Oil or Water

Once you decide what color scheme to use, you can go on and consider whether it is oil or water based paint that you want to work with. Your decision will depend on the type of finish you want and the amount of clean up and preparation you want to do.

One advantage of an oil-based paint is that the paint adheres better to the surface than a water-based paint. However, it takes longer for oil-based paint to dry, and the odor from the paint is much stronger. The paint color as we see it is formed by oxidation in which oxygen makes contact and blends in with the paint. Clean up for oil based paint requires a solvent such as turpentine and can be messy and the solvents can have a strong odor.

Water-based paint has no oil in it and therefore no strong odor. The process making the paint color appear as we see it is called evaporation. The water evaporates from the paint. When we think of water-based paints we think of latex and acrylic. Both latex and acrylic paint can easily be cleaned with soap and water, unlike oil-based paint.

Whether you choose oil-based or water-based paint, be sure you read and follow the manufacture’s guidelines on use and clean up. If you do this you will achieve the results you want and have great results.