. Now of course, there are several ways to synthesize this color.

Pigments have occasionally caused the economies of entire countries to rise, or fall. For example, it was responsible for the industrial rejuvenation of Germany.

Often, pigments are used for purposes other than coloring, such as forming a protective coat over the substance being painted (Called the substrate) from Ultraviolet rays. It is important that a pigment be stable meaning, that it cannot lose it’s color over time, or become black. Such pigments are called fugitive pigments.

Turpentine is very commonly used in wood work for a variety of reason, primarily for the thinning of paint. However, it is also used chemically as a solvent. So what is turpentine?

Image Credit: Runder

Turpentine is what we call an essential oil. It is characterized by the strong pungent smell that is common to all aromatic compounds. To obtain it, we need to separate it from the Resin that comes primarily from pine trees. Since volatile organic compounds disentigrate at higher temperatures, we use a special sort of distillation called steam distillation, which lowers it’s boiling point for safe extraction.

If you  recall our article on varnish, you will remember that one of the components is a solvent. A solvent is used to dissolve a substance. Ideally, we would like it to be as volatile (ie. evaporates quickly) as possible so that it leaves behind the dissolved substance. So the solvent carries out it’s purpose of making a thick substance easily manageable, and removes itself by evaporation once it has fulfilled that purpose.

This is why turpentine is so commonly used as a paint thinner. The pigment of the paint is thick, and does not flow easily from a brush. When mixed with turpentine, it flows smoothly, gets distributed, and is left behind in a uniform manner when the turpentine is gone.

Turpentine has other uses as well, apart from paint, and was used for medicinal properties in the olden days. Learn the clinical uses of Turpentine here.

Often, you will want to change the color of the wood that is used to make your home, or a piece of furniture. This can be either to fit it in with the rest of the room, or merely as a preference. To accomplish this, Wood Stains are used.

Image Credit: Igniateff

Wood stains are actually paints, but with a difference. Unlike paint, wood stains are meant only to enhance the wood - not to hide it altogether like paint does. Also, a primary ingredient of paint, is the binder, that allows the paint to form a film over the surface. Wood Stains however, contain a very low amount of binder. This allows the stain to sink into the pores of the wood. This is usually followed up with varnish for added protection and finish.

Staining is easiest when the wood is old, and has large pores. It will also depend on the type of stains used. If the pigments are metallic in nature, they will take longer to settle and dry, and this can be a problem in cold damp conditions.

You must also remember, that a few woods that are rare like Maple, or Aged Pine are best not stained at all since they look best in their natural color. Staining must always be done to benefit the wood, otherwise it’s best to leave it alone.

If you’re unsure of how to proceed (And staining can be very complex), get a professional to help you out.

Most people are familiar with the word varnish in reference to making objects made of wood shine, and in some way or the other, protecting the wood. But how does this happen? And what exactly is varnish?

Image Credit: Ctd 2005

Varnish, is a way of placing a tough protective layer over the wood. This layer is transparent, and unlike paint, does not contain any pigment. The result is a shiny substance that covers the wood and protects it.

One of the primary components of Varnish, is a “Drying Oil”. This is a substance that hardens on exposure to Oxygen. It doesn’t really ‘dry’ in the normal sense of the word meaning evaporation, but through a chemical process that involves formations of cross linked polymers. This process is also called curing.

Depending on the type of varnish, the curing time varies widely. It is important to remember that most varnishes are highy flammable as they are drying due to the solvent evaporating. Since varnishes take time to dry, they are best applied in a dust free room, as dust particles will spoil the finish.

The advantages of varnish include restricting the effect of moisture and humid air on wood, and providing a certain amount of protection from casual abrasions. Depending on the specific purpose for which the wood is being varnished, the type of varnish is chosen.

Quite apart from the aesthetic angle of painting (which should by no means be ignored), paints are used for protection in a variety of ways. Most you will know that they are used for preventing corrosion, but you might be surprised in how many ways, this can happen.

Effects of Corrosion

Corrosion happens when a material like Iron comes in contact with the air. The air reacts with the metal, forming a layer of rust. Over time, so much of the metal is eaten up, that it becomes weak, brittle, and can collapse. This photograph shows the fate of the bridge known as the “Silver Bridge” that broke down causing the death of 46 people in 1928. One of the reasons for this, was something called Stress Corrosion Cracking, which means that a small fissure (possibly with the thickness of a hair), can be invaded by the atmosphere, and slowly destroy the integrity of the structure.

To avoid this, paint is used to prevent the material from coming into direct contact with the air. The component of paint called the primer, performs this important duty. It is usually applied before the main coat of paint, and serves the dual purpose of blocking up little pores (In say wood), as well as ensuring that the main coat of paint adheres properly.

Surfaces like wood are degenerated even more quickly by the environment unless protected by a coat of paint or varnish. So painting your house is more than a simple consideration of the appreciating looks your neighbors bestow, but one that shows how much you care for your dwelling.