Five things you didn't know about paint

• Water-based paint outsold oil-based paint 628 million gal. to 126 million gal. in 2006, the most recent reporting year available from the U.S. Census Bureau.

• Americans buy twice as much interior paint as exterior paint

• Before it was banned by the federal government in 1978, lead was an important component of paint. According to the National Paint & Coatings Association, older paint formulations contained as much as 55% lead. A gallon of this paint could weigh 40 lb.

• According to the Paint Quality Institute, most of the cost of painting a house is in labor. Spending $700 on top-quality paint instead of $400 on an economy brand actually reduces the cost per year of service life from $1350 to $570. The labor bill of $5000 makes up most of the tab.

• Lots of manufactured goods have been outsourced to factories in China and elsewhere, but not paint. Transportation and distribution issues have apparently been enough to keep U.S. paint factories firmly on U.S. soil.