Types of Paint Finishes

Unsure of where you need to start for home painting?

Educating yourself on the type of finishes become a lost art, as most of the attention is only on the types of colors.

Here are some popular types of paint finishes you can familiarize yourself with before diving deeper into a painting project.

Oil Vs Water

First is oil-based versus water-based.

When we discuss oil-based paint, this consists of resin and pigment within a solvent thinner. As thinners begin to evaporate the hard coating’s resins being to form and then leave a pigment behind which creates the coating.

When discussing water-based, water is used as the carrier then consists of binder and pigment.

Despite of these being the two major types of paint used today, and because lead-based is not widely used anymore, there still are some more finishes you can consider when choosing a type of paint.

Matte or Flat

Using a finish that is matte will more than likely cover up and hide most imperfections for example, chips within the siding panels or a crack, but despite of this, it becomes more difficult to clean.

With this being said, a matte or flat finish is usually for siding.

Glossy

When talk about glossy paint, most of the characteristics are along the lines of being shiny, hard, and durable, that can be considered easier to maintain compared to flat.

For glossy paint you can apply to doors and trims, smaller details make the aesthetics pop.

One tip, when you use a finish that is glossy, this will magnify any imperfections, so make sure you do not use on walls or siding, for that use matte.

Satin

Lastly is satin.

This finish is an in-between glossy and flat.

Despite of presenting a glossy aesthetic, it is not as intense as actual glossy.

This finish will help hide imperfections just as a matte finish would.

It is easier to clean compared to matte because of a slightly glossier finish.

Conclusion

When thinking of exterior paint the choices become more tricky due to the type of weather that the paint has to endure.

Two extremes come to mind from both heat and freezing temps and then humidity and sun.

There are some paints designed for certain areas of your home, one example is roof paint that is mildew-deterrent but should not be applied for waterproofing.

This paint can be modified through tint to match the roof color.

Masonry paints which is used for concrete, cement, stucco, and shingles are also a different type.

Deciding on paint base is very important along with the type of color and finish, your location factors in all of these items.

Don’t get overwhelmed, contact us today as we have been serving Colorado since 2010, we offer free estimates and color suggestions also, and we are bonded and insured.