OIL VS LATEX PAINT - WHICH ONE IS BETTER?

It's important to consider more than just color when choosing paint. If you choose latex paint over oil-based paint, you'll have to decide between the two. It's important to have all the facts before making your choice since there are a lot of differences between the two. You should consider these differences when a painter recommends latex paint, but you've heard that oil-based paint is better.

HISTORY OF OIL AND LATEX PAINT 

With the introduction of latex paint in 1941, the trend has shifted towards this type of paint. The majority of paint used in residential projects was alkyd (oil)-based around 50 years ago. Today, around 80% of paint used for residential painting is latex-based due to advances in paint technology. A number of factors contribute to this, including the impact on the environment - oil-based paint has higher VOC levels and is more difficult to clean. 

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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OIL AND LATEX PAINT?

Acrylic paint is also known as latex paint. As a solvent, latex paint typically uses glycols or glycol ethers as a carrier. It is important to note that latex paint does not contain latex from rubber plants. In the paint world, latex refers to resin (binder).

PROS OF LATEX PAINT:

• Doesn’t yellow over time
• Better for the environment
• Quick-drying time
• Easy to clean up, just soap and water
• Durable
• Flexible
• Adheres extremely well to exterior surfaces
• Resistant to common paint failures like flaking, blistering and peeling

CONS OF LATEX PAINT:

• Can sometimes swell the grains of wood, making sanding between coats necessary

The use of oil-based paint (also known as alkyd) has declined in recent years. Mineral spirits and petrochemical solvents are the carriers in oil-based paints.

PROS OF OIL PAINT:

• Hard, durable finish
• High viscosity so fewer coats are needed to cover imperfections
• Less shrinkage

CONS OF OIL PAINT:

• Laborious clean up: you’ll need a paint thinner and have to dispose of that responsibly (you can’t just rinse it in the sink!)
• It’s thicker, stickier and harder to work with (much less forgiving than latex)
• It’s stinky! Oil-based paints have a strong odor
• More likely to crack and fade over time

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OIL PAINT VS LATEX FOR EXTERIOR 

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With advances in paint technology, many great latex paints are now durable enough to be used outdoors. You may still want to use an oil-based paint on outdoor surfaces in some circumstances. As it's so durable, it's often a good choice for surfaces like porch floors that need to stand up to wear and tear, such as doors, wrought iron, and trim.

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CAN YOU USE OIL BASED PAINT OVER LATEX PAINT?

Here's where things can get tricky. You shouldn't paint an oil-based product directly over a latex-painted surface. You can do that, but only if you use a sealing coat to separate the layers. Stick with latex paint if you already have it if you want to avoid painting oil-based paint over top of it. 

If you already have oil-based paint on your surfaces, you can easily switch to latex. If you prepare the surface properly, latex paint can be applied over oil-based paint. Once the wall is dry after cleaning, lightly sand it, clean it with a TSP solution, and apply a primer. Latex paint can be applied after the primer coat has dried. 

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