As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases.

The base paint is a major component of paint and plays a critical role in conveying its character. It’s widely used when painting buildings to make the film of the paint hard. This way, the paint can be retained on the walls easily.
Typically, base paint is a solid substance. That’s why it’s used to form the bulk of the paint. Base paint has different numbers, which indicates the appropriate color to mix it with.
Everything You Need To Know
A tintable base is produced by the paint manufacturers, allowing painters to create the foundation for a specific color required for a painting project. The assortment of paint bases offered includes white, clear, light, medium, deep, and pastel.
The function of base paint
A paint store can’t keep every paint type in its collection, so base paints are used. It’s mixed with any paint to form new paint types. All it requires is to mix a tintable paint base with other paint in a specific quantity, and you get new types of paint.
Base paints are available in clear and deep ranges, making it easier to form new paint according to the painting project.
Base Number
At its core, base paint’s primary function is hardening the paint’s film and making it opaque and elastic. When the film is hard, the paint sticks to the wall or ceiling and doesn’t experience cracks.
If you visit a paint store to get paint, you’ll see different base paints numbers. Depending on the type of paint color you’ve bought for the building, you’ll get one of the bases 1/2/3/4 paint. Typically, base number 1 is for pastel colors. So, if you’re going to paint the building with a pastel color, then the perfect paint is base 1. Base number 2 is for slightly darker colors. For intense colors, the perfect paint is base 4.
The clear base paint is used to form dark colors. If you need the lightest of colors, then use a white base. So different bases belong to different paint colors, choose the one accordingly.
What are the different types of paints used as the base paint?
Some common base paints types that are used as a base include:
White Lead:
It’s the most popular type of base paint. Because of its low price, easy availability, and versatile nature, painters are widely used to make the base of paint. You can buy it in both powder and paste form. To give it the shape of paste, linseed oil is added to white lead. Its application to surfaces is easy and efficient. Because white lead has good bulk and waterproof nature, the covering paints permanently and doesn’t lose its character.
Red Lead:
It also comes in both powdered and paste forms. Having a bright red paint color, it can be used to cover iron surfaces. Besides, it makes a suitable priming coat for woodwork. When its powdered form is mixed with linseed oil, it takes the form of a paste. It’s a quick-drying paint with durability and moisture resisting properties. Before applying red lead tint to any surface, make sure to take precautionary measures because it’s poisonous when used fresh.
Zinc Oxide:
Zinc oxide or zinc white is used to create the base for almost all the zinc tints. Just like white lead, zinc oxide is also available in both powder and paste form. To make the paste form, powdered zinc oxide is mixed with linseed oil. Though it’s smooth weather-resistant, its cost and low-end durability make it an inappropriate choice. Once it gets hard, it is highly prone to cracks.
Titanium White:
Having high opacity and blue appearance, titanium white is a commonly used base tint. It helps to form a thin film of the paint. Regardless of the sort of interior and exterior coating, titanium white makes a great undercoating paint.
Iron Oxide:
It’s ideal for all iron tint most commonly used for the priming coat on structural steel and iron surfaces. It’s highly effective to prevent iron surfaces from rusting.
Aluminum Powder:
It’s most commonly used to form the bulk of aluminum paints. What makes it great is its moisture-retaining properties in wood. Maintaining the moisture prevents the formation of cracks, which’s why painters use it to prime coat woodwork.
Lithophone:
Lithophone is a combination of barium sulfate and zinc sulfate. The solutions of both elements are taken in equal quantities and mixed in a controlled environment. The lithophone possesses strong covering power and commonly serves as an undercoat.
Wrap Up
So, this is all about the types of paints and how they help choose the right one for your surface. Paint is undoubtedly an ultimate designer’s medium. It can transform anything into something unique and fresh. Discover the materials and paint color to avoid the mess!
Business Development @ Homeholds. Have a topic of interest? If so, Ben is the person you want to speak to.