Oil Vs. Latex And One Stupid Question--maybe Two?

KES

Two questions:

1. I have read the other thread where the EPA is "outlawing" oil based paint, but do you paint guys use it on interior house walls? The only reason I ask is I am painting the inside of my house and I used oil base paint on the trim and it covered so good, I was trying to see if anybody used it on walls.

2. I have asked several hundred painters in the area and I have not got a "real" answer yet to my question. Back years ago, I ran a hardware store and saw painters everyday and no one could ever tell me the answer. I have even walked up to painters in gas stations, fast food places and other stores and no one has answered this one questions that bugs me still to this day.

Why do painters wear white clothes?

Everybody I have asked always says one of three things.
1. I do not know.
2. Because that is what all painters wear!
3. Because the boss requires me to wear them.

So can someone answer my question? I think one or two of you can maybe Malco in NYC if he reads this.

Anyway, the paint fumes in the house are kicking!!!!

Peter

boman47k

I will not use it on interior walls. So far, I have have not used anywhere for interior. I will use oil primer on the interior when I think it is necessary, but not the finish coat. But I am still very early into this thing on my own.

The whites? Reasons are all over. A lot people do expect it and I tend to think they reflect heat better than darker colors. But they can get pretty warm.

DeanV

Whites? Tradition. Also lets you bleach your clothes.

Oil on walls? Sure you can. There are a lot of bathrooms out there with oil on them. I would not do that anymore though. The solvent load you are exposing yourself and family to is high. Not worth it. Long recoat time. In light colors, touch up is worse in the future. For trim work, I will still use oil, but prefer to use acrylic.

Frankawitz

Ok, EPA didn't outlaw oil base paint they outlawed Acetone, which is use in oil base paint to make it dry by evaporation, that is why oil base paints smell. the Acetone, as for using oil base paints on walls back in the day as they say, we only used all oil base paints on new home construction, now you have the Blow -n- Go guys who spray everything with latex. we use to do 3500 to 7200 sqft houses and we would have crews of 5 to 6 guys and we would have a paint party as we called it, we would box up anywhere from 25 to 40 gallons of oil base paint and turps and some Penetrol and then there would be two or three of us would cut all the ceilings and walls in and the rest of the crew would roll, with oil you have to put it on then let it set up and then back roll.
As for painters wearing whites the reason for it was white paint didn't show up on your clothes, cause back in the old days that was the color they used the most of, I have had guys show up in black t shirts and by the end of the day they where covered with paint splather also when you caulk and wipe your hands or fingers on your pants it didn't show up like on blue jeans, also painters pants have extra pockets for 5 in 1's, putty knifes also hammer loops, utility knifes, we always had rags, so if you showed up on a job site with anything but whites on you were sent home cause you didn't look Professional. That's what the guy I learned to paint told me, and he was a Union Paint Contractor for 48 years and had as many as 97 painters who worked for him at one time. That's like Painters were known to be drunks the reason for this was cause after painting with oil it leaves a methol taste in your mouth and the only way to wash it out was Beer, so guys would drink a beer or two for lunch and then maybe pick up a 6 pack after work, we would buy a case or two after we painted out a 3500 sqft house and with the beer and the oil paint well you had a good buzz
so I hope this answers your questions why.

www,frankawitz.net

KES

Hey thanks for the response. I haver been working my rear off trying to take the week off. I have now successed, but the honey-do-list got longer. I like the way the oil paint covers. I have a bathroom to paint in the coming weeks and was thinking of using oil. The smell from the trim still is in the house, so I will use latex on the walls.
Hey thanks for the answers on the white pants.

Peter

slickshift

It was unusual enough to do so 20 years ago, when (if I recall correctly) I did my last oil wall top coat (at the customer's insistence)

It was, however, more common the farther back you go

Oil primer is a different story...that still happens

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Originally Posted by ModernStyle I have never used this crap before and I pray to the paint gods that I never have to use it again, I would rather use Behr

Burby

hahaha on the paint fumes kicking, lol, to funny, but ya may want to open a few windows..
You ran a hardware store and not sure of the difference between oil & latex paint & their uses?
Look at products like any other living things, they need to breath. Oil seals and traps, not to mention the harm from the fumes.
Todays latex are made to do about anything oil offered during it's peak and for the most part, even better. It is far better for the enviroment as well.
Painters wear white because it is professional, dates back to the beginning of "Painters" as a profession, back then colors in anything was limited, white used a great deal in homes, so kept painters looking respectable. How many reasons would you like? Is there one simple answer, this I do not know.
Kind of like, why do mechanics wear dark colored uniforms? My guess would be the same as for painters, dark uniforms help Mechanics look clean even when been in grease and oil all day.
Is this question because of a few to many fumes, kicking?
Will it help you decide a color to use?
Will it offer you the chance to now be a Painter?

But is a good bit of trivia, thanks for that & the laughs on the fumes kicking, lol. But serious, open some windows, fumes are seriously harmful to brain cells. Yup, no joke.. lol

Happy Holidays & best to you & your projects.

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Workaholic

Ditto it has been 7 years or so since i painted some walls with oil finish.
And that was a freek accurence.

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Sean

WisePainter

I was seeking an oil based flat top coat to satisfy the needs of a client with a less than awesome curved wall without costing too much $.

SW was able to locate 4 gallons within the KC area.

Not a real hot item I would say?
I have never used such a product in the years I have been painting, and I was kind of looking forward to it.
The customer paid $1,200.00 to a drywall guy to apply a level 5 skim job.

Man, I am in the wrong business.

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My advice: Hire a real painter to do it.

Frankawitz

When we painted in the winter time and the outside temp -20 below we opened the windows a crack, but back then it didn't help. went home trashed on those days, that's why I moved more into plaster repairs,
But I will say this latex will Never hold up like oil base. I remember doing oil base enamel on a kitchen ceilings and when we got done it looked like glass.

Dmax Consulting

The EPA is continually making VOC regulations more stringent. For this, alkyd coatings are being reformulated or discontinued all together. This is because of the LEED and Green Seal standards and specs. I write blogs updating this info weekly. Check out my website and look through the articles on the right side of my homepage. Email me any questions.

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blackstone

...no need for oil on walls... EVER! Sometimes you need to educate your clients when they think oil is necessary. Keep them confident by using a high quality acrylic on the walls and a waterborne enamel on trim.

Even primer needs rarely be oil - SW Prep-Rite Classic will pretty much have you covered for residential interiors