"Phil Hansen" writes:

There is a lot of mention of the us of latex paint.
I have never come across latex paint here (South Africa).
snip
What is the latex paint that is so often mentioned?
What is it used for?
What is the thinner?

Latex paint is a water based rather than an oil based product.

Believe it or not, it was introduced right after WWII as an interior flat
finish product for houses.

Those early efforts were to say the least, less than spectacular.

Latex paints have come a long way since then.

Today they are the primary paint for the architectural market. (Houses,
industrial buildings, etc)

Latex is replacing oil based paint almost everywhere in the US, because of
environmental issues.

Latex forms a skins and bonds to the surface as opposed to oil based which
penetrates the surface when forming a bond.

I'm not a paint chemist so some of the details might not be totally up to
snuff, but the general idea is accurate.

HTH


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
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