paint - water / spirit based

[sm_jamieson]

I was going to use spirit/oil based paint to paint the bedroom, and started with an undercoat/primer of such a formulation. I have one coat on some of the woodwork. However, I am concerned about the fumes for my wife who is pregnant, and I can only paint in the evenings before we go to bed (not in that actual room !). So, I want to use water-based satin finish stuff. I'll keep the smelly stuff for outside.

Some questions:

1. The smelly paints used to run better and you would lose the brushstrokes, but that is not happening with this undercoat (Flag trade from Toolstation), so it's main selling point has gone - have they changed the formulation ?

1. Are most water-based paints are acrylic formulations ?

2. Should I use a primer (water-based of course) under the water-based top coat ?

1. Can I paint over the existing oil/spirit based undercoat with a water-based paint ?

Cheers, Simon.

[meow2222]

yes

no

on what?

yes

NT

[polygonum]

Try adding a very small amount of water, in my experience that can help a lot with the brushing out.

[sm_jamieson]

In what way ?

What other types am I likely to find for painting woodwork ?

The subject is internal woodwork.

Good.

Obliged, Simon.

[stuart noble]

Most water based paints are indeed acrylic but there are many different versions. The usual primer/undercoat (essentially the same thing nowadays) is a basic fast drying resin heavily loaded with pigment, so it dries fast and obliterates anything underneath it in double quick time. Because it's usual to lightly sand it, nobody worries much about brushmarks. Yes, thin it *slightly* with water in hot weather

[stuart noble]

Does your ISP charge you per word or something?

[sm_jamieson]

Thinking back, a second coat usually fills in the brush marks from the first coat anyway.

Thanks, Simon.

[S Viemeister]

+1

[meow2222]

AIUI legislation reduced VOCs

definitely undercoat, if not primer too

Stuart Noble wrote:

Lol. yes

NT

[sm_jamieson]

Well in the end I got leyland acrylic primer/undercoat and satin topcoat. Only primed so far, but it seems very good. I think I am converted to water-based paint for internal work, as there seems to benefit to the smelly stuff. And its wonderful to be able to clean up with water.

I've no idea what water-based gloss would be like, but the satin finish seems more desirable now anyway.

Will probably still use oil/spirit based paint outside - at least if it starts raining before it has dried it will not get washed off !

Simon.

[stuart noble]

Unless it's improved in the last 5 years, acrylic gloss is so soft as to be useless for skirtings etc. Satin is as good as it gets, and that isn't very hard wearing either. A sparingly applied coat of oil based makes all the difference but, as you say, the fumes are pretty awful (actually worse than I remember when oil paints were the norm).