Thinner and Solvents in the Water-base Finishing Material

What is the thinner for water-base paint? Water, of course; that's right, water is the major component for the water-base paint thinner; that way it is called "water-based.". But the fact is, there are also some solvents and chemicals in the water-based paint mixture. Although it is named as water-based, you cannot expect that the mixture is completely free from the solvent. In the water-based thinner, there are also some materials that could be toxic and harmful to the health.
Water-based coating, water-based paint, or waterborne coating is usually made of acrylic resins, modified acrylic, or "one-component polyurethane" as the main resin. The resin is then mixed with some other resin and chemicals to meet the paint performance. The resins that mix naturally are not water-soluble; then it needs solvents and some additives to make it mix well with water. The mixture of paint and water will not be a solution, but usually in the emulsion form. But with good agitation and proper application, the emulsion can be applied with perfect results as the solvent-base paint does. 

The material is a water-based paint thinner.

• Water.

The water is the major ingredient in water-based paint thinner. The water that was added to the paint formulation usually is pure water, since the water-based paint must be formulated with fully controlled composition to meet the standard of the paint quality. The water should be neutral, free from dirt, precipitation material, or chemicals that could interfere with the paint mix.

• Solvents.

There are also some solvents in the water-based paint thinner to keep the mixture working well. Some of the materials are ethylene glycol and some other aromatic and aliphatic solvents. Ethylene glycol is a very important solvent for the water-based paint; it is the main solvent for the resins and pigments. Ethylene glycol is dissolved with water and has a higher evaporation point than water. In the drying process, the water is evaporating first. After all of the water has evaporated, then the solvent (ethylene glycol) is starting to evaporate. The evaporation continues until all solvents are evaporated when the dry and hard paint layer is built. 

• Additive materials.

Additive material is added to build some specific properties to the paint mixture. There are some additives used to improve the paint properties, to reduce surface tension, to improve the flow, to make the stability of the mixture, etc. The additive materials are the same material for thinner base coating. They are very specific, depending on the resin formulation in the paint mixture. In the water-based paint, some more additives are added, the anti-fungal and antibacterial to prevent the bacteria's growth, and the emulsifier to improve the emulsion of the mixture.

Tips for using water-based paint.

 
The knowledge of the composition of water-based paint thinner is more complex than what is written here. There are many things that need to be considered in the paint manufacturer. The knowledge about thinner in this article is purposed to understand the water-based paint and help us in the application. There are some tips to apply the water-based paint.

•  Use the protective and safety equipment.

In fact, the water-based paint also contains some solvents and chemicals that could potentially interfere with human health. Then, when you do the mixing and application of the water-based paint, you still need to wear the safety equipment. Wear the gloves to protect the skin and masks to protect the respiratory. The drying process of the paint will release some solvent fumes, then make sure the air circulation works well when the paint is coated and dried. If spray application is chosen, then the spray booth is needed.

• Use the "clean" water when diluting the water-based paint.

Sometimes you need to thin the water-based paint at the application. You can add a little water to the water-based paint, but make sure the water is not interfering with the paint mixture. Pure water is probably the best choice, but usually the normal water for drinking or daily necessities can be used as long as it is clean and neutral.

• Do the mixing according to the consumption.

Bacteria are the enemy for the water-based paint. The water-based paint in the closed containers is hermetically sealed, so no bacteria or fungi can live in them. But when the can is opened, then there could be some bacteria entering and living in a mixture of paint; moreover, when we add some water into the mixture, although the mixture contained an antibacterial additive, there is a possibility the bacteria could live in the mix and potentially damage the paint mixture. Therefore, try to store the paint in the closed cane. The paint in the opening container should be applied as soon as possible since it has a higher risk of being damaged.