In the manufacture of oil paints, natural drying oils are used as a film-forming substance, the basis for which are vegetable oils, such as hemp, soybean, rapeseed, cottonseed, linseed and others.

In the production of alkyd paints, the film-forming substance is alkyd drying oil, prepared on the basis of a solution of pentaphthalic or glyphthalic oil-containing oligomeric resin in organic solvents. Alkyd paint is successfully used outdoors and indoors, covering materials such as metal, wood, brickwork.

Cons of oil paints

It is also important that oil paints take several days to dry completely. Also, in some situations, oil paints cannot be used indoors, as they emit a fairly large amount of volatile harmful substances.

Another big disadvantage of oil paints is that after a couple of years, any oil coating acquires an unpleasant yellow coating, while changing its original color.

Quality or price?

The main advantage of oil paints is their relatively low cost. But if we talk about quality characteristics, such as the strength of the resulting film, the purity of the resulting color, appearance, then in this case alkyd paints are significantly superior to oil paints.

Disposing to the choice of alkyd paint is the fact that products with a wide range of colors are available for sale.

One of the advantages of a number of alkyd paints is a high degree of hiding power, which is a decisive factor in protecting wooden or metal surfaces from corrosion and moisture ingress. This feature is created due to the high surface tension of alkyd resins.

High wear resistance

Compared to oil paints, alkyd paints are more wear resistant and can withstand aggressive environments. Practice has shown that this type of paint is more resistant to household chemicals and detergents than oil or water-soluble ones.

If necessary, alkyd paints are diluted with white spirit. Alkyd paints themselves practically do not emit a smell.

Due to the above qualities that alkyd paints have, they are increasingly used in finishing and repair work.

Currently, different types of paints are used for painting indoor walls. Modern manufacturers offer customers a fairly wide range of finishing materials, which makes it easy to choose the best option for a particular surface. Increasingly, enamel paints are used to paint walls and ceilings, which are somewhat different from standard mixtures.

Compound

To understand what enamel is and how it differs from ordinary paint, you need to familiarize yourself with the composition. A mandatory component of the base is varnish. Also included are various fillers and pigments that allow you to get the desired color. Another important component of enamel is white spirit or solvent.

Due to this composition, the substance is widely used for both indoor and outdoor use. Enamels fit well on any surface, which greatly simplifies the process of staining. This applies to wood, metal and even brick.

Experts recommend refusing to use such paints in rooms with fire hazard conditions. This is explained by the fact that the varnish present in the base of the enamel is highly flammable. These mixtures have decent performance characteristics, which distinguishes them from many finishing materials.

Such compounds are characterized by good resistance to moisture, and they are also not afraid of the negative effects of the environment.

Kinds

It is worth noting that modern manufacturers present several types of enamels to the attention of buyers. These include:

• Alkyd compounds. These finishing materials are durable and easy to work with. In addition, such compositions are often used for painting walls in rooms with high humidity.
• polyurethane types. The main distinguishing quality of these options is wear resistance. They are often used in high traffic areas.
• Nitroenamel. The main component of these compounds is cellulose nitrate. A positive feature of such enamels is instant drying.

Each of the above types can be used in certain conditions. But before you buy enamel, you should familiarize yourself with the properties of conventional paints.

Paint features

To begin with, it is worth saying that paint has a broader concept when compared with enamel. The main component of common types is linseed oil, which is brought to a boil during the production process. Unlike enamel, paints are used solely to give color to certain surfaces. Such compounds have completely different properties, which are worth familiarizing yourself with in more detail.

The consistency of regular paint is quite viscous. This is due to the fact that components such as oil and drying oil are included in its basis. As additional components, latex and emulsion are used. In addition, the composition of conventional paint necessarily includes components that, after application to the surface, form a film. Quite often, a solvent is added to the base so that the substance acquires a consistency that is convenient for application.

To date, there are many types of different colors. The most popular are water dispersion. The peculiarity of these options is the presence of special aqueous dispersions, which act as binding components.

Many experts argue that such paints are an ideal choice for painting walls and ceilings, as they do not contain harmful impurities.

