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I’m remodeling the old family home. Looking at the interior paint applied over the years, I am amazed at the color variations of the white paint from different manufacturers. The paint from True Value was their top-of-the-line quality, and it has now turned a creamy-yellow color after 10 years. Another brand of paint applied two years earlier is still brilliant white, which is as I intended. I don’t know what brand it was, but wish I did,… sure I don’t want the True Value paint again. Although it went on smoothly, it is a disgusting color! Does anyone have suggestions as to a brand of interior gloss enamel that will apply smoothly without changing colors? Thanks in advance for your help. Old Jim
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Jim,
A lot of that depends on the rules passed by the EPA, which vary by location.
Here in CA, just about 10 years ago, the EPA and the Air Quality Management District decided that of all the pollutants in the air, 2% - 3% were of substances which could be found in paints, and began to fiddle w/ the allowable VOCs (volatile organic compounds) within the formulation. (We're talkin' oil-based stuff here).
Anyway, the quality has continued to diminish - life cycle of the coating has diminished greatly - and the enamels, especially the whites, now yellow in record time. Can't be helped. We returned to a job to do an additional bit of work after about 8 months - the same paint color was used and it looked like two different shades next to the 8 month old doors and jambs.
There are some on the market that claim to be slower - but that's hardly the same as non-yellowing, is it?
There are several acrylics ("water-base") out now that lay down pretty smooth and don't yellow (much that is - all whites yellow over time).
When they could use lead, it was hard and had good color retention - but it poisoned kids. Titanium dioxide was the substitute white pigment for years, but the price of that has gone through the roof and the amount in paints has been decreased, which accounts for coverage problems more han yellowing. It's the darn VOC issue.
Anyway ... don't know where you're at but in So. Cal. Dunn-Edwards, Frazee, Sherwin Williams all have good acrylic enamels.
Geo.