Paints and related products

Paints and related products are finishing products designed to decorate and protect most building materials: plaster of all types, concrete, brick, stone, wood, metals...

These are processing products, applied in liquid or paste form, which in a few hours form solid, more or less flexible, adherent and protective films.

The drying phase is an important stage in the coating's future behavior. Regardless of how the products are dried, ambient conditions play a decisive role in the expected film formation.

Changes in health and safety requirements have made it compulsory to use water-dilutable products both indoors and outdoors. These new formulations impose more constraints than their predecessors, with regard to atmospheric conditions (delayed drying in damp conditions, risk of freezing in cold weather, etc.).

At the same time, the way in which products are applied requires a new approach, in that coats are no longer applied by criss-crossing them several times; they are laid down and tightened by themselves. Finally, the tools used for application are no longer the same: the bristle wicks of synthetic rollers and brushes have replaced natural bristles.

These developments have obliged the painters' profession to undergo specific training.

In this article, we explain the functions and various uses of paints, and then classify the products according to different criteria:

• nature of their binders with a classification by chemical nature of the resins,

• VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content in compliance with health and safety regulations,

• performance specifications.