Reliable silicate species are also in great demand. No less popular are artistic and adhesive paints.

The difference between the compositions

To understand which option is best used for painting the surface, it is necessary to compare enamel and ordinary paint. To begin with, it must be said that the first type is used for surface finishing, forming a kind of thin glass layer after application. In addition, the enamel is treated with high temperatures.

As for paints based on oil or water, they are used in order to give color to a certain surface. Do not forget that drying oil is used to dissolve pigments. If you use enamel, then a solvent is used for this purpose.

Paints have low protective properties when compared with enamels.

The difference between the two types of coatings is not as obvious as it might seem at first glance. In order to understand how enamel differs from paint, it is worth considering separately the various features of these materials. As for the general provisions, they consist only in some chemical elements that are used at the very beginning of manufacture.

Main differences

So similar, but at the same time different from each other materials

1. Enamel during production is necessarily processed by a thermal method and is a vitreous formation known to everyone. In the manufacture of paint, heat treatment is not used, and its layer during the drying process seems less dense.
2. Dried enamel necessarily has an opaque film, with paint it is absolutely transparent. In the latter case, an additional foaming agent is used - varnish.
3. Also, the paint contains special additives in various quantities that form the gloss of the coating. Accordingly, there are no such additives in the enamel mixture.
4. Enamel and ordinary paint are necessarily distinguished by a smell. In the first case, it is sharp and unpleasant for the olfactory organs. In paints, the smell has a much lower saturation. There is even a separate type of flavored lines.

Areas of application of enamels and paints

Enamel is better for the exterior, but paint is better for the interior.

1. External coatings. If your plans include painting outdoor areas, then it is definitely worth stopping at enamel. The paint tends to crack under the condition of constant contact with moisture.
2. Windows and benches. However, enamels are not resistant to sunlight. For the mentioned elements, it is better to use conventional paints and varnishes.
3. Interior decor and cosmetic repairs. In this case, it is also better to use paint, since it has a suitable loose texture. The choice of enamel can be fraught with the fact that the coating will "crack" some time after application.

The answer to the question of how enamel for staining differs from ordinary paint is ambiguous. Several factors must be taken into account at once, including the method of manufacture, the presence of additives, the nature of the smell, etc.

In order to navigate the variety of paints and enamels, choose them correctly, select auxiliary material for them, it is useful to get acquainted with the accepted markings.

In the name of the paint or enamel, and it is necessarily indicated on the packaging (label), designations have been introduced that help to find out the composition of the paint (enamel), its purpose. Paints are obtained on the basis of drying oil, varnishes and enamels - on the basis of synthetic resins. The type of binder the paint or enamel is made on is indicated by the index of the letters behind the name. The letters MA denote paints on drying oils from vegetable oils, PF are enamels on pentaphthal varnishes, GF are on glyptal varnishes, DA are on oil-phenolic varnishes, ML are melamine-alkyd resins, MCH are on urea-formaldehyde resins, PVA is based on polyvinyl alcohol, BG is based on bitumen, AK - based on polyacrylates, MS - based on melaminestyrene resins, PE - on polyester resins.

The letter is followed by a number. By the first digit, you can judge the purpose of the paint. The numbers 1 and 5 say that the paints are suitable for outdoor and indoor use, the number 2 - only for painting indoors, 0 - primer, 00 - putty.

Paints on drying oils (MA), glyphthalic (GF), pentaphthalic (PF) and oil-phenol (FA) varnishes belong to the group of alkyd paints. They are compatible with each other, they can be mixed in various ratios (proportions).

Paints suitable for outdoor use should be formulated with fade-resistant pigments and weather-resistant binders. Some pigments - zinc white, ocher, red lead, chromium oxide - do not fade even in bright sunlight.

High-quality oil compositions are obtained only on natural drying oil. They paint surfaces for protective and decorative purposes. If the main purpose of painting is to protect the surface to be painted, painting is carried out with compounds that form a glossy film. When decorating surfaces indoors, as a rule, matte coatings are used, which soften the tones of the color and make less noticeable the defects of the surfaces prepared earlier for painting.

