Knowing which kind of paint is best for your wooden fence isn’t easy. There are a lot of different variables that come together when factoring in what makes a paint good, and it’s not always easy to tell a quality paint from its lesser counterpart. Price is typically a good indicator of quality, as higher quality paints are typically more expensive for the cost of higher-grade materials put in it, but that’s no guarantee that price equals quality. High-quality paints can go on sale for a number of reasons, and you might end up buying a lesser paint for a higher price if you shop blindly.
It Is What It’s Made Of
You know the old adage, “you are what you eat?” Well, the same can be said for paint, more or less. Paint is made of four main components: pigment, binder, solvent, and additives, which in turn is made up of different things. Those four things are what makes paint vary in color and quality. What you really need to look for is in the quality of each different component of paint. Preferably, you want high-quality materials put in each one of the four components.
Pigments and Paint
Pigments give the paint its color. High-quality pigments have more prime pigments than extender pigments. If you’re looking for a more vibrant form of paint, you’ll need plenty of prime pigments. Here are a few popular choices in paint to look for in quality paint. For white paints, look for titanium dioxide. For red, red iron oxide. For green, chrome green oxide. While you want to look for more prime pigments, extender pigments are necessary to add to the thickness of the paint, or to keep its glossiness.
Acrylic and Oil Paint
Binders give the paint its stain and crack resistance. Acrylic makes for a quality binder for its adhesion and durability, two things that enable the paint to stick to the fence and withstand the elements well. Acrylic lasts for a long time. Acrylic paints don’t have the toxicity or smelly nature oily paints can have, so if pets and young children are a concern, acrylic paint might be a good choice for you.
Oily paints have a wider range of colors to choose from, but they lose color over time. Oily paints dry slower than acrylic, which can be a good thing if you don’t mind spending a meticulous amount of time painting. This allows for a bit of room for error in the case of using the wrong kind of paint on a section of your fence. You can wipe up the paint before it settles in an emergency. The biggest advantage oily paints have over acrylic is over how many more pigments it has compared to acrylic.
Additives And Solvent
A solvent is what paint is mixed in, or the “main ingredient.” Two common solvents are water, which is used acrylics, and paint thinner, which is used in oil-based paint. Additives are helpful things mixed in with the paint to improve its quality. Additives come in many shapes and forms, but ultimately, an additive is anything that serves to improve the paint in some way. Additives provide a number of different roles, from improving the gloss or richness of paint to providing a bit of extra protection for it. You can ask your paint provider about a paint’s composition if you’re unsure if it’s made of quality paint-stock or not.
If you want to know more about which kind of paint is best for your fence, feel free to give us a call on our phone number (1-800-221-6425) or visit us at one of our convenient locations in Swainsboro, Vidalia, Statesboro, or Sandersville.
