Protecting Exterior Latex

rmwarren

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Jul 11, 2010
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I am a total tyro when it comes to exterior paint. There, I said it.

I've had good luck with basic stuff like Rustoleum Enamel sprayed on steel, my most recent attempt was for some supports for planters on the raised deck and ~3 years still going strong.

I needed paint for shop worksurfaces and figured I would use the same stuff on some MDO panels on an outdoor cabinet. Attempted to buy exterior enamel from the SW commercial store but they didn't have the deep base and couldn't say when they'd be getting it. Regrouped & later went to our local Ace and bought BM "ben" Waterborne Exterior Paint. So far I've applied it to the interior shop surfaces and some new cabinets, it's OK.

What puzzles me is that it'll get the water-glass ring haze whenever liquid comes in contact. The haze always goes away when it dries out, but how does this impact it when it's used outside, on a vertical surface? Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

RMW
 
There is a general notion that exterior paint is tougher than interior paint.  That is not always the case.

Exterior paint has to withstand the extreme rage of temperatures.  Associated with that range is seasonal movement of wood and/or expansion and contraction of metals and plastics.

For that reason exterior paints are often formulated to have far more elasticity than interior finishes.  An associated trait of increased elasticity is a softer surface.

So exterior finishes can often resist abrasion less than interior finishes. 

Also, the UV resistance of exterior finishes is usually wasted on interior applications.  If they offer two versions, an interior and an exterior, I would pick the interior version to used indoors as it will likely have a harder wear surface.
 
The white haze is the surfactants in the paint that initially helped with adhesion and anti-sagging.  It will wash away over time.  This was explained to me years ago by a painting contractor owner with 20 crews and more than 50 years under his belt.

Peter
 
Peter,

To be clear, what I described as a haze is similar to water glass "rings" I get on a commercially finished desktop I've owned for 25 years. A little water causes the blemish but shortly afterwards it goes away. Is what you are referring to?

I also added floetrol to the paint to thin it out a little, possibly part of the problem?

Thanks for the input.

RMW
 
Richard/RMW said:
Peter,

To be clear, what I described as a haze is similar to water glass "rings" I get on a commercially finished desktop I've owned for 25 years. A little water causes the blemish but shortly afterwards it goes away. Is what you are referring to?

I also added floetrol to the paint to thin it out a little, possibly part of the problem?

Thanks for the input.

RMW

Yes the white rings, streaks, haze, etc.

How this knowledge came about:  I was a project manager and called him out on the white stuff.  He explained and offered to completely redo the $50k project if it didn't go away for good after two rains.  It did.

Peter
 
Peter Halle said:
Richard/RMW said:
Peter,

To be clear, what I described as a haze is similar to water glass "rings" I get on a commercially finished desktop I've owned for 25 years. A little water causes the blemish but shortly afterwards it goes away. Is what you are referring to?

I also added floetrol to the paint to thin it out a little, possibly part of the problem?

Thanks for the input.

RMW

Yes the white rings, streaks, haze, etc.

How this knowledge came about:  I was a project manager and called him out on the white stuff.  He explained and offered to completely redo the $50k project if it didn't go away for good after two rains.  It did.

Peter

Awesome, thank you.
 
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