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.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
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.
My kitchen cabinets were painted black with a top oil-based paint 7-8 years ago. The job was well-done: sanded, primed, painted. At this point, around the pulls and on some corners, the black paint has rubbed off. I will touch up the black paint, but I am wondering if I should put a finish over the paint after it cures so that it lasts longer. Thank you.
hi scott i work in a school that all the walls are painted with oil what do you recommend to prep the walls with to paint over the oil with latex
Oil based primer is the best bet. No issues after that topping with either oil based or latex.
Thanks a million. I have not done the work- but now I’m revisiting the not pleasent task of doing this work.
where I live in California- painters don’t want to deal with oil painnted rooms and are not much interested in doing ceilings. They charge a fortune for doing a small room.So I have no choice than doing it myself.. It’s amazing that this post keep living. Thank you for all the help.
Help?.. I really need to find out if I should use oil or water based paint on my newly glazed windows and french doors! Everywhere on this site and around the net, it says “use oil based paint” and i guess it’s due to the oil in the DAP glazing putty (?) and to protect the putty better. But, i live in California and these doors and windows gets full blazing sun all day. (btw, yes you can buy oil based paint in California). These doors were painted with oil based paint before, but it dried and flaked off so badly that I had to strip the doors, remove the old putty and glaze again. I just don’t want the same thing to happen again, so please, pretty please, help a girl out. What paint to use? Thank you in advance!
I use water based paint on my sashes here in Florida, but you can use either water or oil. If you use oil based just make sure there is enough skin on the glazing putty before you paint because fresh oil paint on fresh glazing putty can cause the putty to re-emulsify.
oops, don’t think my follow up question got posted, so I’m just going to try again. Thank you for your quick reply though!! I already have some Killz water based exterior primer, but I’ve read elsewhere (the expert housepainter .com) to use oil based primer first and then do the top coats with a water based paints. What’s your thoughts on best procedure?
Oil primer on wood followed by water based top coats is my preference.
Scott than you for all your help. What brand oild primer do you use and what do you do to prevent it from drying up to quick? Also, in a celing hat has 1950″s oil paint and probably lead- how do you revove the shine in order to put the primer. After I put the primer, I don’t want to use oil paint.
Jessica- Brush marks your getting when priming the door may also come from using a cheapo throw away brush!! happened to me lol. I switched over to a quality brush for the second coat and came out great. You get what you pay for. Remember that please.
Oil painted old lino floor. Turned out very well. Would like to put a non yellowing coating on it for protection. Any suggestions? It has a white background.
Diane, if you painted using a white oil-based paint then that will yellow slightly over the years. If you used a quality enamel paint on the floor then no sealer would be necessary. If you didn’t then I would recommend a porch and floor type enamel meant for foot traffic.
I am painting a hardwood floor with oil based paint (black) Every application I do, I get pain streaks and uneven sheen, What am I doing wrong?
Try this post to help you get a smooth even coat of paint. https://thecraftsmanblog.com/6-secrets-to-silky-smooth-paint/
Hi Scott. I just paid a painter to paint the bedroom trim. He used a semi gloss oil based paint. I don’t like semi gloss. My question is what prep work needs to be done to paint oil over oil but change the sheen from semi gloss to eggshell? The original paint on the trim was also an oil based paint.
Patty, you can paint a new coat of oil based right over that new coat. You may want to scuff the paint lightly with a 220 grit sanding sponge to give it better adhesion before adding the new coat though.
Hi Scott. I just painted my bathroom walls with latex paint (no primer. I noticed after anyone showered the paint would peel off easily (There is no window in the bathroom, but there is a fan that we do use while showering). In fact the paint easily peeled off the walls. I am assuming that the wall was previously painted with oil based paint. I want to repaint it with the same latex paint.
I just read through your blog entry and all the comments…I had a few questions.
I know I should peel all the paint off of the wall.
Can I skip sanding? Or do I have to sand the walls down?
Can I use Zinsser Bulls Eye 123 Water Based primer? Or do I have use oil based Primer? I want to use latex paint on top of the primer.
Thanks in advance for your reply!
Susan, that stinks! Yeah, I would remove all the peeling paint layer and then prime with the Zinseer which should work just fine then do your top coats. No sanding necessary. It might be helpful to wipe the walls down with TSP or a paint deglosser prior to priming to help with adhesion as well.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for the tip last time.
I have now repainted my door with water based paint. However, I have a brush bristle stuck to the coat of new paint applied to the door. How can I remove the brush bristle?
Many thanks.
Dawn
We blew in insulation in September and now the outside walls are bubbling and cracking where they drilled holes to blow in the insulation. The company states that the bubbling is from previous owners using water based paint over oil based paint, but 3 outside walls that were not drilled into are not bubbling. Does this sound like a paint issue?
Lauren it sounds like a moisture problem caused by the insulation. I’m not sure without seeing for myself, but it’s not uncommon for insulation blown ingot the walls of old houses to cause moisture problems since there are usually no vapor barriers or building wrap to keep the insulation dry. Try testing the moisture content of the siding on the insulated walls and comparing it to the uninsulated ones. If the siding is significantly higher then it’s time to call the insulation company back and see how they plan to fix things.
I made a mistake and bought oil based white kiltz to cover painted ivy on my walls. I went ahead and used it. Now I’m wondering what paint to use to cover the oil based paint?
If you used the exterior oil-based Kilz primer than you can topcoat with any type of paint. Probably an acrylic paint (water based) would be best for exterior.
Hi Scott,
I want to repaint my room. Two of the 4 walls have a green oil based paint applied to it. I want to repaint with grey or white. I dont mind repainting with oil based paint again (it took foreverrrr to dry the first time) as long as I dont need to sand it? Is that possible? Could I just use a primer over it and repaint directly?
