2.

3 PAINTS
that are applied over metals,
wood,
the coatings of fluid material
Paints are a
protection against the harmful elements and also to give
plaster, concrete etc. for
of of paint as a coating is termed as painting.
good appearance.The process application

2.3.1 Constituents of Paints

Basically all the paints consist of following ingredient.

aluminium powder, etc. were the
1, A base pigment:White lead,red lead,
oil paint. These materials form
the bulk
pigments that were used initially in
the durabilityand protection to
of thepaint in a finely divided state. It gives
to the elements. The base
the painted surface as they have high resistance
lead gives no.
should suit the material to be protected.For example(white
to steel. It is used only for wood workRed lead base is used for
protection
steel

2. A vehicle orbinder or carrier:Materialslike linseed oil,

Tung oil, Poppy oil,

paint
Nut oil,etc. when used as binder or medium faciitate thespread of the
and also bind the paint and the surface together.
B. Extenders (or fillersor Adulterants):These are the cheap inert materials,
used as a adulterants with thebase, to extend help in performing the following
function.

6) To reduce the costof base.

(iiTo increasethe durability of paint.
(iiiY To improve qualityof brushing
(iv) Toprevent shrinkage and cracking.
(v) To increaseor decrease the weight of paint.

The commonly used extenderor inert fillers are Magnesium silicate, Talc, Barytes,
Gypsum, Diatomite, etc.
56 Building Materials and Construction

4. Driers: It accelerate the process of drying of the paint. Substance like cobalt,

lead, manganese dissolved in volatile liquids areused as driers.

5. Solvent and thinner:Itadjusts the viscosity of the paint to suit the method of

application. Turpentineis generally used as a thinner.

6. Colouring Pigment: They are added to give colouring and may also act as

partially cheap substitute for the expensive base pigment.

Commonly used colouring pigment areBlack pigments, Brown pigments, Blue
pigments,green pigments,yellow and red pigments,etc.

2.3.2 Object of Painting

Followingare the objects of painting

1. Toprotect the surfaces from weathering effectsof the atmosphere.

2. To protect the decay of wood and corrosion of metals.

3. Toprovide a decorative finish to obtain a clean, colourful and pleasing surface.

Such surfaces arehygienically good and afford healthy condition to live in.

2.3.3 Desirable Properties

Followingare the properties or qualities of good paints

1.The paint should be cheap.
2. It should have good covering power.
3. It should be harmless to the user.
4. The painted surfaceshoulddry neither too slowlynor two rapidly.
5. It should retain its original colour for a long time.

6. When applied,the paint should form a thin uniform film on the painted
surface.

7. Atmospheric agenciesshould not be ableto affect the painted surface.

8.The paint should form hard and durablecoat on the painted surface.

9. The painted surface should possess attractive and decorative pleasing

appearance.
10. The paint shouldnot peel off from painted surface.
11. It should be good fire and moisture resistant.

2.3.4 Types of Paints

The brief descriptions of different types of paints are givenbelow:
1.Aluminium Paint:This paint consists of finely ground aluminium in
suspensioneither in quick drying spirit varnish or slow drying oil varnish as
per requirement. On the evaporation spiritor oil, the particles of aluminium
of

form a thin metallic coating on the surface painted.

Aluminium paint is widely used for painting metal roofs, gas tanks, oil storage
tanks, electric and telegraphic poles, hot water pipes, etc.
silos,

2.Anticorrosive paint: The paint mainly consist oil, a strong drier and
a
colouring pigment mixed with very fine sand.This paint is generally used for
external work. This is used to protect and preserve the structural steel work
against the adverse effects' of weather, fumes,acids, corrosive chemicals, etc.
 57
Building Material (Part 11)

3. Asbestos paint: This paint consists of fibrous asbestosas the main ingredient

ofpaint.It possessesthe qualities ofretardíng the action of fire and resisting

theeffects of water and acidic gases.It is used for painting gutters, spouts,
flashings, ete. It is especially suitable forrepairing metal roofs to stop leakages.
4. Bituminous paint: This paintconsists of asphalt, bitumen or pitches, dissolved
in any type of oil or petroleum. The paint is always black in colourbut its
colourcan be modified bymixing certain pigments like red oxide in it. This
paint is used mostly for painting iron-works under water. It is also used for
water proofing.
ulbcellulose paint:This type of paint can be prepared from celluloid sheets,
cotton and photographic films. This paint is used for painting motor
nitro

cars, aeroplanes,etc.
6.Enamel Paint: This paintis prepared by adding base like white lead, or zinc
white, to a vehicle which is a varnish.To obtain desired colour, colouring
pigment may also be added.
Enamel paints canbe used both for interior aswell as exterior surfaces.

7. Oil Paint: Itgenerallycontain base and vehicle butmay also containdrier, a

thinner, an inert filler and colouring pigments depending upon requiremernt.
The oil paints areused in generalfor all typesof surfaces such aswood work,
walls, ceilings, metal work etc.

