Gloss paints

Gloss paint always sits at the crossroads of two questions: water-based or solvent-based, and interior or exterior. This page shows how that choice works out, with the category to look at for each situation.

Water-based or solvent-based?

Water-based paint is low-odour, touch-dry after one hour and your tools clean up with water. Solvent-based paint flows out more smoothly and stays crisp for longer, but you allow eighteen hours between coats and clean up with white spirit.

See water-based gloss paint or solvent-based gloss paint.

Interior or exterior?

Indoors it is mainly about sheen and odour. Outdoors it is about UV light, moisture and frost; there the choice of paint and the primer underneath is decisive. For exterior work, everything is brought together on exterior paint.

Prime first

We always prime bare wood, metal and plastic, with a primer of the same type as the topcoat. See primer.

Do you already know whether it is interior or exterior work? Then go straight to interior gloss paint or exterior gloss paint.