Interior trim paint

[Mayayana]

For what it's worth, in case anyone's interested in quality interior trim painting, this is about getting an elegant, oil-base paint look. (If you don't see any difference between acrylic and oil paints on trim then this won't be of interest.)

I was looking for advice recently about best options for interior trim painting. I used to use Benjamin Moore Satin Impervo oil, which has been reformulated twice and is now junk, despite having the exact same label on all 3 formulations. (Satin Impervo #235 was wonderful paint that dried to a glass-like finish. #C235 is reformulated and looks no better than acrylic paint. #Z235 is reformulated again. It goes on like oil-base stain, with lots of spattering and obvious brush marks. I also had trouble with it peeling off of radiators.)

To replace Satin Impervo I found Pratt and Lambert Red Seal oil-base satin finish, which gives a beautiful, smooth finish with virtually no brushmarks. It's a bit tricky to use, requiring periodic thinning, but otherwise is as good as anything from

30 years ago. Unfortunately, P&L seems to be getting withdrawn from the market. Even their own salespeople couldn't tell me a store where it's still sold in my area. Their list of dealers was years out of date! Sherwin Williams bought them out some years ago and seem to be deliberately killing the company.

So, I've been doing some research. The best option I can find is Benjamin Moore Fresh Start oil-base primer and underbody, topped with Sherwin Williams ProClassic acrylic/alkyd semi-gloss trim paint. Benj Moore Advance is similar to ProClassic -- a "waterborne" oil paint with water cleanup. But SW seems to be a bit thicker and dries in 4+ hours, as opposed to 16 hours for BM Advance. Both dry to a very smooth finish but are thin, like glazes. That's why the underbody is needed -- to give the finish enough thickness to cover fine irregularities. When I tried ProClassic on poplar, over a thin water-base primer, I could actually see some of the poplar grain after

2 coats! (Poplar has *very* fine grain.)

Sherwin Williams has several primers I haven't tried, but they don't even make an underbody paint as far as I can figure.

[nestork]

Mayayana: You should know that "Red Seal" is Pratt & Lambert's "Budget Priced" paint. You should do better with their top-of-the-line "Accolade" line of paints.

Maybe phone Pratt & Lambert tech support at 1-800-289-7728.

Or, try Ralph Gordon at 1-800-892-8109 if he hasn't retired yet.

Ask what the equivalent of your paint would be in their "Accolade" line of paints and try it.

[Mayayana]

| > To replace Satin Impervo I | > found Pratt and Lambert Red Seal oil-base satin finish, | > which gives a beautiful, smooth finish with virtually no | > brushmarks. | | Mayayana: | You should know that "Red Seal" is Pratt & Lambert's "Budget Priced" | paint. You should do better with their top-of-the-line "Accolade" line | of paints. |

Accolade is water-base. There is also a Red Seal water base, but what I'm talking about is Red Seal oil base. I've been trying to find a paint that looks and wears as good as Red Seal oil. Acrylic paints just can't achieve that kind of finish. I haven't found an oil-base trim paint comparable to the Red Seal. It's not budget priced paint. In any case, I don't seem to be able to buy it anymore. If I could I wouldn't have been doing all the research with "waterborne oil" paints. I did call P&L and as I mentioned, they didn't even have an up-to-date list of area dealers. As far as I can tell, the dealer I've been going to, which is going out of business, is the last one in my area.

[dadiOH]

I see the difference and for a long time I decried the use of other than a decent oil base paint on woodwork. I no longer do...it has gotten too hard to find one...the acrylic types have won. However, if I really wanted to fight back I'd be checking yacht topside paints.

I don't know if they have changed in their formulations but I used to use International and Z-Spar paints on my 42' sail boat. Both were pricey - the International more so - but both applied and wore well. For the hull, I would roll on an area 4-5' wide, gunnel to waterline then tip it off with a good 4" bristle brush until the paint began to drag slightly; assuming the surface was smooth in the first place, the dried result was about as close to flawless as I've seen.

[clare]

Put FloeTrol in a good 100% acrylic latex and you can get the same results. The vanity in our bathroom is so smooth I defy anyone to make a better job with an oil paint - even with a sprayer. Sherwin Williams Emeral gloss IIRC

[dpb]

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Where are you located? Just happened to remember James T Davis in Lynchburg where we used to be...local, rather than national, but they still have an oil-based in the lineup according to the web site.

I'm not sure what there distributorship looks like any more; Mr Davis has sold the business since I was there lo! so many years ago and had the shop in the sub=basement of the old downtown Lynchburg store...

While not known outside the region, product was always very good for the price.

[dpb]

On 4/5/2014 4:50 PM, dpb wrote: ...

oopsies...

[Mayayana]

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Looks interesting, but I'm in Boston. Too far to go before work, I'm afraid. :)