Home Painting Tips: Water-Based or Oil-Based Paints?

Before you begin that painting job, there is one very big decision you need to make. Do you go with oil-based paint, or with water-based paint? How will you know which is the better choice? Which paint should you use when painting over a surface that has already been painted? Which is best for painting exterior surfaces? Which is best for painting interior surfaces?

Water-based paint definitely has some advantages over oil-based paint. For one thing, water-based paint is quicker to dry than oil-based paint. Another advantage to water-based paint is that it won’t show stroke marks as distinctly. In addition, it is easier to clean off than oil-based paint. For many people, of course, the biggest advantage of water-based paint is that it doesn’t permeate the room with the strong smell that oil-based paint does.

On the other hand, if the exterior surface over which you plan to paint was previously painted with oil-based paint, you should go ahead and repaint with the same kind. The problem is that latex-based paints is more susceptible to the expanding and contracting that climate changes cause than water-based paint and therefore if you use a water-based paint to cover an oil-based paint you are running the risk of the undercoating peeling beneath your shiny new paint job. If you are planning to paint an exterior surface that hasn’t yet been painted, go with latex exterior paint. In this way the surface will be better able to breathe. In addition, the latex exerior paint will adhere better during climate extremes.

Before you being painting over an exterior surface that has already been painted, use a piece of sandpaper or a wire brush on it. This will roughen up the shiny gloss enough to allow the new coat to bond better to the surface. Also be sure to heartily clean under any eaves or in any other protected and hard to get to spots. The best method for this cleaning is to use a mixture of water and detergent. Why is this step necessary? Because these areas don’t get completely clean from rain water and if they surface isn’t completely clean, the paint wont bond