Ask the Expert Question-and-Answer Archive

by Ron Joseph

September, 2002

WATER BASED, WATER REDUCIBLE, LATEX AND EMULSION PAINTS

Q. It's there a difference between water-based paint and water-reducible paint?

A. In most cases people use the two words interchangeably. In water reducible paints the resins are modified so that they are truly soluble in water. Another form of water-based or waterborne paint is a latex emulsion. Here the resin is not truly soluble in water, but is modified so that it is compatible with water. For example, mayonaise is an emulsion and the concept is similar. Yet another form of water-based paint is a water-dispersible. All three forms have somewhat similar properties.