When you walk into a paint supply store, you notice hundreds of cans perfectly lined on the shelves, but do you know what happens before it’s neatly arranged for sale? If you’ve ever wondered “How is paint made?”, then you’re not strange. This colorful liquid coats the inside and outside of your home, so it makes sense why you’re so curious. Read on to learn the process of making paint and what steps take place before it shows up to your local paint shop.
Measuring The Ingredients
Paint contains several ingredients, including pigment that provides color, resin that makes paint adhesive, solvent that carries the pigment and resin, and additives that give the paint more durable qualities. The first step of the process is to measure each of these out. Because it can be made in batches of up to thousands of gallons, highly accurate scales are needed to do this.
Pigment Dispersion & Preparing The Mill-Base
Pigments are in the form of small powdery lumps and need to be broken down into separate particles in order to prevent them from grouping up and making the paint lumpy. This process is called dispersion. The pigment is placed into an ultra high-speed mixer with scraper blades to make sure that the powder clumps don’t stick to the vat. They’re then slowly added to a portion of the liquid paint to form what’s called the mill-base.
Making & Combining The Let-Down
In a separate vat, the resin, solvent, and additives are all combined and mixed together to make the let-down. As soon as both the let-down and mill-base are complete, they’ll be added together, and any final additions are put in the vat.
Laboratory Testing
After the final product is made, it goes through a thorough quality monitoring process in a laboratory. Before the paint has even started being made, all of the individual ingredients are tested to ensure their quality. Following that, the mill-base and let-down are also individually tested. The final test of the paint will evaluate its properties, such as dispersion, thickness, tint, color, application, dry time, and the gloss. This way, they can ensure that the homeowner receives a quality batch that will last for years on their home.
Canning & Hitting The Shelves
Two samples are taken of the color of paint and stored in a case in case they’re ever needed for future reference. One final inspection is made to ensure that it meets the environmental requirements, and the paint can finally start being separated into cans and tubs, depending on whether it’s being made for residential or commercial use. As soon as the cans are sealed, they’ll be transported to local paint stores across the country for homeowners to choose from.
The process of making paint may seem complicated, but knowing the science behind it gives homeowners a good idea of what qualities to look for in a great paint. When you work with a professional painter, they can guide you through what to look for and help you choose the best paint for your needs.
About Platinum Painting of Arlington
Our team works closely with homeowners to help them achieve their ideal results that they’re able to enjoy for years to come. We focus on residential painting, allowing us to become masters in our field and the ability to provide helpful advice and guidance to customers. For questions or to schedule a free in-home estimate, visit our website or call 817-983-7280.