Paint film drying

paint film drying

Paint film drying

Its like watching paint dry!

Paint film Drying and Paint film Curing….

watching paint dry

The difference between the two explained…

 A question often asked by a client is “When will the paintwork be dry”?

The timings below give an idea on how long it takes paint to dry and cure? 

  1. Water Based/Latex Paint ~ Dry time 1-2 hours – Cure time can be 7-10 days
  2. Oil Based Paint ~ Dry time 6-8 hours – Cure time can be 21-30 days
  3. Chalk  Paints ~ Dry time 30-60 minutes – Cure time can be 30 days
Paint film drying: A typical hand painted kitchen with a shellac/oil based adhesion primer on to lacquered wood and finished with Tikkurila Helmi/Feelings will be item 1.
Paint film drying
A previously painted oil based painted kitchen given 2 x coats of oil based eggshell/satinwood will be item 2.
Paint film drying
With regards to recoating your painted furniture

Some factors which effect dry/cure time.

The thickness of the paint film.

The surface it’s painted on eg. wood/melamine/lacquer/varnish/previously painted.

The sheen of the paint eg. matt/eggshell/satin/semi-gloss/high-gloss.

The brand and type of paint eg. oil/latex/acrylic.

The color of the paint and tints used eg. longer drying time with dark colours.

The overall condition of where it is left to dry eg. air flow/humidity/temperature.

And finally, the number of coats applied.

Paint-Driers and paint film drying

 Paint film drying
If you are having a kitchen painted in oil based paint, we would recommend leaving at least 16hrs before recoating, this will allow the solvents to evaporate sufficiently for the coating to be lightly sanded prior to the next coat, if it is painted within the same day, the previous coating can lift and pull giving an uneven finish and at worst a crazing effect in the paintwork. A small amount of driers can be introduced to the paint as an option.
driers and paint film drying
If you are having a kitchen painted in water based paint, we would recommend leaving overnight before recoating, this will allow again the solvents to evaporate sufficiently for the coating to be lightly sanded prior to the next coat, if it is painted within the same day, the previous coating as above can lift and pull giving an uneven finish and heavy brush marks .
Paint film drying
Even though both paint films feel dry to the touch, they may not be ready to re paint. I have seen artificial speed drying used, we would never recommend this as there is nothing better than a naturally dried paint film to work on.
Patience is a virtue with regards to painting! There are many people doing this the wrong way, simply because they are speeding up the drying process artificially.

“accidentally knocked with a sharp utensil”

Examples can be where a kitchen or piece of furniture is accidentally knocked with a sharp utensil and left a scratch. This would be a sure sign that the paintwork has not fully cured, another example would be where over zealous cleaning has been carried out and residues of paint are visible on a cloth. This also explains that the surface has not fully cured, it may feel dry, but has not quite hardened (Cured).
These are just some things to look out for if you are having any furniture painted, if you follow the above guidelines, you will have a beautiful lasting paint finish for years to come.
In essence, if you follow the rules for drying and curing, it eliminates the chance of the paint film from breaking down prematurely.

“DRY” Is when the solvents evaporate from your paint film leaving the paint feeling dry to the touch even though it is not 100% dry.

“CURED” Is when your paint coating has reached it’s maximum hardness and is completely 100% dry.

Don’t let this put you off having painted furniture. It is merely a guide to help you look after your furniture. With ongoing maintenance in cleaning ie: light wipe over with an e-cloth  and a weak mixture of cleaning solution (Nothing abrasive) it will last for years..

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