Paint Acrylic or oil based?

We are about to renovate shutters and window frames on our property. However we are unsure whether to use oil based microporous paint or acrylic. We are planning to import from the UK so it’s a fair quantity of paint and we obviously want to get it right and make sure it’s long lasting. Thanks

I hate acrylic paints with a passion. They tend to dry far too quickly so brush marks don’t have time to level out properly. If you are doing your shutters and frames in a natural wood colour I wouldn’t use UK stuff anyway. Any decent brand of Lasure bought in France will work better and last longer. It will have been formulated for the weather conditions unique to France. If you want a coloured paint then the same criteria will apply. Unlike the dishwater muck they sell for interior walls, etc. the exterior materials are certainly up to spec.

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Oil based paints were stopped by the EU. It’s water based now unfortunately. I bought my last oil based paint over for my shutters years back ( 8 ish) still good. Sadolin still out lasts lassure, round my place. More often however it is the surface the stuff is going onto that makes the difference. A good hardwood painted will out last the same paint on softwood.

Being in the elements or not makes the biggest difference. I have a pair of pine shutters that were painted with a lasure almost 20 years ago but although south facing are in a barn’s shadow all winter and for all but a couple of hours a day in mid summer. They are as good as new. My hardwood shutters in full sunlight all year round have needed regular maintenance. Luckily a maturing wisteria has put the kitchen window and shutters into the shadow for most of the summer and they are wearing much better than the other windows and shutters that have no protecting shadow.

Painting wood or metal I always use oil based paints, you can still buy them & they haven’t been stopped by the EU for all uses. Though I would advise to source them from profession suppliers like this one. https://www.seigneuriegauthier.com/catalogue-peintures

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Thanks John. Managed to get some Renulac oil based paint plus undercoat. We’ll see if it will do the job.
Best Anthony

Hi Wozza. Thanks. Got some oil based paint locally - recommended by a neighbour.

Hi David, bought some oil based paint. We’ll see how it lasts. Perhaps with decent prep work it will have dome longevity.

While we are on the subject of French paint I have to say that Leroy Merlin’s own brand is very good. For Acrylic I don’t buy an undercoat, I dilute (with water of course) the ‘main’ paint I will be using. Had some very good results, especially with white, that I used at a friend’s house to paint over some old ceiling beams. Hasn’t yellowed at all after a few years of use including a poêle a bois in the room.

I’m jumping onto this thread. Very interested to hear which paint brands are good. We’re not moving over for a few years yet but I LOVE painting.

I haven’t done an awful lot of outdoor painting, most of mine is indoor. I much prefer to use water-based paints over oil-based, especially with white inside due to the yellowing. The wet-edge is a problem though, you have to apply very carefully and in stages. I use a product called Floetrol. It’s a paint conditioner and extends the wet-edge on water-based gloss paints.

I’ve heard that if you’re using white oil-based paints externally, the sun bleaches the paint, maintaining the whiteness. . . I think the yellowing problem only occurs indoors because of the lack of UV.

Ann, I don’t think Acrylic paint is prone to yellowing at all?

" I think the yellowing problem only occurs indoors because of the lack of UV."

Correct. There is an additive that reacts to UV helping paint to maintain its whiteness. It works inside or out as long as there is some exposure to natural sunlight. It doesn’t work inside a cupboard for instance.

Acrylic paint used in a kitchen where there is a gas cooker will yellow because of the by products in the burnt fumes.

( I used to work in the decorative paints industry)

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Richard, that’s great. . . knowledge!!

May I ask, which is your favourite brand of wall-paint in France?

To be perfectly honest, I have used very little French branded interior paints so I don’t propose to be the font of knowledge. I made the mistake of trying bargain tubs of generic white emulsion on offer and found it all total rubbish. Four coats to achieve proper obliteration over a darker colour. False economy. Dulux Valentine is not bad but not as good as the UK product which is half the price. On the other hand, I have used quite a few French products for outside rendering and found the name brands containing “Pliolite” (?) are equal to the best UK has to offer. I have also used UK Cuprinol here and found it only lasting one year in the southwest but the locally available Lasure (name brand or generic) is very good and lasts well. I assume their superior performance is due to being formulated to suit the French weather conditions. Wood primers and specialised primers are not easily found here but I have tried a few specialised products, ie. for radiators, anti-rust finishes, damp cures, etc. and they are efficient if a bit pricey. As it is a bit of a lottery I would suggest spending maximum time prepping for the best result with whatever you decide to use as a finish.

Ok Richard. . . your mission. . . should you choose to accept it. hahahaha

Isn’t it funny. Dulux emulsion paint in Australia is total crap!

I too have made the mistake of buying inferior paint. . . never again. I pay a few dollars more for the good stuff and do it in two coats instead of four. Especially ceilings, my favourite (not).

I will record your findings in my “France Dossier”. Very informative. . .

Thank you!

Try vide greniers etc and find oil based paint- it’ll last much longer. If its on shutters and window frames, there would be no health issues. When we bought our old house, it came with a survey, which said that the shutters were painted with lead paint - we just told people not to suck the shutters.

Yes, titanium dioxide however the UV reaction I found encouraged mosquitos etc who like UV . I switched to chalk based and this problem was considerably reduced moving away from brilliant white improved it further, no more mosquitos. At the time I was lighting with compact fluorescent lights which throw out a fair bit of UV which reacts with the titanium dioxide to amplify the UV issue.

Interestingly enough, I have found that the best paint that I have used here from the viewpoint of coverage, minimum preparation, ease of application and clean-up, and longevity, is a water based paint called Baufix which is made in Germany and sold in Lidl from time to time.
In the first instance I just bought it as a trial to see what happened and was truly amazed at the results on some very ancient oak garage doors.
Indoors I use the cheaper grades of emulsion but add 15% PVA which gives a washable and highly durable finish. A quick wash down with some sugar soap solution once a year and it comes up like new.

That would make latex paint.