8. Plastic contain a variety of plastics in suspension and is

paint: This paint
available market under different trade names. It is mostly used in
in the
showrooms,displayrooms and auditoriums,etc.
9. Rubber Paint:This paint is prepared by treating rubber with chlorine gas
and then dissolving itin suitable solvent. This paint can be used on new
concrete and lime plastered surfaces.

2.4 VARNISH
Varnish a solutionof some resinoussubstance in alcohol, oil or
is turpentine. The
process of coveringsurfacewith varnish is known as varnishing.

2.4.1 Constituents of a varnish

Themain constituents of varnish are:

1. Resins:The commonly used resins are copal, mastic, amber gum and lac.
Quality of varnish depends much upon the quality of resin used. Copal is
considered to be the best, toughest, hardest and is very durable for external

3 work.
Solvents:These arevarioussolvent used with varnishes. But a proper solvent
should be selected fora specific type of resin. For example, Boiled linseed oil
is used to dissolve copalor amber, turpentive oil for common resinor mastic.

3.Driers;The driers areused as a catalyst invarnishesand their functionis to

accelerate theprocessof drying,Commonly used driers are, litharge, lead
acetate and white copper.
58 Building Materials and Construction

2.4.2 Objects of Varnishing

)
The various objects of varnishingasurfaceare as follows:

(i)
To intensify
unpainted wood
and brightenthe
surface.

Toprotect the structural wooden surfaces

ornamental appearanceof the grains

like doors, windows, floors, roof

of the

trusses, elc.

(ii) To protect the painted surface from atmospheric actions in order to increase
the durability of the paint film.

2.4.3Desirable properties of varnish

Followingare the properties or characteristics of good varnish.

)Varnish should notshrink or show cracks after drying.

()The thin film of varnish should be tough,hard and durable.

(ii) t shòuld make the surface glossy.

(iv) It should dry rapidly.

(v) It should import the finished surface uniform colour and pleasing appearance.
It should not hide the natural grainsof the surface.The natural colour of the
varnish should not fade away when surfaceis exposed to atmospheric action.

2.4.4 Types of Varnishes

The varnishes can be classified into followingcategories:
Oil varnish:This typeof varnish is manufacturedby dissolving hard resins
such as amber and copal in linseed oil. It is commonly used for joining and
fittings of houses and forall outside works.

A) Turpentine varnish:These are made fromsoft resins like mastic, common

resin, etc. dissolved in turpentine oil. These varnishes are light in colour and
dry quickly.
(iSpirit varnish:Varnishes in which sprit is used as a solventare known as
spirit varnishes or French polish.Shellac is dissolved in spirit and the product
is applied in thin layer. These varnishes givea transparent finish thus showing

the grainsof the timber. It is used for polishing wood work not exposed to

)
weather.

Aiv) Water varnish: They consist of lac dissolved in hot water with borax,
ammonia, Potash or soda just enough to dissolve the lac. It is used for painting
wallpaper and for delicate work.
Asphaltvarnish;It is made by dissolving melted hard asphaltin linseed oil
thinned with turpentine or petroleum spirit. This is used for black top coating
of fabricated or steel product.

2.5 DISTEMPERS
These are paints used for treatment of masonry walls. In this water instead of oil is

used as a carrier. These are also known as water paint too.

 59
Building Material (Part Il)

2.5.1 Constituents of Distemper

Adistemper is composed of basc, carrier, colouring pigments and size. For base. the
chalk is used and for carrier, the water is used. The distempers are availablein

powder form or pasteform. They are tobe mixed with hot water before use.

2.5.2 Desirable Properties of Distempers

Following are the main properties of Distemper:
1.They exhibit poor workability.
2. They are less durable than oil paints.

3. They prove to be unsatisfactory in damp condition.

4. They can be applied for brickwork, cement plastered surface, time plastered
surface, insulating board, etc.
5. They are treated as water paint and easy to apply.

6. They are generally light in colour and they provide a good reflecting coating.
7. The film developed by distemper is porous in character and it allows water
vapour to pàss through it.

2.5.3 Type of Distempers

The various types of Distempers are as follows:
P0White Distempers: They are made by mixing only whiting (i.e. powdered
chalk) and glue size.

()Coloured Distempers: They are prepared by mixing the desired colouring

pigment to the whiting before mixing with glue size.
(Gi) Oil Bound Distempers: It is a variety of oil paints in which the drying oil is

so treated that it mixes with water. Such distempers are diluted or thinned
with water when required.

2.6 CEMENT PAINTS

It consistof boiled linseed oil intowhich dry good cement (65to75 % Portland, white
or coloured cement) has been mixed to an amount that apaint of workable consistency
is obtained.

The cement paint has the following qualities:

1. It possesses better water proofing quality.

2. It possesses good strength,hardness, density and durability.
3. It exhibits excellent decorative appearance.

Cement paint are being extensivelyused forpainting plastered brickwork, stone

masonryand concrete for both external and interrnal work.These are also used for
painting corrugated iron sheets.