Lately I’ve noticed that a lot of the paint I buy has little bits of dried chunks of paint in it. It’s not a lot, certainly not enough to warrant screening it before use, but just enough to be annoying.
I use Benjamin Moore exclusively and I’ve noticed it in the past, but it seems to be happening more frequently with their new 100% acrylic formula. I used to think that it was old paint that had sat around for a while, but since they only introduced these new formulas a few months ago, that doesn’t seem like such a likely explanation.
Another possibility is freeze/thaw cycles, but again, that really shouldn’t be an issue with a so-called new formula.
It’s as if the paint might have started to dry on the inside of the lid and then when it’s shaken, it flakes off and mixes in. Any thoughts or similar experiences?
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I just bought five gallons of valspar flat white paint and have painted one ceiling with it.
This is the first time I have used this brand as it is more expensive.
I usually buy a medium priced paint.
I didn't notice any chunks or small debris.
^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
I called the Benjamin Moore support line and described the problem. As expected, they weren't of any great help and basically said to return the paint to the dealer for replacement (as if that's going to happen when I'm in the middle of a job an hour away from where I bought the paint).
What they did say, however, was that I might be seeing "lid skinning". Now knowing the proper term, I googled it and learned 2 things of interest: 1) it happens more with low VOC paints (a claim that B-M is making about their new formula) and 2) it happens much more frequently in hot weather (we had a few days about 1 1/2 weeks ago where temps got into the 90's).
So, I think I've figured out what I'm seeing and the cause. That just leaves figuring out how to prevent it. Actually, there's probably not much that I can do. It sounds like lid skinning probably happens most often during transport and storage.
Thanks for the information - I have an airless spray gun and use it once a year or so.I try to use a filter to screen out the chunky paint. Occasionally I forget and I hate running the chunks and pieces through the pump and the gun.Thanks again for the info.^^^^^^
a Smith & Wesson beats four Aces
I've seen that on and off over the years with all brands of paint. Gets to where you know you have it when you are stiring the paint - which you always do first, right? - and you just screen it before using as part of the job when you see it. No big deal.
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...Gets to where you know you have it when you are stiring the paint - which you always do first, right? -
Um, no..., but I probably should.
Usually, I buy the paint right before the job so it's very recently shaken (that morning or day before). In those cases, it's really not necessary, but I do see the additional benefit of determining if filtering is needed.
I had some Sherman williams with flakes and hairs in it. They gave me a five gallon bucket and a strainer. Straining it fixed it. The hairs were driving me nuts. It was semigloss. There's no way I was going to use it after preping the walls.
I got to thinking that anywhere along the line of manufacturing the paint it could have been contaminated. Most people just use it I guess.
My painter has been talking about "high clay content" in some paints. He says the clay makes for good sanding, but tends to clump so he strains it before spraying.