Matte coatings are obtained by reducing the amount of binder in the film, replacing it with an evaporating solvent and introducing matting additives into the compositions - waxes diluted in a solvent. Such coatings are beautiful, but their strength is low. When preparing for painting with matte oil paints, the surfaces are primed with drying oil or paint and painted at a time with a greasy oil composition to a gloss. In this case, the appearance of the prepared surface must be uniform. All alkyd paints and enamels are applied by brush or roller, usually in two coats. Paint consumption per 1 square meter of surface (in one layer) is on average about 150 g. Paint consumption depends on color and hiding power; for white - not less than 200 g / m².

Those who are professionally engaged in painting know the answer to this question. These are painters, people selling varnishes and paints, as well as those who certainly work with these substances. Ordinary people do not understand the differences and think that enamel and paint are the same. Many people think that paint has a decorative matte finish, while enamel has a shine. But all these judgments are wrong. And there are a lot of differences.

They are: glazing and are divided into translucent, transparent and body (covering) - they do not shine through at all.
There are also adhesive-based, oil-based, alkyd, emulsion and alkyd. They also come in liquid and paste form.

What is paint

Paint is a mixture that includes a filler and a solvent. The pigments contained in it give color and cover the coating. And water dispersions, synthetic polymers and much more provide film formers. They help the solution not harden. Solvents are water, ethers, oils and various carbohydrates. They lower the viscosity and make application more comfortable. It is chosen considering the substance that binds. And fillers are used as additives. They give matting properties, fire and thermal protection, resistance to fading and abrasion.

Types of enamel

Enamel or in other words enamel paint - has a pigmented composition made on the basis of resin or varnish, which forms a film. The composition also includes an organic solvent, a filler and many other components. As a pigment, soot, ocher, red lead, titanium and more are used. The solvent is turpentine, alcohol, solvent. Filler microtalc or chalk. Sell ​​enamel in liquid form or in the form of a paste. When dry, it forms a coating. It is durable and does not shine through. You can choose colors and textures.

Enamel paints are of several types:

1. Alkyd- they shine and are very resistant to temperature changes. Withstands from minus fifty to plus sixty degrees. It also withstands various detergents and mineral oils. Apply in internal works and external. For painting wooden, concrete and metal surfaces.
2. Alkyd-melamine- have a flexible and hard coating. Good UV resistance. Tolerates mechanical damage and moisture. The initial layer dries for about thirty minutes, and the second for about fifty minutes. It is used for painting the outer layer of cars and motorcycles. And for parts that will be used and applied in humid climates.
3. Nitrocellulose- the main component is cellulose nitrate. It has a very strong and unpleasant smell. But it also dries very quickly. They paint her only in special costumes, in a mask and from sprayers. Sometimes it is produced in aerosol cans. This paint paints metal surfaces, concrete and wood.
4. Pentaphthalic and glyphthalic paints are obtained by the method of modification of drying oils with alkyd resins. They have a high degree of wear resistance and perfectly tolerate sudden changes in temperature. It is used for outdoor work, floors, trolleybuses, buses, subway cars and trains. This staining is enough for fifteen years of staining the outside. And if inside, then for six years.
5. organosilicon- very resistant to abrasion. They tolerate heat and moisture well.
6. Polyurethane- have a very high level of wear resistance. They paint floor coverings with such paint, but which will be a large load or frequent traffic. Dries within twenty-four hours. The room in which the painting will be must be ventilated before starting.
7. Epoxy- resistant to water and chemicals. Used as an anti-corrosion coating. Paint wood and metal.

Differences in paint materials

Having considered all the compositions, we can conclude that for enamels, the base is pigmented components, and for paint, binding elements. Enamels contain only organic solvents.
There are differences in physical and chemical characteristics. Also, enamel differs from paint in that enamel is harder and more elastic. But the coating is formed much thinner. But they are much less affected by temperature differences. Therefore, enamel is used for domestic purposes. And it has many shades and a huge selection of colors. Decorating comes out much more diverse and interesting.