Been googling for an hour now trying to find a answer but can’t find anything specific for what I need. Hope you can help me.
Thank you!
Kris, to repaint all you need to do is prime with an oil based primer and then you can repaint with either water based or oil based without problem.
I recently used an oil based paint for metal on my fireplace doors. That being said I love the color. I believe that I rushed the paint process and now I have brush marks that I don’t love. Is there any way I can fix this? Thank you in advance.
Cindy, I would sand every down until smooth and apply another coat of paint. This time thin the paint with some Penetrol to help it level out better.
Hi Scott,
If I would like to touch up oil based paint on the bathroom door, do I need primer when using oil based paint again or I can just directly apply the oil based paint to the spot?
Alternatively, if I would like to switch to water based paint for the touch up process, which primer should I apply on top of the oil based paint? Should it be be an oil based primer or a water based primer?
Many thanks in advance.
Dawn, to just touch up a section I would lightly sand with 220 grit and then touch up the area. To repaint with water-based paint I would prime the door first with an oil-based primer and then repaint.
When painting with oil based paint, do I need to remove the masking tape right away, or can I leave it on for 8 hours, paint a second coat and then remove the tape?
I try to avoid tape altogether but if you are using it then you could keep it in thought the second coat. I’d remove it before the second coat is dry though.
Hi,
I am a great fan of oil-based paints, but when you say oil based paint dries in 8, 16 or even 24 hours, I have found that that is not quite true, certainly not if the surface will be in contact with other painted surfaces.
When I paint shelves, I’ve found that I want to leave the shelf as long as a week before storing things on them long term, or solid objects might stick/ tack.
Stahl, agreed! There is a big difference between dry and cured. Most oil-based paints are dry to the touch in about 8 hours, but not ready for a recoat for at least 24 hrs, but I wouldn’t put objects on a shelf or something similar for at least a week or until the paint is fully cured at about 30 days. It’s a different world with oil paint.
You mention that oil-based is better for old houses, but don’t really say the exact reasons why. We are fixing up a 1930s wooden house in Hawaii with original doug-fir and redwood walls. Some have said to use oli-based primer to cover up the lead paint. is that true? Another question, our oil-based primer has been sitting covered for a few months as we moved onto the next room sanding and prepping and now has a thin film on it the consistensy of caramel. It could easily be taken off with a stir stick. Should that be stirred in or taken off. Thanks for the blog and the help!
Stephanie, oil primers penetrate into wood more than latex and thus provide more protection. I’d remove any film before stirring the can well and then make sure to filter the paint thru a screen of some sort before you start using it to avoid clumps.
Hi Scott,
Thank you for the post on this topic! I have been painting my window with oil base paint and have been struggle great deal as I keep either get brush marks or running. I have been repeat few time by re-sand and re-paint but not much of improvement. Do you recommend to mix the oil base paint with mineral spirit? Will that get the paint job easier? Will that reduce the quality of the paint some how?
Scott – Due to a medical condition, my son takes extended hot showers in a small bathroom with no windows. I just finished two coats of latex paint on the walls but I’m thinking it will never survive the heavy moisture buildup on a daily basis. Do I need to go ahead and bite the bullet and use an oil-based primer as well as an oil-based enamel to seal those walls from the excessive moisture?
Thanks for the insights – DW
David, the best thing you can do to protect yourselves against the moisture is to install a bath fan in the room. Whichever kind of paint you use there will still be moisture issues unless you find a way to help the humid air exit the building promptly.
Gotcha – there is a fan in there and I’m looking at upgrading it so that it moves a LOT more moist air out of there. I just wanted to verify that the additional painting was worthwhile. After all the work prepping the walls and getting two coats of top-shelf latex on there, I was crushed to hear that I really should be using oil-based. Before starting on this, I had asked two other people with “experience” and they felt like the latex would be fine.
Oil based paint is great for bathrooms. Latex paint, however, provides a matrix for mold growth and if you prep with TSP (trisodium phosphate), youve just added the fertilizer! Yes, latex contains “mildewicides” but its still inferior to oil. Oil based paint washes well so surfaces that are touched alot, like doors, cabinets, trim and furniture, are easy to clean. Hard, washable and long lasting (I consider long lasting to be eco-friendly!) you can also renew oil based paint surfaces with carnuba wax and buffing with a soft cloth. Both latex and acylic will become tacky with finger traffic and cleaning the surface often softens or removes the paint. IMO latex trim is tacky–in more ways than one! Bathroom ceilings should be painted with oil based to keep mold from growing high up in the corners. Oil based paint isnt available in matte finishes but I LOVE Benjamin Moore low lustre satin IMPERVO alkyd enamel. BM IMPERVO is also available in high gloss alkyd. Tho BM is coming out with new generation enamels, old school alkyd impervo is still available and unparalleled for bathrooms, doors, window sashes and trim. Oil based impervo has gotten expensive but it can last a lifetime when a good paint job is important. Paint formulations are changing quickly with new standards and some paints havent yet been tested by time.
Suzanne, while I am a huge fan of Impervo, any oil-based paint has a greater chance of fostering mildew than latex. Being in a humid climate like Florida I’m well acquainted with the joys of mildew on paint. I say stay away from oil-based paints in bathrooms.
Gotcha. I live in Colorado and have never seen mildew grow on oil, latex yes. Much, much drier climate than Florida. Really enjoy your blog BTW!
Thanks Suzanne!
Scott I need advise, what prep do I do to paint over exterior enamel with exterior acrylic?
When you say enamel I’m assuming you mean an oil-based enamel so in that case I would prime with an oil-based primer before applying the acrylic.