Paints: Water-Based

Waterborne coatings are not new. Emulsion paints, mostly used in domestic decoration, have been in use since the 1950s; today they account for around two-thirds of the world's total paint production. Water-based coatings can be emulsions of polymers that are specially tailored, can be dispersions of polymer particles, or can be a dispersion of solid paint particles, which are thermosetting in nature, in water. The vast majority of water-based coatings that are used for domestic purposes today are emulsion polymers that dry quickly to produce tough films. Industries have depended on the dispersion of premixed powder paints and soluble, crosslinkable polymers as primary binders. This article concentrates on the formulation principles and characterization of water-based paints and on a host of new ingredients that have become available over time. Analytical and test methods that find particular use with water-based coatings are detailed, with special emphasis on architectural finishes that form the major portion of water-based products.