There are many different ways to decorate a room. One of the most common is painting walls and ceilings with water-based compositions. The popularity of this coating is due to its distinctive features: this paint does not have a strong chemical odor, dries quickly, is non-toxic, is not afraid of washing and cleaning. In addition, thanks to tinting, you can get almost any shade.
However, water-based paint, like other material, has its own characteristics and special requirements for application.
Application features
Water emulsion is the definition of a large group of dyes based on an aqueous emulsion. They all have different characteristics and their own application features. However, there are a number of features that unite all types of dyes: so coatings do not fade, do not crack, are easy to apply and dry quickly, they are sufficiently wear-resistant, odorless and environmentally friendly.
You can paint almost any surface, however, due to the high water content, the water emulsion is not used for painting metal and ceramics, since it will simply drain from these materials.
It is also important to note that such paint has a very low price … In addition, in large retail outlets, you can tint the base for free or at a low cost, which will help you get almost any desired color.
With all the advantages available, there is also a significant disadvantage. Using a water emulsion in very humid rooms with low temperatures or frequent changes in it, for example, in a bathroom, as well as making mistakes in dilution, application or other application technologies, you can face a rather unpleasant consequence - a fungus.
The addition of special anti-fungal compounds to the paint will help to avoid this. Many modern manufacturers initially add antifungal agents to water-based paint.
What options for water-based dyes are offered on the market today
Acrylic water-based paint. This option is by far the most common option used for painting almost any surface. A distinctive feature of this paint is its increased moisture resistance. Surfaces painted with such compounds can be washed with any cleaning agent. Painting can be done even on metal surfaces, which must first be well primed. Acrylic paint is ideal for inexperienced users, as it does not flow and lay without gaps, and can also be applied in any convenient way: with a roller or brush
- The cheapest option, which is used exclusively in dry rooms, is polyvinyl acetate aqueous emulsion … Such a coating can quickly crack and wear off even with slight mechanical stress.
- In contrast to polyvinyl acetate, there is the most expensive representative of the line - latex dye … This option has the maximum level of moisture resistance, so it is suitable for painting the entire room.
Most often, however, it is used for coloring streams. When using such a coating, both matte and glossy coatings can be obtained. You can find out about the type of coating by the special marking on the package.
Least prone to contamination silicone cover… It can be applied to plaster, wallpaper, drywall, plywood, fiberboard and other surfaces. In addition, both paper and any kind of vinyl wallpaper can be dyed
A variant of glass wallpaper can be obtained by painting the surface silicate water emulsion… On a primed surface made of plasterboard or wood, a silicate coating can last up to 25 years
When staining with any of the types of water emulsion it is necessary first of all to calculate the required amount of paint. This is especially true if the paint is pre-tinted. Mixture consumption per 1 sq. the meter of the room can be found in the product annotation. In addition to the required amount, it is worth laying 10-15% of the total mass with a plus - just in case.
Since the paint layer is usually extremely thin, it is necessary to carefully level the surface to be painted, after removing the old coatings, unless the painting is done on top.
After that it is recommended to prime the surface well. This simple step will help you cut down on paint waste and remove excess dust. After that, you can start staining in any convenient way.
How to dilute the paint?
One of the most important conditions for a comfortable and economical application of water-based paint is to bring it to the required viscosity. Too liquid paint will drain, will not be able to paint the surface with high quality and fill in the existing small irregularities or roughness, and too thick will have a very high consumption of material per square meter. meter of surface. Besides, too thick paint can cause the material to peel off.
So how to dilute the paint if its consistency requires it? The easiest breeding method is by far the most common water. There are also special dilution solutions, but water is the most readily available and simplest material.
In order to dilute the paint, you need to take a clean container, the size of which will depend on the surface parameters and the amount of paint that will be needed for staining. With a high consumption of paint, it can be diluted directly in the factory container.
The dilution process itself is extremely simple: it is necessary to gradually add additional water to the paint, while the mixture must be thoroughly mixed. It is best to mix the components with the most suitable device for this - a wooden stick. The proportions of dilution of the emulsion with water will be determined by the initial thickness of the paint.
A special formulation exists to dilute heavily thickened paint, which has already acquired the consistency of a paste. Here, the same water with which it needs to be diluted will help to make it again suitable for work. Only under these circumstances should it be warmed up.
Sometimes, to obtain a colored water emulsion of the required consistency, there is no need to dilute it with water - it is enough to carry out the tinting process. The procedure will be similar to the one described earlier.
- In a clean dish, add the amount of paint necessary to color the entire selected area, otherwise it can be extremely difficult to get into color with additional tinting.
- Then all this paint must be mixed until smooth with a clean stick or using a construction mixer.
- Without ceasing to interfere, it is necessary to start injecting the dye drop by drop. Such actions should be continued until the paint acquires the desired shade.
In addition, during the tinting process, you can add a special pigment that will help make the selected paint pearlescent. This action will help you achieve a very interesting end result.
Preparatory work
Irregularities, streaks, bleeding spots or other blotches can ruin the whole impression of a fresh stain. To prevent this from happening, proper preparation of the surface for coating is important.
Firstly you need to completely clean the surface of old coatings, be it wallpaper or paint. If the wallpaper does not peel off well, you can help yourself by wetting it with water from a spray bottle. After the water has been absorbed, the wallpaper will easily come off the walls or ceiling.
If the surface to be prepared has various irregularities, the surface should be putty / plaster and primed … Do not forget that before painting you need to let the putty dry completely.
It must be remembered that, depending on the type of plaster and its manufacturer, the period of complete drying of the applied layer can be up to 30 days, therefore, it is necessary to carefully study the properties of the mixtures before plastering or putting them on the surface.
