What is paint made of?

Paint consists of binders, pigments and fillers, solvents or water, and of so-called additives. When developing new paint, the raw materials are chosen for compatibility with the object to be painted.

Binders form a film and bind the raw materials in the paint to each other. Pigments are fine granular powders that are insoluble in water; they are added to paint mainly to provide the desired color and coverage. Pigments also provide protection against the sun’s ultraviolet rays and some pigments improve a coating’s anticorrosive properties. Fillers are also insoluble fine granular powders, which are used to give paint its required opacity, among others.

Water and/or solvents give paint the required viscosity so that it can be applied sparingly to a substrate. A host of additives may be added to paint, but they constitute a very small part of the production formula. Additives are used to improve the paint-making process flow, or paint preservation and application properties.