As I write this post about oil-based paint, I realize that the information is quickly disappearing from both common knowledge and usefulness today. If you live in California, I don’t even think you’re allowed to buy oil-based paint anymore (at least not in any significant quantities).
The landscape of house painting has been changing ever since water-based paints were first introduced by Sherwin-Williams in 1941. Kem-Tone, as it was called proved that water-based paints were a possibility. And it’s no secret that water-based, or latex paints, are easier to work with, better for the environment, and longer lasting than most oil paints. But there is still a place for them paint today. And if you live in an old house, knowing how to work with oil is almost a requirement.
What You Need To Know About Oil-Based Paint
Slow-Drying – This paint is notoriously slow drying and the reason we have the saying “It’s like waiting for paint to dry.” Most oil paints takes about 8 hrs to dry enough to recoat, as opposed to latex paint which takes around 4 hrs to recoat. This may sound like a problem at first, as it definitely slows down the whole process. But this slow drying allows the paint to flow out better and provide a smoother finish than latex paint. This slow process allows brush marks to level out remarkably well.
Good Ventilation – If you’re working with oil-based paint you need better ventilation than you do with latex paint. Make sure to open windows and put a fan in the doorway to pull in fresh air. They usually have a much higher VOC content than latex paints, which is why the extra ventilation is needed.
Yellows in Dark Areas – If you have old oil-based paint on your closet’s baseboards, chances are it’s pretty yellow. Light colored oil paints are notorious for yellowing with age and in dark areas. The more sunlight it gets, the less it yellows. If exposed to more sunlight, the yellowing will fade away though, and though today’s paints have gotten better about holding their color, it’s still a problem.
Can Be Mildew Prone – When used outside, oil-based paint has a tendency to mildew. This is especially prevalent in varieties that contain larger quantities of linseed oil.
You Need a Specific Brush – Different paints require a different brush. There are some brushes that work with both latex and oil, but natural bristle brushes work much better with oil-based paints. It’s important to pick the right paint brush. They will usually say “For Oil-based Paints” on the brush holder.
Hard Finish – One of the qualities of oil paints that manufacturers have struggled to create with latex paint is a hard durable finish on enamel paints. Nothing beats the hard, durable finish of an oil-based enamel paint. And that hard finish makes it an excellent choice for doors and windows because that hard finish eliminates the sticking that often happens with latex paints. The hard finish also unfortunately prevents the paint from being as flexible as latex, which is why old oil-based paints begin to crack and chip off. Temperature swings and expansion of the surface eventually breaks the harder paint film of an oil-based paint.
Difficult Clean Up – If you’re painting with an oil-based paint, the clean up is a bit more involved. Oil-based paint is pretty much impervious to water, so you’ll have to use paint thinner or mineral spirits to clean your brushes. Here’s some tips for using mineral spirits:
- Make sure the area is well-ventilated.
- Pour some into a bowl and vigorously mix your brush for about a minute.
- Pour the used portion into a sealable metal container.
- Repeat this process until the mineral spirits comes out clear and the brush is clean.
- Dispose of the used thinner or mineral spirits at your landfill’s hazardous waste drop off.
And there is one last thing you need to know about oil vs water based paints . . .They don’t mix! I would think it’s obvious to most people that mixing a can of oil-based paint with a can of water-based paint wouldn’t be a good idea, but I’m talking about something else here.
If you are painting oil-based paint on top of latex paint then you have to prime the latex first. Latex paint and oil-based paint expand and contract at two different rates. So, if you paint oil-based paint on top of a latex paint without priming first, the latex will flex so much underneath that the oil-paint will quickly fail.
You can get away with painting a latex paint on top of an oil-based paint without primer, but just to be safe, it’s always a good idea to prime first when you are switching from one type of paint to the other.
Hopefully, this has been a good “primer” (<—Sorry, I couldn’t resist the painter humor) for working with oil-based paint. If you have any tips I may have forgotten, please share them in the comments below.
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I love old houses, working with my hands, and teaching others the excitment of doing it yourself! Everything is teachable if you only give it the chance.
Hello- we bought a house built in 1922, and much of the trim was painted in oil paint. How best to paint over this now with latex paint? In particular, the bathroom. Do I need an oil or water based primer? do you have one you would recommend for trim and around the original window?
Wells, If you are going to paint with a latex paint then I would prime with an oil-based primer first. Or you can just put another coat of oil-based paint over the existing without priming.
Thanks for the response! Our house does not get a lot of direct sunlight, so most of the oil painted trim is now a slight yellow. The loss of white is my main reason for wanting to switch out of oil. Do you have any advice for switching when you suspect the trim has lead paint underneath? I was recommended to me that I sand the trim, but my husband is worried about that.
