Stain - Paints are usually water based latex or oil based. Most of the liquid portion of latex paint is water, while the liquid in oil based paints consists of petroleum distillates and other organic solvents.

Latex is the most commonly sold paint today. It covers well, cleanup with water is fast and easy, and it is durable. Before starting any paint project, consider the nature of your particular job before deciding which type of paint is best for your application.

Water based latex paints offer significant performance advantages. Compared to oil based paints, top quality exterior latex paints have greater durability, color retention, and chalk resistance, so they continue to look good for years. Since they are less brittle and more elastic than oil based paints, they have better resistance to cracking. Latex paints also dry much faster than oil based paints, which allows for a quicker second coat. When compared with other latex paints, those with 100% acrylic binders are especially durable and highly flexible. They tend to adhere extremely well to a variety of exterior surfaces, and have greater resistance to troublesome paint failures like blistering, flaking and peeling.

Top quality oil based paints have excellent adhesion characteristics. They get a tight grip on the surface being painted. Good adhesion is essential for a durable paint job. However, oil based coatings tend to oxidize and get brittle over time, which can lead to cracking in exterior applications, and yellowing and chipping in interior applications. But oil based paints are still your best choice in two circumstances - when repainting exterior surfaces with heavy chalking, and when repainting any exterior or interior surface that has four or more layers of old oil-based paint.

There are also circumstances in which you should never apply oil based paints. For example, they should not be applied directly to fresh masonry or galvanized iron. In either case, the result will probably be a very quick failure of the paint.

Oil based coatings are more difficult to apply, clean up, and dispose of than latex. They also take longer to dry so you cannot apply a second coat as quickly. Oil based paints can be used for certain applications within the home, particularly on interior trim. But remember that these paints have noticeably more odor than latex. That, combined with the slow dry time, may put your rooms out of service for a short while. If you use oil based paints, you will also have to use paint thinner to clean up drips and equipment, which means that you must use extra care in handling and disposing of rags.