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The use of acrylic paint and latex paint is almost the same. Both of them have the same applications over wood or metal. Still, we will learn about it in detail.
In this article, we will know about acrylic paint vs latex paint and the major differences which will help you choose the best one for painting.
Before moving towards the topic, let’s know about the anatomy or composition of paint and factors governing for best application of paints.
Paint Composition
There are 4 top factors that govern the paint composition. They are pigment, solvent, additives and binder. While there may be even more factors. But, these 4 can help you understand the concept about acrylic paint and latex paint.
Pigment plays a vital role in determining colors of the paint. Pigment is the major concept in pigment volume concentration. The low pigment volume concentration helps the paint to shine and make it tough in nature.
Pigment comes in powder form and mixing with binder and solvent can help the paint stick on the walls.
Solvent is a chemical substance that usually dissolves in other substances. It helps to create a uniform composition in paints. Solvent helps to dissolve the binder, pigment and other additives suitable to make a uniform composition to apply on the walls or other surfaces.
There are many solvents used to make paints. It depends on the type and application of paints. Usually, water is used commonly in paints as a solvent to make consistent and well-dissolved paint composition.
In oil paints, oil or petroleum based solvent is used for better composition. Solvent is the crucial component that helps to combine pigments, binder and additives.
Additives help to apply additional functions to the paint. It helps to reduce excessive flowing of paints and thus increasing viscosity between layers of paint.
Additives also help to increase weather resistance so that they are not exposed to paint removal or fungi formation in future.
Last one is binder which helps to join pigment with solvents to form a sticky formation in paints. It also helps to bind the pigment particles in the paint. Also, binder helps to form smooth and shiny surfaces to increase washability and adhesion.
What is Acrylic Paint?
Acrylic paints have good durability and weather resistance compared to latex paints. One of the limitations of acrylic paint is that it is slightly tedious to apply while latex is easy to apply on surfaces.
It is commonly used on wood or metal surfaces where it is more likely to come in contact with outside weather.
What is Latex Paint?
Latex paint is slightly cheaper than acrylic paint and usually used in interior applications. It has slightly less weather resistance than acrylic paints and household wood or metal surfaces are painted with latex paints.
Latex paints are easier to use than acrylic paints.
Primary Use of Acrylic Paint
As we discussed earlier, primary use of acrylic paint is exterior applications. Acrylic paint is weather resistant and mostly it is used to apply on wood or metal surfaces.
Primary Use of Latex Paint
Latex paints have low water and weather resistant properties. The latex paint is primarily used for interior applications. Also, it has low volatile organic compound levels [VOC levels] perfect for interior paints.
Durability & Cost of Acrylic Paint
Acrylic paint is durable and elastic. Also, it can handle temperature fluctuations or any other crackling. Acrylic paint is smooth and can easily prevent scratches on the walls.
Acrylic paints are hard to apply and are more expensive than latex paints.
Durability & Cost of Latex Paint
Latex paint is less durable than acrylic paint and is usually used for interior applications. Due to its less weather resistance than acrylic paints, it cannot conceal scratches on the surfaces.
These are less expensive and more user-friendly compared to acrylic paints.
Our Preferred Acrylic Paint
INSL-X acrylic paint is suitable for exterior applications. This premium quality paint contains acrylic-urethane perfectly applicable for glossy tiles, PVC, glass, plastic, fiberglass, etc. without slipping or showing any scratches.
Along with glass and plastic, it is also suitable for masonry walls and other challenging surfaces.
This latex paint can be easily applied on “hard-to-coat†surfaces and other top coated with any other product without creating any uniformity issues.
It can easily handle temperatures up to 35 degree fahrenheit with proper bonding. This multi-purpose paint can be applied till 100 square feet suitable for interior as well as exterior use.
It has low volatile organic compounds [VOC] helping you increase its washability with soap or water.
| Specifications of the product |
| Brand = INSL-X |
| Model = SXA11009A-04 |
| Color = White |
| Finish = Flatt/Matte |
| Size of the product = 6 x 6 x 5.88 inches |
| Weight of the product = 2.76 pounds |
Our Preferred Latex Paint
The anti-slip and skid resistant, FIXALL paint is perfect for wood and interior paintings. This anti-slip paint contains skid grip which is an acrylic textured paint. This skid grip can easily increase the skid resistance of any surface.
