What Goes into Making Paint?

When we think about painting our home, it’s easy to imagine all of the possible colors to choose from—but very rarely do we ponder what actually makes all of those colors possible! There’s quite a bit that goes into paint itself in terms of components and methods used. Let’s take a closer look at the process of making paint, along with the ingredients that are utilized.

The Ingredients Used in Paint

There’s quite a variety of different things that are used to make paints, but generally, it comes down to four key ingredients: pigments, resins, solvents, and additives. Here’s a closer look at these components:

• Pigments provide color, hiding, and control the gloss of the paint. Some common ones include things like elemental carbon, zinc oxide, and iron oxide, used for black, white, and red respectively.
• Resins hold the pigment particles together and provide protection and adhesion to the painted surface.
• Solvents act as carriers for pigments and resins. They might be something organic like Mineral Turps or water.
• Additives are used to enhance properties in the paint like the ease of brushing, scuff resistance, mold resistance, and drying and sag resistance.

The Process for Making Paint

Paint is created with high-quality ingredients that are precisely measured to ensure that the final product looks great and lasts for as long as possible. Here’s a breakdown of the five main steps of the manufacturing process:

Step #1: Precise Measurement of the Ingredients

All of the ingredients are precisely measured using highly accurate scales; some are measured by weight, others by volume. They’re then placed into calibrated vats and graduated measuring containers.

Step #2: Preparing the Mill-Base

Since pigments tend to clump together initially, they need to be broken down into separate particles to make a base for the paint. This process, called dispersion, is done by mixing in resin and certain additives.

Step #3: Combing the Mill-Base and Let-Down

The remaining ingredients are added to a separate vat called the let-down. From there, both mixtures are combined and stirred, and any necessary adjustments are made to the mixture.

Step #4: Testing the Quality

After any final additions have been made, the quality is tested one last time. Properties that are assessed include the degree of dispersion, density, viscosity, tint strength and color, dry time, application, and gloss and dry film appearance.

Step #5: Canning the Paint

Once the mixture has been thoroughly tested, a sample is taken and stored for future reference before the paint is finally canned. Then it’s sent out to various warehouses and branches for distribution, where after a few more stops, it’ll eventually end up in your home!

About Platinum Painting of Flower Mound

Here at Platinum Painting of Flower Mound, our team of experts has assisted countless homeowners in Flower Mound with all sorts of paint projects, and we’re looking forward to helping you next! If you have any questions about the blog or you’d like to contact our team to set up a consultation, don’t hesitate to give us a call today! Telephone: (214) 225-9871.