Enamel, Lacquer, Latex, Varnish, Alkyd. What’s the difference?

This is a common question I get. I’ll do my best to shed some light on the issue.

LATEX

This simply means Water-Based. You can simply clean it up with water.

VARNISH

This is the finish most are familiar with. Varnish has been used for decades as the standard for most projects involving wood finishing. It can be sprayed or brushed. Varnish comes in an Oil-Based and Latex formula. The difference between the two is slight, but important. Both will give the same durability and longevity. The latex is easier to clean up, but does not store as easily because you are required to store it at room temperature. If it freezes, it is no longer usable. An oil-based varnish can be stored anywhere because the oil will not freeze. The oil-based has a tendency to yellow at a faster rate than the latex. Oil-based is also harder to clean and dispose of.

LACQUER

Lacquer is a very hard drying product that looks spectacular on cabinets and trim work. It can only be sprayed, so touch up is harder to do. However lacquer is far superior for cabinets because of its amazing water resistance. It comes in clear as well as a wide range of colors. It also yellows much slower than Varnish or Enamel. So you will hold the true color longer. Also, because of its very fast drying time, it makes projects go faster. Though it is harder to apply and harder to touch up, I would still highly recommend lacquer for any cabinetry, because of the finished product vs. varnish or enamel.

ENAMEL

The difference in Enamel vs. Lacquer or Varnish is that Enamel only comes in colors. Enamel does not come in clear. Enamel can also be sprayed or brushed, but the trade off is that oil-based enamels take up to 12 hours to fully dry. They do make a Latex version of enamel that dries faster, but I have not been as impressed with the quality vs. oil-based. If you have only a small project that needs to be done, latex will be fine. If you have a large project, such as all the trim on a level of the house, I would go with an oil-based. It will hold up better and last longer.

ALKYD

Alkyd is a tricky product because Denatured Alcohol is the only product that can clean it up. The only alkyd-based product that I use frequently is a product called Seal Coat. I used it if I am restoring cabinets or doors to a fresh new clear coat and I need to ensure the oils that have been used over the years do not bleed through the new clear coat. Other than that, I typically stick to lacquer, oil, or latex.

One thing to keep in mind is that as long as you take the lid off the used can of paint and let it dry out, you can simply toss any cans into the standard garbage. Otherwise they will need to be brought to facility to be properly disposed of. If you throw full cans of paint away, you can receive large penalties.

As always, if you have questions, feel free to email me at dave@paradisefinishes.com

Dave Racer

Paradise Finishes, Inc.

www.paradisefinishes.com

651-705-2211

Difference in "sheen"

Hey everyone,

This is my first blog, so do not judge me too harshly. I get the question "what's the big difference between the SHEEN of paint?" I thought it might be helpful if even half of you got something out of it.

FLAT:
This sheen is great for large areas, or walls that have many small imperfections. It dries dead flat, so even with a light source coming down the wall, it will still look good. The positive side is that it touches up really easily, which means you can simply dab paint on the area and it will blend back into the paint. The negative side is that it is not washable, so you will need to touch up.

MATTE:
This sheen is similar to FLAT except it brags washablility. I am not 100% convinced of this because I have washed MATTE walls before, and can see them. But then again I am my worst critic. It touches up well, but again, does not wash quite as well as an EGGSHELL or SATIN.

EGGSHELL:
This is my favored sheen as it has a little shine to it, but it hides fairly well. The higher the sheen, the more imperfections it will show, so just keep that in mind. With any sheen above FLAT you will need to do a good job at, what we in the "biz" call Back Rolling. This happens after you have rolled a couple lines. You take the semi-dry roller and lightly roll back over the freshly rolled areas. This will help reduce the appearance of roller lines.

SATIN:
This sheen is very similar to EGGSHELL except that it has a bit more shine to it.

SEMI-GLOSS:
I almost never use this sheen. It is the highest marketed sheen, but also one of the worst, in my opinion, and here.s why. SEMI-GLOSS is said to have a slight shine, with a nice finish. Every time I have used it on a job it shows all the imperfections on the walls, looks the same dry as it does wet, and takes a much longer time to dry. Because of these factors, I always steer people towards EGGSHELL or SATIN.  A lot of my clients are set on SEMI-GLOSS until I talk them down. Afterward they thank me.

GLOSS:
Unless your painting the inside of a power plant, just say no. :-)

I leave you with this final direction. When painting any walls, after you have patched and sanded the patches, make sure you roll a light coat of paint on the patch spots. Otherwise after you coat, even up to 3 times, you will see right where you patched. By rolling a light coat on all the patch spots, you do a much better job of hiding the patch spots.

Thank you for reading, and have a blessed day.

Any questions, email me at dave@paradisefinishes.com

Dave Racer
Paradise Finishes, Inc.
dave@paradisefinishes.com
www.paradisefinishes.com
651-705-2211