Oil or Water Based Paints? Know Which Paint Fits Your Requirements

An important point while considering painting your home or office is the type of paint. A majority of paint manufacturers offer two basic types of paints, these are oil based or water based paints. Both these paints when applied on surfaces can bring out astonishing results. To make this work easy for you we have talked about both these paints in detail below.

Water Based Paints

Water based paints are highly soluble in water and can be thinned easily to suit the painting requirements without the use of chemical solvents. The surfaces painted using such paints dry quickly. These paints are eco-friendly and thus cause no damage to the surroundings. If you have kids at home or someone highly prone to allergies then water based emulsion paints are best to use.

These paints can be used for interior walls as they offer flexibility and quick-dry convenience. Apart from this water based paints can be formulated to create the desired effects on the walls making them the first choice for wall finishes. Using these paints you can paint your home the way you wish, be it an ethnic or a contemporary look the effects and textures can be implemented tastefully on the walls.

Interiors home walls can be turned into a magnum opus for all to admire with water based emulsion paints. The advantages of these paints are many when considering interior wall painting but if you are looking at painting exteriors oil based will serve the purpose better. We have discussed oil based paints in detail below.

Oil Based Paints

Oil based paints are not soluble in water and need the help of chemical solvents to be thinned. These are primarily used for exterior wall painting as they have the ability to withstand harsh weather conditions. These emulsion paints do not chip off from the surface or get washed away with water as they are not water based this is a great advantage for getting exterior wall painting job done.

When applying oil based paints proper care and precautions are required to be taken by the painters as well as the home owners. The chemicals present in these paints are released in the air during the application process which may result in foul odor too. The paint manufacturers are trying their best to reduce such effects and now offer oil based paints that are free of lead. Lead was an important ingredient used in paints to decrease the drying duration, but looking at the environmental and health hazardous of this practice many refrain from its use.

Oil based emulsion paints can be applied to rough and tough surfaces. If you are using a good quality oil based paint you will not have to worry about fungus or changing weather attacking your exterior walls until a few years.

Both the oil and water based paints have their own unique properties and help in giving walls the desired look. Now that you know which type of paint will suit your interior or exterior painting need you choose your paints carefully and smartly.