Enamel Paint

Those of you who have heard the term enamel paint for the first time would probably think that it is something related to glossy appearance - just what I thought when I took up for writing this article! Yeah, you are almost correct. Well, to put in simple language, enamel paints are manufactured for coating hard surfaces of wood and glass and characterized by glossy texture and composition. If you are interested to learn more on enamel paintings, then keep reading.

While painting the kitchens, bathrooms, stairways, wood furniture, appliances, table tops, in short the paintings in your house, you would always want them to be foolproof to the outside elements. A light coat of an enamel paint does exactly what we require and is thus recommended. Enamel paints are highly resistant to varying temperatures, moisture, excessive handling as well as mishandling, and scratches. Now, enamel paints are available in 2 forms -

Oil Based
The oil based paints are a bit tricky to use as in you have to clean them using mineral spirits only. They have a very strong solvent odor and the enamel paint drying time for them is of longer duration since the paint dries from inside out.

Water Based
Talking about water based paint, this one is very easy to use and clean up and popular as latex or acrylic paints. These have negligible odor and the drying time ranges from a week to a month because here, the outside surface dries faster than the inner surface.

As stated, enamel paints are generally used on glasses and wood materials. So, let us see how to apply them at home properly.

• Initially, make sure you have cleaned the wooden furniture before starting the painting. Do that using a mixture of white vinegar and warm water.
• Next, sand the wood using sandpaper so that the surface becomes smooth and even.
• Next, take a primer and a soft brush and apply an undercoat of the same onto the entire surface. Do not use a dark-colored primer; preferred one is white. Allow it to dry for around 3 days.
• Then, take the enamel paint and start applying coats, one after the other, in one direction evenly. Do not apply very thick coats.
• After you are done, let the paint dry for about a week or month; depending on the type of enamel paint you have used.

How to Use Enamel Paint for Glass

• Here, again, choose the glassware you want to paint and clean it properly.
• Make choice of the color combination you want to apply.
• Next, take the enamel paint and start applying it in one direction. Apply one or two coats as per your wish.
• Next, use different color shades of the enamel paint to give the shady effects.

When all is done, keep it for air drying. There you are; done! It is as simple as that. The method is extremely easy if you follow the steps given here, correctly. The procedure is alike for all sorts of glassware and wood materials. However, what matters is that you need to buy a good quality enamel paint which would have long-lasting effect as well as prove useful in long run.