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How To Tell if Paint is Latex or Oil?

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How To Tell if Paint is Latex or Oil? John Ross 03-24-2007
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Posted by John Ross on March 24, 2007, 7:25 am


This is a half bath in a home built in 1960. I want to repaint the
walls and vanity cabinets.

Looking at the walls, it looks like it could be the original paint!
It's not peeling, but has an appearance of being "thin"--it just
doesn't look like the other bathroom where multiple layers of paint
had been done over the years.

First question: If by chance it is the original paint, does that mean
in must be oil (1960)?

Anyway, I want to put on a latex paint and I asked at a few paint
stores and was told that if it is oil paint then I MUST use a OIL
primer over the whole thing before the latex. Not something I want to
do if not necessary.

I had heard that if you take denatured alcohol on latex paint it will
come off, but on oil it won't do anything. I only have rubbing
alcohol, so I tried that on a cotton swab and sure enough it took the
paint off the wall. The cabinets are more confusing because the backs
of the doors are a different color (original?) but when I rubbed the
alcohol it took the color off (i.e. white streaks where alcohol
rubbed). Plus, the inside of the main cabinet was painted and I doubt
anyone every repainted that. Again, in there the alcohol made white
marks, taking the color off.

Second question: Was using rubbing alcohol instead of denatured
alcohol acceptable or by chance does it just take anything off and it
was a meaningless test?

Any thoughts on what kind of paint is there or have I not done the
correct test yet? If not is there other ways to determine?

Thanks in advance!
John


Posted by HeyBub on March 24, 2007, 9:07 am


John Ross wrote:
> This is a half bath in a home built in 1960. I want to repaint the
> walls and vanity cabinets.
>
> Looking at the walls, it looks like it could be the original paint!
> It's not peeling, but has an appearance of being "thin"--it just
> doesn't look like the other bathroom where multiple layers of paint
> had been done over the years.
>
> First question: If by chance it is the original paint, does that mean
> in must be oil (1960)?
>
> Anyway, I want to put on a latex paint and I asked at a few paint
> stores and was told that if it is oil paint then I MUST use a OIL
> primer over the whole thing before the latex. Not something I want to
> do if not necessary.
>
> I had heard that if you take denatured alcohol on latex paint it will
> come off, but on oil it won't do anything. I only have rubbing
> alcohol, so I tried that on a cotton swab and sure enough it took the
> paint off the wall. The cabinets are more confusing because the backs
> of the doors are a different color (original?) but when I rubbed the
> alcohol it took the color off (i.e. white streaks where alcohol
> rubbed). Plus, the inside of the main cabinet was painted and I doubt
> anyone every repainted that. Again, in there the alcohol made white
> marks, taking the color off.
>
> Second question: Was using rubbing alcohol instead of denatured
> alcohol acceptable or by chance does it just take anything off and it
> was a meaningless test?

1. Cover the existing paint with a primer and it doesn't really matter.

2. "Denatured" usually means some sort of posion has been added to an
otherwise drinkable alcohol (i.e. Ethyl alcohol). Rubbing alcohol is
Isopropyl alcohol. They're not the same, although chemically there isn't
much difference.



Posted by Roger Shoaf on March 24, 2007, 9:16 am



> This is a half bath in a home built in 1960. I want to repaint the
> walls and vanity cabinets.
>
> Looking at the walls, it looks like it could be the original paint!
> It's not peeling, but has an appearance of being "thin"--it just
> doesn't look like the other bathroom where multiple layers of paint
> had been done over the years.
>
> First question: If by chance it is the original paint, does that mean
> in must be oil (1960)?
>
> Anyway, I want to put on a latex paint and I asked at a few paint
> stores and was told that if it is oil paint then I MUST use a OIL
> primer over the whole thing before the latex. Not something I want to
> do if not necessary.
>
> I had heard that if you take denatured alcohol on latex paint it will
> come off, but on oil it won't do anything. I only have rubbing
> alcohol, so I tried that on a cotton swab and sure enough it took the
> paint off the wall. The cabinets are more confusing because the backs
> of the doors are a different color (original?) but when I rubbed the
> alcohol it took the color off (i.e. white streaks where alcohol
> rubbed). Plus, the inside of the main cabinet was painted and I doubt
> anyone every repainted that. Again, in there the alcohol made white
> marks, taking the color off.
>
> Second question: Was using rubbing alcohol instead of denatured
> alcohol acceptable or by chance does it just take anything off and it
> was a meaningless test?
>
> Any thoughts on what kind of paint is there or have I not done the
> correct test yet? If not is there other ways to determine?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> John
>

Rubbing alcohol works fine for the test, sounds to me like you have latex
paint. Latex was used in the 60's.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.



Posted by Deke on March 24, 2007, 9:51 am



Professionals can look and tell. For the rest of us, use the smell
and taste test.
If you have known paint samples, then the old smell and taste test
will work every time. Use sandpaper to take off the top film and
then smell of the item and of the shavings. If that doesn't do it or
if you have no known samples, then taste never fails to determine the
'oil taste'.









>This is a half bath in a home built in 1960. I want to repaint the
>walls and vanity cabinets.
>
>Looking at the walls, it looks like it could be the original paint!
>It's not peeling, but has an appearance of being "thin"--it just
>doesn't look like the other bathroom where multiple layers of paint
>had been done over the years.
>
>First question: If by chance it is the original paint, does that mean
>in must be oil (1960)?
>
>Anyway, I want to put on a latex paint and I asked at a few paint
>stores and was told that if it is oil paint then I MUST use a OIL
>primer over the whole thing before the latex. Not something I want to
>do if not necessary.
>
>I had heard that if you take denatured alcohol on latex paint it will
>come off, but on oil it won't do anything. I only have rubbing
>alcohol, so I tried that on a cotton swab and sure enough it took the
>paint off the wall. The cabinets are more confusing because the backs
>of the doors are a different color (original?) but when I rubbed the
>alcohol it took the color off (i.e. white streaks where alcohol
>rubbed). Plus, the inside of the main cabinet was painted and I doubt
>anyone every repainted that. Again, in there the alcohol made white
>marks, taking the color off.
>
>Second question: Was using rubbing alcohol instead of denatured
>alcohol acceptable or by chance does it just take anything off and it
>was a meaningless test?
>
>Any thoughts on what kind of paint is there or have I not done the
>correct test yet? If not is there other ways to determine?
>
>Thanks in advance!
>John


Posted by Steve Barker on March 24, 2007, 11:00 pm


since when can't you put latex directly over oil based paint? I've done
that dozens of times.

--
Steve Barker

YOU should be the one
controlling YOUR car.
Check out:
www.lightsout.org




>>
> Any thoughts on what kind of paint is there or have I not done the
> correct test yet? If not is there other ways to determine?
>
> Thanks in advance!
> John
>



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