Environmental-friendly architectural water-borne paint for outdoor application: twenty years of experience in Belarus and Lithuania

Abstract

Water-borne paints first appeared on the market of building materials in Belarus and Lithuania in the early 1990s. These paints had to compete with solvent-based products traditionally used for mineral surfaces. Water-borne paints were able to quickly gain popularity despite the initial doubts of consumers and higher price. This was due to a number of advantages of water-borne paints such as high weather resistance, light fastness, low water absorption, resistance to chalking, high adhesion. Typical formulations of water-borne paints developed and implemented in the production by the authors were analyzed in the article. Pure acrylic and styrene-acrylic polymer dispersions were used as film formers, talcum and marble powder were used as fillers. Monitoring of different types of painted surfaces conducted by the authors showed not only the advantages but some disadvantages of the paints. These include delamination of coatings due to their incompatibility with the base, discoloration due to the use of organic pigments with low stability etc. Directive 2004/42/CE of the European Parliament and of the council of 21 April 2004 on the limitation of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) due to the use of organic solvents in certain paints and varnishes and vehicle refinishing products (in Lithuania) and Technical Regulations of the Customs Union "On the security of paints and varnishes" (in Belarus) show that water-borne paints with low VOC will tend to dominate in market.