The paint has perfect durability and can be used for indoor as well as outdoors to create high-grip finish. The slip-resistant coating helps to increase the safety in high traffic areas.
Mostly, it is painted on outdoor walls, patio, basketball court or pool desk to avoid paint falls. This paint usually adheres to any surfaces and ideally used for home as well as commercial use.
For easy application, it is recommended to clean the surface to remove any dirt or debris to create uniform texture and good time to dry.
Along with basic colors, FIXALL comes with a variety of colors including Camel, Cobalt and many more.
| Specifications of the product |
| Brand = FIXALL |
| Part number = F06570-1 |
| Color = Smoke |
| Material = Acrylic based |
| Size of the product = 15 x 15 x 8 inches |
| Weight of the product = 11 pounds |
Acrylic Paint vs Latex Paint
We have learnt about the acrylic paint vs latex paint. Now, let’s move towards the comparison between acrylic paint and latex paint.
- Base
The base of latex paint is water whereas the base of acrylic paint is acrylic polymer. It may be the primary composition of the paint.
- Volatile Organic Compound Levels
Latex paints have low volatile organic compound levels [VOC] compared to acrylic paints. These low VOC levels are perfect for interior painting applications. Acrylic paints have medium to high VOC levels. It depends upon the composition of materials mixed in it. Moderate VOC levels are best for exterior applications.
- Dry Time
Latex paint requires 45 min to 1 hour to dry. Typically, it is less for acrylic paints. Acrylic paints may take 15 min to 30 min. The reason behind this is that the base material is water in latex paints. Due to that, it may require longer time to dry.
- Coverage
The coverage of latex paints is more compared to acrylic paints. Usually, latex paints spread over a wider area and have best coverage.
- Elasticity
The durability of latex paints is low and hence, the elasticity is moderate of latex paints. Acrylic paints have best elasticity and are highly durable than latex paints.
- Usability
Latex paints are ideally used for interior applications. Typically, it is also used for woods or masonry walls. Acrylic paints can be used for interior as well as exterior applications.
The acrylic paints can be used on woods, metal or plastic.
- Tolerance of Temperature
The temperature tolerance of acrylic paints is more than latex paints. Modern latex paints can handle temperature up to 35 degree fahrenheit.
- User-Friendly
Latex paints are easy to apply compared to acrylic paints. The base material is water. It helps having low viscosity and thin layers while applying the paint. This makes it easier to apply over walls or wood.
- Adhesion
Adhesiveness of latex paint is moderate and acrylic paints have high adhesion. The high viscosity of acrylic paints helps the paint to be adhesive and stick to the walls for a long time.
- Availability
Latex paints are easily available in the market. Acrylic paints have limited availability.
What Happens When Acrylic Paint & Latex Paint Mixed?
You can easily mix latex and acrylic paints. These two paints are water-soluble and easily mixed without creating any non-uniform nature of the paint.
It is recommended to stir the mixture thoroughly before applying over any surface. Remember that the latex paint and acrylic paints properties will be distorted if you mix these paints.
The durability and adhesion properties will be affected by certain mixtures of paints.
While mixing, one thing you need to take care of is that you need some water to mix with it. This can create thin consistent layers and easy mixing of paints.
You can read our article on how to make paint glossy for your walls.
Conclusion
It is necessary to know the basic properties of paints before you start applying over any surface.
As we learnt that latex paints are easily available and one of the easiest one to apply over surfaces. Some other types of latex paints can be easily used for interior as well as exterior applications.
Acrylic paints may have limited availability. But, the properties of acrylic paints must not be ignored. They have high durability, weather resistance and skid resistance properties suitable for metal or plastic surfaces.
I hope this article has definitely helped you to solve your confusion between acrylic paint vs latex paint.
If you have any queries, please drop your comment in the comment section below.