Acrylic paint: characteristics, types, application features

Let’s talk about acrylic paints, which have become a very popular finishing material today. We will deal with their composition and characteristics, study the existing varieties and their area of ​​application, touch on the advantages and disadvantages. We will also give advice on the use of acrylic paints.

We wrote in detail about the advantages of acrylic primers, talked about acrylic sealants. Now it’s time to talk about acrylic paints, which, having appeared more than half a century ago, are now actively used in the course of finishing work..

Before moving on to the characteristics of acrylic paints, you should understand their composition. After all, it is he who determines their properties:

• The basis is polyacrylates, most often polymers of ethyl, methyl and butyl acrylates.
• Water. Acrylic paints belong to the broad category of water-dispersible compositions.
• Auxiliary monomers, which are usually 10% and determine the specific properties of the paint.
• Modifying additives. Responsible for the formation of a film, ease of application, can impart biocidal and other properties.
• Pigments. Needed for obtaining a certain color, as well as increasing UV resistance, hiding power.

If you do not go into chemical details and say more simply, then acrylic paints are an aqueous dispersion of acrylic resins with the addition of auxiliary components that should improve the characteristics of the composition.

This composition determines the following characteristics of acrylic paints:

1. Environmental friendliness and safety. The composition contains no components harmful to humans and nature, even when heated, the coating will not emit hazardous substances. Therefore, working with such paints is also safe, no additional protection measures are needed..

Important! Unscrupulous manufacturers can still add harmful substances to the paint to reduce the cost of production. Trust trusted brands.

2. Strength and wear resistance. If fresh acrylic paint is easy to wipe off the surface, then after drying the coating is not afraid of water, it can be washed. Acrylic paint is not afraid of ultraviolet rays, weathering, temperature changes. The coating is difficult to damage by mechanical means.
3. Excellent adhesion prevents paint peeling, the coating is easy and reliable to apply on different substrates. Of course, the base must first be properly prepared..
4. Acrylic paint is vapor-permeable, that is, its film will not interfere with the removal of vapors.
5. The composition is elastic, there will be no cracks, even if the painted wall is in a house that is shrinking.
6. Universal paint, has a wide range of applications.
7. The composition is able to hide surface defects up to 5 millimeters, fits well.
8. The palette of colors is very wide, the surface is beautiful and presentable. You can dilute the white acrylic paint with colors from the special series. There are paints with a pearlescent effect, gold and silver, chameleons.
9. Manufacturers often indicate that the coating will last up to 20 years. However, most often, the service life, if the technologies for preparing the base and applying are observed, is up to 15 years. However, for such a period of time, the color of the wall can get bored by itself, and it is not difficult to repaint.

From the point of view of an ordinary home or apartment owner choosing acrylic paint, it is important to distinguish three types of compositions:

1. Facade paints, compositions for outdoor use. Of course, such acrylic paints can be used not only for finishing the facades of buildings, but also for painting fences, MAFs, gazebos, outbuildings.
2. Paint for interior work, walls, ceilings, floors, other surfaces in an apartment or house. The composition of such paints includes fewer modifiers, because they do not need increased frost resistance and resistance to atmospheric phenomena.
3. Specialized paints. For example, with the addition of colloidal silver, which allows the composition to effectively resist mold. Or for painting radiators capable of withstanding high temperatures.

You can paint literally anything with acrylic paints: concrete, wood, metal, stone. The only exceptions are some types of plastics. Most of the manufacturers immediately present a whole line of acrylic paints: for the floor, ceiling inside the house, for facades, and so on. The choice is large.

In addition, there are two other large categories of acrylic paints – glossy and matte. Glossy ones look brighter, more attractive, but they need a perfect surface. Matte is easier to apply, better conceal irregularities.

By the way, about the manufacturers. The most popular brands of acrylic paints in our country today are Sniezka Super Matt, Finnish Joker, Russian “Tex”, Dutch Dulux, Farbitex, Decolor, Sadolin, TehnoLux, for interior work Interior.

On average, one square meter of surface requires 150-250 milliliters of acrylic paint. Consumption depends on the degree of surface preparation and its characteristics. For example, wood often has to be sanded before coating, stone, concrete or brick must be cleaned of dust and other contaminants. Any surface needs a primer, preferably from the same manufacturer as the paint, to perfectly match.

Acrylic paints cost at least 60-100 rubles per liter, it is more profitable to buy 10-liter containers. The cost of certain types of specialized acrylic paints reaches 300-400 rubles per liter. Experts assure that leading manufacturers do not increase the price in vain – their paint is easier to apply, lasts longer, looks better after the first application in one layer.

Important! When dry, acrylic paint usually darkens, this must be taken into account when choosing a shade.

Acrylic paints are applied with rollers, brushes, brushes, spray guns – depending on the area of ​​the painted surface and its features.

Important! Acrylic paint dries quickly enough, after two hours you can apply a second layer. But to put the furniture on the painted floor is better later, in a week, because there is such a thing as “dry to touch”.