Hi Scott,
Our house was built in 1977, in my ignorance, when we first purchased the house I painted all of the trim, doorways and doors in Valspar Paint and Primer Latex. After awhile EVERYTHING started peeling off like sunburned skin. It has been a nightmare. Recently, I have started scraping the paint off one room at a time and sanding everything. I know oil paint looks better but I just hate working with it. What can I do to get everything where it won’t peel but bypass using oil paint? Any primer or bonding suggestions? I haven’t sanded anything down to barewood, I’ve only sanded all the latex paint off but the oil paint is still there. Would I need to completely sand the oil paint off too?
Thanks for the help!
Kristin, if you have glossy trim the paint will have a hard time sticking to it. I would recommend scuffing the surface up a bit to give the paint something to hold onto and then apply a latex or oil-based primer before you try repainting. Try a Sherwin-Williams product call ProClassic “Acrylic/Alkyd” or Ben Moore “Advanced” They are water based paints that dry like an oil-based enamel. Easy clean up and hard finish coat.
I have found your info on oile based paints great. I need to invest ina primer. I am painting an old deck and railing, wood is pourous and soaked up first coat on deck. Second coat came out better. I thought to paint the hand rails with an oil based paint, but you have mentioned a mildew build up over time. Being in the thumb of michigan with the temp swingning all over and a moist atmosphere, what would you recomend? Do I need to scrap the deck and start over (ha ha)?
For outdoor projects a water-based paint is usually best or in your case a deck paint. Make sure it’s something designed for decks or floors and can stand up to the brutal weather it will endure.
I want to paint a metal front door that is forty years old. It is well protected from the weather by a covered porch. Do I really have to use oil based paint? I have painted the inner side of the door with latex and it looks great. Should I use a brush with oil based paint or have it spray painted on the outside. I’m kind of chicken to do this.
Latex paint will work fine for the door. The latex may stick a bit when the door is opened and closed but the oil could possibly mildew over the years since it’s outdoors. Either way has its down sides.
Thanks for the information about oil paints. It was recommended to me to use Glidden Porch and Floor Polyurethane Oil Paint (PF8090-01 on Homedepot.com) on a project and I was wondering if you could provide any input.
My son is working on an Eagle Scout project. There is a wooden staircase at a local park that has fallen into disrepair. He is planning on fixing it up and repainting it. The current paint (not sure if it’s oil or latex, how can I tell?) is coming off of the wood in many places. It will need to be scraped (wire brushes?) of loose paint, then repainted. What type of paint would you recommend? We’d prefer something that doesn’t require primer (self-priming paint) if there is something that will work well. Do I have to worry about new paint adhesion to the paint that is still firmly stuck to the wood? Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
Nate, priming is always helpful for a lasting paint job especially on something that will be outside or be subjected to foot traffic. I have never used the Glidden Porch & Floor so I can’t say how it is. For porches I’ve been using Sherwin-Williams Sher-Cryl with great results. It’s water based so it won’t mildew and it has some of the most tenacious grip on whatever surface you paint it onto. It dries to an extremely hard finish too. Whatever you decide to do I would definitely prime first. The idea of self-priming is a bit silly to me. A primer prepares the surface so the paint will adhere better.
Hello,
I painted my outside door with an oil based paint. I prepped it just like your instructions. It looks terrible. Also the paint was thick and left brush marks. I read that you can mix some mineral spirits in the paint to make it spread on smoother. Is this true and how much do you add to a quart? After letting it dry should I sand then apply another coat or is this not necessary since I sanded it in the beginning?
Cheryl, what kind of paint did you use and how old was it? I would sand smooth the coat you applied and add a second coat. Try these tips:
1) You can add mineral spirits to thin the paint, but I would recommend a product called Penetrol (can be found at your local paint store). It thins the paint and extends the drying time so as to help eliminate brush marks.
2) Make sure you brush the paint on and lightly tip off the surface to help eliminate brush marks as well.
3) Also, once you’ve tipped off don’t go back over the areas you’ve painted. Let them dry and the paint will level out better.
Oh darn…Benjamin Moore Paint store no longer carries the Impervo in quarts, so I tried Impervex, which is water-based. I’m happy to report this is the BEST water-based paint for my old house.
I will use this always. Also has the nice mellow white that suits a vintage
house!!
Impervex is indeed a nice water-based product!
Scott, is there any way to store a paintbrush used for oil based latex between the 24 hour coat applications? I hate cleaning up after each coat, just to have to get out a new brush the next day while the other one dries!
I live in Honolulu and I am renovating a 1940’s house. All the door & window trim, ceiling molding and baseboards I have painted in oil. I use Benjamin Moore’s Impervo paint and the sheen is perfect for an old house;the mellow white is beautiful.
I prefer using oil, I think it’s easier to clean the brushes, just swirl them around in paint thinner, takes 3 minutes
and this chore is done.
I will be painting my kitchen cabinets with Impervo-White. My primer for everything is oil-based Zinnser.
I also paint furniture and I always use oil paint. Always enjoy reading your articles, Scott!
