What is the Difference Between Oil, Acrylic and Latex Paint?

So many people pick the wrong type of paint when they are at the paint store. Some people do not understand the differences between oil, acrylic and latex. Different surfaces can require different types of paint. I personally find acrylic paint easier to use. However, that does not mean acrylic paint can work on all paint-able surfaces. Although it can be used to paint most things.

First let us start with oil paint. The name says a lot because it's a paint made from oil. Oil paint is also known as Alkyd paint. Oil paint can be toxic to the user when used for a long time. The fumes of oil paint can be strong especially in a room that has no ventilation. Another toxic aspect of oil would be if the oil pigments got into the skin. So when working with oil you should be very careful not to breathe the fumes and wear gloves. Another very important thing to remember about oil paint is that they dry slowly and blend beautifully. This extends your working time and allows you to mix multiple colors to cover bigger areas. This is great for mixing oil based glazes for walls and it gives you the extra time needed to cover everything. So if you use oil paint or glazes make sure to open some windows, use fans, and keep the air circulating. You might even want to use a face mask to keep the fumes from your lungs. Also, oil paint is not easy to clean up so if you spill oil on rugs or fabrics it may not come out.

Acrylic paint is the next and most popular paint for use in the home. They are water based paints and are easy to clean up if there are spills. These types of paints dry quickly so blending or making a glaze can be more difficult to use on larger areas. When you are blending these types of paints you can mist them down with water which can help keep them from drying so quickly. If you do decide to make a glaze with this paint you must use a water based glaze because oil glaze will not mix with acrylic paint.

Last, but not least is the latex paint. Latex paint is also water based paint and is easy to clean. This type of paint is a common paint that is used in and outside the home. The exterior latex paint is used to paint the outside of the home. Interior latex paint is used for the inside of the home. Latex paints are more economical when buying them in gallons than in quarts. This paint is excellent for large solid colored projects. This is not a good blending paint. It dries quickly and when it does any imperfections in the paint could make it peel. For this reason, you should not try to do faux finishes or glazes with latex paint. Now that you understand the differences between paints you can now save time and money.

sources:
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/typesofpaint