Water based vs oil based enamel paints

Application & Handling Properties

• Non flammable
• Lower odour
• Reduced volatile organic compounds (VOC)
• Clean up with water
• More tolerant of damp surfaces
• Usually touch dry in 20-30 minutes
• Usually recoatable in 2 hours

• Contains flammable solvents
• Strong odour due to solvent fumes
• High level of volatile organic compounds (VOC)
• Clean up with mineral turps
• Surface needs to be completely dry
• Usually touch dry in 6-8 hours
• Usually recoatable in 16 hours

Interior Use Properties

• Non yellowing
• Gloss and semi-gloss sheen levels
• Not able to produce a brilliant gloss or as smooth a finish
• Full range of colours
• Not always suitable for harsh treatment areas
• Not suitable for all window frames (blocking or sticking can occur)

• Tends to yellow in absence of UV
• Full gloss and semi-gloss sheen levels
• Able to produce a brilliant gloss and very smooth finish
• Restricted colour range
• Excellent resistance to wear & tear (harder and more abrasion resistant)
• Generally suitable on all window types or frames (non-sticking)

Exterior Use Properties

• More flexible hence more able to cope with substrate expansion and contraction
• Retains its sheen level well over extended periods of time in UV
• Excellent UV durability (good for exterior timber) (better resistance against chalking & colour fade)

• Less flexible and becomes harder and more brittle with age (not good for exterior timber due to cracking)
• Not capable of retaining its initial sheen level over time in UV
• Poor UV durability (becomes chalky and more faded in short time frame)

General Use Properties

• Excellent for use on masonry due to resistance to alkalis
• Resistant to alkalis in zinc-rich metals

• Not resistant to alkalis present in masonry (paint will lose adhesion)
• Not resistant to alkalis in zinc-rich metals