latex or oil, how to tell

gwithrow · #1 03/05/12, 05:28 PM

I need to repaint the trim in our halls....but I do not remember if the paint was latex or oil based...is there some way to tell?I just need to do touch up and so it needs to be the same, I do not have the original can...

agmantoo · #2 03/05/12, 05:41 PM

First, scrub a small area with a solution of household detergent and warm water. Rinse well and towel dry. Then soak a cotton ball, Q-tip or soft rag in alcohol and rub it back and forth over the cleaned area.

If paint comes off, it's latex and another coat of the same is in order. If the paint doesn't come off, it's oil-based, and an oil-based primer is a must.

#3 03/05/12, 07:53 PM

I thought you could use latex over either latex or oil but couldn't use oil over latex .

siberian · #4 03/05/12, 09:05 PM

WV is correct, I woulduse a decent primer, actualy I like Gripper from Home Depot. It sticks to anything and priced decently. Wash the walls first, prime , and paint. For what its worth , the primer and paint in one are overated (IMO), and you can do without priming , but more times than not , it will save money and time.

ronbre · #5 03/06/12, 10:20 AM

agree with siberian..and I kinda think the cotton ball thing isn't correct either...as I know that alcohol has removed OIL based finishes here

wharton · #6 03/06/12, 04:20 PM

This thread got me thinking. Is there such a thing as readily available, OIL interior paints anymore. Not special order, or $50/gallon stuff from some obscure paint dealer, but off the shelf from Sherwin-Williams, Lowes, HD, etc..... ? I have no interest in buying anything other than latex, but I just wondered.

featherbottoms · #7 03/06/12, 07:28 PM

wharton, yes, you can buy oil paint. I bought a gallon to use in a bathroom. It is interior/exterior commercial quality by Olympic.

I thought the problem was using anything other than oil over oil - like using latex over oil won't stick. The reason I say this is the oil paint I mention above. In order to change the color I'll have to either 1) use another oil paint, 2) cover with a primer that works over oil paints (I am pretty sure the paint ppl at Lowes said Kilz would work), or 3) sand it down to rough it up and then prime and then paint with latex if I want to use that instead of oil. If I had to do it over again I would use latex enamel instead of oil. We have a cabinet that had been painted, and I didn't know it was oil paint, so I put a coat of latex over that and the next day I could pull it off in strips. It did not stick at all. I had to sand the whole thing down and then when I repainted it worked fine.

BethW · #8 03/10/12, 05:30 PM

The availability of oil paint depends on where you are. You can no longer buy it in the northern portion of Virginia, so people will drive down to our area where it's still available (although I think that's changing soon, too).

I love oil paint for trim. Benjamin Moore's Satin Impervo is wonderful.