The surface to be prepared should be free of dust, stains and possible dirt particles, if necessary, you can rinse the walls with a solution of water and a mild detergent. After cleaning, it is important to wait until the surface is completely dry.
When the surface is as clean and dry as possible, you can proceed to the next and final stage before painting - a primer. Most often, universal polymer compositions from various manufacturers are used for this stage. It is these types of primers that are suitable for processing most types of materials, be it brick, concrete, cement, drywall.
It is better to start priming from the upper left corner, gradually moving to the lower right. A correct and high-quality surface primer will help ensure a more reliable adhesion to the coating, and also remove dust residues if necessary. When applying the primer, you can use any convenient tool: roller, brush, even cloth.
After such a thorough preparation, you can safely apply paint without fear of detachments, irregularities and other unpleasant defects. It is better to apply it in two stages: first apply a thin base color, and then fix it with another thin layer over the first. Dry the layers thoroughly between applications.
Subtleties of application
Paint application, like any other stage of the painting process, has its own subtleties and rules.
So, regardless of the tool with which the painting will be done, you will additionally need a flat brush. With its help, it will be necessary to paint the least accessible places in the room: corners, joints with windows and doors, as well as very small decor details.
The entire responsible staining process should begin with painting the corners and joints.… Moreover, the upper corner farthest from the doorway is decorated first. At this stage, there is nothing difficult: you need to take a flat brush, dip it halfway in the paint (it is more convenient if the paint from the common container is poured into a separate paint container), squeeze it out and start painting with light movements.
Around the entire perimeter, it is necessary to lay a strip of paint 30-40 centimeters wide. This preparatory work will help to more evenly apply the coating with a roller, from a spray gun or airbrush in the future.
The main staining will be done in three stages: Stage 1 - 1 layer. There are some nuances here: each of the three layers should have its own direction of staining - this will help to avoid unpainted areas, irregularities, spots, too thin coating.
So, it is necessary to apply the mixture in layers correctly, focusing on the location of the window: 1 layer should follow parallel to the sun's rays, 2 layer will be applied perpendicular to the first, but the work must be completed with a layer whose direction will move exactly to the window.
It is most convenient to paint using a simple roller.… This, of course, is not as fast and smooth as when using a spray gun, but this method is the most budgetary. In addition, the roller can be easily bought at any store, and after the completion of the repair work, simply throw it away without cluttering the house with unnecessary items.
It is important to leave the required amount of time between coats to allow the coat to dry completely. Only after one of them is completely dry can you start applying the second and third.
Applying paint to a wet layer is fraught with delamination and spreading of the material.
For information on how to properly paint a wall with water-based paint, see the next video.
How long does it dry?
Water-based colors are considered the fastest drying among other coloring emulsions, however, the complete drying time can vary depending on the type of paint, the material on which it will be applied, and even the manufacturer.
In order to determine the drying time of a particular option, it is necessary to study the annotation to the product. It is there that the manufacturer posts more accurate information about the drying time of the dye. This figure can vary from 2 hours to a day.
What happens to the paint during the drying process and why does this process happen so quickly? This pattern is possible due to the special composition of the mixture. So, any water emulsion contains water and a special binder. The applied paint, under the influence of oxygen, gives up all the water, which simply evaporates from the surface, leaving only the binder, which remains on the surface in the form of a colored film.
It is also worth noting that until the paint has completely dried, you can wash it off, correct the staining or remove smudges. After drying, this will become very problematic.
Also, the drying speed may vary depending on the thickness of the applied paint layer: the thicker it is, the longer the drying time. Drying times may also be longer in wetter and colder areas, but paint will dry faster at temperatures above average.
However, in the first place it is still necessary to be guided by the time indicated on the package, and not by eye or touch. Such a mixture will stop getting dirty almost instantly, however, a certain amount of time must pass before it actually dries - and you should not neglect these indicators.
Useful Tips
Before you start painting, you need to take out all the pieces of furniture. If it is not possible to do this, it is worth covering it with newspapers or a cloth. In addition, it is recommended to protect the floor with the material, unless further alteration is planned.
It is not so difficult to wash the water emulsion from clothes: if the stains are fresh, you just need to wipe the spot where the paint gets in with a solution of water and detergent in a ratio of 1: 1. If the stain is old, alcohol or regular hairspray will come to the rescue. The agent must be applied to a cotton pad and applied to the paint stain for a while, after this procedure, the paint is washed off with plain water.
However, despite the fact that the paint can be easily washed off, when preparing for finishing work, you should take care of protecting your clothes and put on a protective suit or some old wardrobe items that you do not mind ruining.
You can also protect your hands with construction gloves, and if you plan to paint the ceiling, then it will not be superfluous to use a hair hat or scarf.
Before carrying out work, it is important to carefully prepare the surface for them. It must be flat and clean, therefore, it is first necessary to remove all remnants of previous coatings, putty and level the wall or ceiling, sand if necessary, and then wash, removing the remnants of dust and dirt. After the layer of putty material has completely dried, the walls must be carefully primed.
It is imperative to apply paint in several layers. Depending on the manufacturer, there may be 2 or more of them. However, the best option is to apply 3 thin layers of material, while the direction of brush strokes or roller movements on each layer is different. The first layer must be applied parallel to the sun rays falling into the window, the second layer is applied perpendicular to the first, but the third must be applied, moving in the opposite direction from the window.
If it is necessary to paint in different colors, it is necessary to use a white water-based emulsion and color scheme with the desired shade. Mixing the dye should be done carefully and slowly: it is better to add the missing part of the pigment later than to get too dark a shade right away.