Impervo is the absolute best!
I am painting a corn board game with oil paint. I will have three color, black,red and white, which color should be my base coat? And do I need to apply clear oil poly to seal and if I do do I sand my last coat before applying poly.
Richard, the order of the paint colors will depend on the pattern you are painting. There’s no real right or wrong there. And you won’t need a clear coat afterward. Use a good enamel oil-based paint and then let the bean bags fly!
Scott, I am a contractor and can use a lot of thinner to clean up. I use a few coffee containers and when I clean my brush, I put the used thinner into another container and cover. After a few days, the paint settles to the bottom of the used can and I then use the (mostly) good thinner over and over again. I hate to trash the environment any more than necessary, and this method saves me lots of money and is ecologically friendly!
Thanks for your blog.
Bob, we do the same thing at our shop. Thanks for mentioning it and adding it to the post like I should have originally!
I need to repaint my kitchen cabinets. They were originally spray painted with white lacquer. I would like to repaint with oil-based paint. Would 220 grit
sandpaper & oil-based primer be the correct protocol? Thank you!
Janet, you’ve got it! Sand with 220 then coat with oil-based primer and sand again with 220 before applying the paint.
Interior trim in our home is painted with oil paint. To repaint it, what is best to repaint with same color oil paint: 1. apply new oil paint over the old; 2. scuff the wood first, then paint; 3. apply primer then paint. Also, my hubby painted some areas with latex paint. How to handle this? I want to repaint with oil paint (looks so much better).
Since the wood has already been painted with oil-based I would simply scuff the surface a bit before applying a fresh coat of oil-based.
For the area with latex paint I would sand more thoroughly to remove as much latex as possible then prime with an oil-based primer before repainting with oil-based paint.
Be sure to follow lead safe practices if you are sanding painted surfaces in an old house.
Hi,
I am working on an old house. Trying to repaint the trim. After scrapping off the old chipped paint, I got down to an even layer. I painted one doorway with an oil based enamel,after 12hrs it is still tacky.
Do I just need to wait longer, it will need a second coat
Ana
Ana, oil paint does take a long time to dry. The typical time necessary between coats is usually about 8 hrs. But if the weather is cold or humid that time can be slowed down significantly. And if the temperature is below 45 degrees or so the paint may not actually dry at all. I would wait till the paint is dry to the touch before recoating in your case.
We painted a brand new steel door with black oil based paint. We have painted it with 2 coats of paint and it looks horrible! We can see brush marks and uneven texture all over the door. What should we do? We thought about lightly sanding it, then repainting another layer … But not for sure. I think latex would’ve been much easier!
Sand the door with 220 grit sandpaper to smooth it out and apply another coat of the oil-based paint. If you’re getting brush marks you are either brushing too hard or continuing to brush the paint as it starts to cure. Get the paint on quickly, then tip off the paint and leave it alone while it cures. Don’t try to fix any drips once it starts drying.
Also, if the surface wasn’t smooth before you started painting you won’t be able to get a smooth surface in the end. Hope that helps!
Ok, thanks for the tips. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I am using oil based paint over a previous oil base on cabinet doors. It is a smooth surface and I was told I need to scuff sand the doors before painting. My question is what grit of sandpaper should I use and will the paint adhere if the sanding is too light?
Chip, you’ll need to use a 220 grit sandpaper on the cabinets. Make sure you sand everything otherwise you may have adhesion problems. Using a good oil-based primer before painting would also help assure good adhesion by the new paint.
I painted latex over sanded clean sliding closet doors and the paint peeled. I resanded the doors primed them with oil based primer, then used oil based semi-gloss with a foam roller. I think i went over the paint to often for I have uneven texture on some places on the doors. Can I just roll over the doors again with the paint, of course not as often this time?
Bonnie, if you painted with oil-based paint you can sand that top layer smooth and apply another coat without priming.
I certainly agree that you shouldn’t short cut any prep work, but as a professional paint here in UK, I have found it perfectly acceptable to put oil based finish over a good acrylic (water based) primer/ undercoat. Acrylic over poorly prepped oil based paint is a recipe for disaster!!!!
A “professional” painter we hired put latex over oil-based. Of course, it peels and the painter is long gone. Thought we would have to sand down all the bad paint and then redo it. But if we could just prime and then use latex over it that would save us a lot of time. Any tips on how to do this?
Chances are that if the paint is peeling off then he didn’t do a good enough prep job. I always prime before switching between oil and latex paint just to be sure it sticks, but the traditional thinking is that latex over oil is OK whereas oil over latex is a no, no!
Unfortunately, If your paint is peeling off then the only way to get a solid coat of paint is to strip off the bad paint, prime and start again. Paint is only as good as the substrate it is painted on. And even if you do a quality paint job on top of his bad job it will still come off sooner than it should.
We also have to ensure that the painting area is well-ventilated.
Well said!