Today's Alkyd Paints - Argh ! Best thinner ?

[lovesickest]

I am painting some previously painted woodwork like doors and trim - and the texture of the Benjamin Moore satin finish alkyd paint I just bought is well, horrible. Like so sticky and gloppy - you can see every brush stroke and just gets stickier and streakier the more it is brushed.

I know that the chemistry of alkyd paints have changed in the last 20 years due to environmental concerns (good). However - I look at the backside of this one door and the c. 1950's paint is just so smooth.

Paint thinner is called paint thinner for a reason (duh) BUT - prowling online I see others thin their paint with toluene, lacquer thinner or even naptha.

What do I need to know before I commence some chemistry experiments ? Paint thinner is said to slow down the drying (I have cats so the risk of painted cats and furry woodwork increases exponentially) v.s. toluene speeds it up.

Advice from painting pros ?

[heartwood]

I would use turnpentine....you can also use a product called 'penetrol' made by the flood company...
check it out online...

I have had good luck with ben moore oil paints...of course that was last month and the formula could have changed by now...it is suggested that the changes to paint chemistry is for environmental reasons...if paint now lasts one third to half as long as yesteryear requiring the manufacture, shipping and application of paints more often, how can that be an advantage to the environment???

...jade

[Casey]

Naphtha evaporates really fast and has almost no odor; but you will have to keep adding it because it does evaporate so rapidly. Odorless mineral spirits is probably the best. Toluene and acetone have very strong odors and evaporate too fast.
On any of the new hybrid/emulsion paints, see if the label calls for a special proprietary thinner before adding anything.
I like turpentine for oil primer, outdoors, but the odor is overpowering indoors.
Remember that in cold weather oil paint thickens up from the temperature, so make the workpiece and material as warm as you can.
Casey

[lovesickest]

Thanks for the info. I had not even considered the room temperature as a factor. Hmmm, that makes sense.

Looking at the first coat this a.m. it did dry more smoothly than I expected - but for a satin finish it is glossier than semi-gloss. Just the feel of it when I paint with a brush is so draggy - esp. compared to the texture of the latex paint I am using on the wall. I have heard there are great efforts being made to discontinue alkyd paints - I don't know if user-unfriendliness is part of the strategy.

That said I just have no confidence in applying latex "enamel" over the super hard wearing alkyd enamel...

[phil]

had to paint some handrails they were just 2x12's I had them off on saw horses and was getting brush strokes. I took a paint stick and wrapped a scrap of towel over it and a bit of bed linen over that and wrapped the ends with tape. then I just put a puddle on the wood and drew the stick across just like you would if you were doing a polyurethane floor.
It worked great, came out nice, no brush strokes. Of course it will only work if you have nothing in the way. saved washing the brush
Phil

[Mick_VT]

be careful of just thinning, some paints specify that they should not be thinned. Penetrol will help with leveling issues, naphtha usually speeds up drying time IIRC so you might not want to go that route as it may kill the levelling.

[rwiegand (WavyGlass)]

Penetrol is your friend. It will help hugely with the brushability.

[1850Farmer]

I like Penetrol with oil based paints, It's a great help with leveling brush marks and thinning for spraying.

[lovesickest]

I thinned the first liter of paint with paint thinner, and the performance seemed much better. The first area is a small contained area, so I was testing the color. The dried results of the thinned-with-thinner paint were fine, including the drying time. I am good with the new color - and I purchased a gallon of paint and Penetrol (which costs about 3x as much as thinner). I am curious to see how the results compare ? Will return to report...

[Mick_VT]

I thinned the first liter of paint with paint thinner, and the performance seemed much better. The first area is a small contained area, so I was testing the color. The dried results of the thinned-with-thinner paint were fine, including the drying time. I am good with the new color - and I purchased a gallon of paint and Penetrol (which costs about 3x as much as thinner). I am curious to see how the results compare ? Will return to report...

What did it say on the side of the can about thinning? Curious... some manufacturers, on some paints say don't thin, I think because it affects adhesion or durability of the particular paint. I have experience some issues thinning primer with mineral spirits.