latex paint

[sarpysam]

Guys: I've got a Hatz done up through cover and Ekofill with the Stewert System. Was planning latex for topcoat but was discouraged by the paint salesman. Was going to use the blue/yellow Stearman combo. The paint man tells me that exterior yellow will fade with time and he advises against it. EAA has had videos promoting the use of latex but I'm starting to wonder.....Any input from those of you with experience would be greatly appreciated.

Sarpy Sam

[rwanttaja]

One of our Fly Baby crew painted his airplane with latex quite a while ago. Here's his ten-year update:

http://www.bowersflybaby.com/tech/latex_update.html

Here's a couple of shots taken at about the same time, showing the yellow undersurfaces:
http://www.bowersflybaby.com/pix/DrewA2A-4.jpg
http://www.bowersflybaby.com/pix/DrewA2A-5.jpg
This last shot was a bit dark, so I had to brighten it in Photoshop. But it certainly doesn't look faded after ten years.

Ron Wanttaja

[Frank Giger]

My Nieuport 11 is painted with Exterior Household Latex, and I'll swear by it.

Here's the thing - it's exterior house paint. If you want to know if it will fade, look at houses, bearing in mind that your airplane will be in a little house called a hangar and the outside of a house is outside in the weather all of the time.

UV is what fades paints, but it still protects the wood underneath from the rays. And your plane shouldn't be stored out in the sun.

Btw, never talk painting your aircraft to a paint salesman. I'd bet that if you asked him if his yellow exterior paint would fade on a shed you were going to paint he'd extol the virtues of it.

[Fokker Builder]

I have been a painting contractor for over 30 years. Yellow paint (Actually, tints) fade the fastest of all colors. I could even paint a bedroom bright yellow and in less than 6 months would have to repaint an entire wall versus spot touch up. That being said, if you plane is hangered most of the time, the fade should be minimal. All latex tint fades over time. I even painted my F 150 with Rustoleum and it has faded significantly, but then again it sits in the blazing sun all day, every day. JM.02$

Jim
6787

[crackle]

Good quality paint will include good quality pigments. External house paints will have been tested under accelerated UV conditions and on rooftops, in hot sunny locations, etc so fading is not likely to be a problem. The only pigments I know are really short-lived are the fluorescent grades.

However, as a former paint chemist, I would find it difficult recommending any coating that was not developed specifically for the application, and that would include paints developed for painting houses being used for painting aircraft. We spent many years developing polymers and formulations for each type of use, and for that optimisation to be successfully carried over to a completely different use would be a stroke of luck.

Christopher

[martymayes]

Well Christopher, ya'll done good cause there are a lot of fabric covered homebuilts that are flying with latex house paint!

[Sam Buchanan]

Good quality paint will include good quality pigments. External house paints will have been tested under accelerated UV conditions and on rooftops, in hot sunny locations, etc so fading is not likely to be a problem. The only pigments I know are really short-lived are the fluorescent grades.

However, as a former paint chemist, I would find it difficult recommending any coating that was not developed specifically for the application, and that would include paints developed for painting houses being used for painting aircraft. We spent many years developing polymers and formulations for each type of use, and for that optimisation to be successfully carried over to a completely different use would be a stroke of luck.

Christopher

It appears we got lucky. :)

House paint is not the finish of choice for anything other than a low-cost experimental airframe, but for those of us with sub-$20K fabric-covered aircraft it is an excellent choice that has proven to have a good service history. I'm grateful we have this option because applying a $3500 "correct" finish to an airframe that may have only cost twice that amount could be a discouraging way to complete a project.

[Bill Berson]

I would buy 100% acrylic base.
Not sure how to find "quality" tints.

[keltro]

What about using latex exterior on fiberglass for a quick "Get in the Air" finish without breaking the bank !!

[Frank Giger]

It would work.

There is a great tutorial in the EAA web series of videos on latex. The guy is masterful, getting a perfect glossy finish at the end.

He put a lot more effort into it than I did, though, sanding each layer of primer and color baby smooth.

But if you did fiberglass, sanding is your thing anyway.

[BoKu]

...not developed specifically for the application...

And th' E in EAA?

[mmorrison123]

Hi guys

I did the video on painting with latex. I do believe it's a viable option for most low end airplanes (you're not going to put a $150 paint job on a $100000 airplane). I have some detailed information on the process on www.wienerdogaero.com. My Titan Tornado still looks great after 6 years and lot of miles. You might be interested in the current project which is the restoration of a Nesmith Cougar (Fabric, Metal, and Fiberglass all painted with the same paint). It's in the Wiener Dog Blog section of the site. Thanks for posting the update on the Fly Baby. That site was my big encouragement to try latex in the first place.

Malcolm Morrison