Latex paint is great. But....

[PeteM]

I saw a recent mention of latex paint as an indoor coating.  Latex works quite well, but keep in mind that it's formulated for outdoor use and as a result it can take years to truly harden.  [As I understand it] the trapped moisture gives the latex a longer life.  Sooooo, 6 years ago I used latex on baby crib / dresser / change table (I figured that would often be a wet environment).  The dang paint still hasn't dried!!  It's mildly tacky to the skin, and two latex coated pieces placed in contact tend to stick (and maybe peel).  A paint specialist* suggested using enamel instead.  I don't know all the chemistry details, but the next furniture project worked out much better.  I did some Adirondack chairs, used latex, they worked out great (3 years & counting), but I learned not to coat the bottom of the feet:  they stick to the deck.  I finally put some pads under the feet for separation.  I suspect after a few years the pads evaporate (high UV here), but by then won't matter.

 

FWIW

 

*I know he was a specialist in whom I could place complete trust because he had an apron and was standing behind a paint counter.   Uh, orange apron if that matters?

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

Pete, I don't think that was a drying issue. Latex paint (as in wall paint) has a property known as "blocking". That is the stickiness you feel. If you put that paint on a shelf, and sit something on it, it's stuck good....usually peeling the paint off when you remove it. Latex paint (as we used to define it) is good for walls, but not much else. Using an enamel solves the problems, so does using a latex that's labeled 100% acrylic. The paint language is getting more tricky anymore with the companies calling several formulas latex. I used to think the old latex was a vinyl latex, I'm not longer sure that's the case but always look for 100% acrylic, which is also what many of the enamels are.

[Harry Brink]

Same thing with latex paint. Not good for a shelf! Set something on it and it will stick!

[Gunny]

I prefer oil based paint for inside projects. Outside I use for a primer to seal the wood then top coat with latex.

 

For things I don't paint I stick with poly or lacquer.

[FlGatorwood]

My understanding is that all latex is water based and not fit for exterior usage.  All exterior paint should be oil based as it seals itself to the target to protect it.  Latex should be good for walls and such, but for trim and where hands are going to be in regular contact, again, enamels or oil based.  The higher the gloss, the harder the coating and more protection.  Flat paints dries in beads so the when the light strikes it, the reflections go in different directions.  Gloss having a sheet like coating, reflects light and water in similar fashion.  At least, this is what I was taught in the early 70's in my apprenticeship in Graphic Arts.  This part I remember well is that look at flat paints as a stack of BB's. 

[PeteM]

2 hours ago, FlGatorwood said:

My understanding is that all latex is water based and not fit for exterior usage.   

I've been painting my exteriors for about 30 years with latex, water based, and it seems pretty well suited.  We have some pretty aggressive sun and heat, and the paint will last 10--15 years (which is shorter than my wife's patience with any one color!).

[kmealy]

Fred's right on.    I had a job a few years ago that were custom-built modular bookcases (think of a bunch of cubes in groups of 2-4.   They were sticking together.   Some I had to pry apart with a pry bar and it pulled off some of the wood veneer.   I patched all the damage and spot painted.   Then I applied a quality acrylic clear.   Let it dry for a full week.   And for insurance, applied a coat of paste wax to isolate the paint.   Must have worked as I never got a call-back.

[Gunny]

17 minutes ago, kmealy said:

They were sticking together.

I once used car wax on some shelves I put in for a family friend.  Seemed to work.