We are often asked about additives - What to use? How much to use?
Primarily the majority of our paints are designed to be used straight out of the tin however depending upon conditions and the size of the job additives may be required.
When using Craftmaster Paints its pretty simple:
- For Spraying use our Synthetic Thinners at 15%, this thinner is designed to speed up drying and won’t help with brushing. On hotter or colder days you may need to adjust the thinning ratio slightly for the best results.
- For Brushing (or Roll & Tipping), it's PPA every time. PPA is a Flowing Agent designed to prolong the wet edge (working time) of our top coats (though it will work in Undercoat if needed). We recommend no more than 5% though some colours in some conditions may require more.
As with most things paint whilst there are rules, its important to adapt to conditions, Whites are thick in winter and can be harder to work so may need additional help, in Summer the runnier colours like Black may also need some help as they’ll appear to dry faster than other colours.
Occasionally Signwriters prefer to add White Spirit to the Signwriting Enamel / Decorative Flat Colour, this can work too but we prefer PPA. The only thing White Spirit should be used for is Brush Cleaning (or thinning the Wood Primer which has very specific instructions).
No other additives or solvents are recommended for our core range unless specifically stated, and whatever you do under no circumstance wipe freshly rubbed down or freshly painted surfaces with any kind of solvent (E.G Panel wipe or degreaser). When rubbing down its sand and tack rag off – nothing else!
Do you need Thinners or PPA?