Acrylic vs. Latex Paint with Their Advantages, Drawbacks and Examples

When performing any type of paint job, indoors or outdoors, there are several things to be considered. Perhaps you'd like to refinish some furnishings but aren't sure exactly what sort of paint you should use. When it comes to renovating the house or repairing the sofa, you have a lot more options, from the coating material to the shade and texture.

In terms of the choice of paint, you'll have to address - "Should I choose acrylic or should I choose latex paint?" When you have to finish your craftwork, you need to think about which one can be better. Can you use latex on your canvas? Probably you are thinking of redecorating your glass window.

Here comes a question every time.  Acrylic paint or latex paint? Both have benefits and downsides and are best suited to specific sorts of tasks. In this article, we can let you gather more information by outlining the key distinctions between acrylic and latex paints.

Check out the Comparison Table

What is Acrylic Paint?

Acrylic paint, invented in the 1950s, employs a chemical glue to bond pigments. They are simple to use and give bright colors that may be manipulated to create a variety of patterns and continuities.

This revolutionary paint was originally advertised as house paint, and by the mid-20th century, artists were experimenting with it as a viable replacement to oil paints as well as other materials. Since it can be mixed with water and applied lightly or heavily based on how much liquid is applied to it, it can imitate a watercolor or an artwork. It has its own distinct properties that other mediums cannot match. 

Acrylic paints are liquid and made up of hues suspended in such an acrylic polymer solution. These paints consist of three core parts: pigment, acrylic binder, and water. For its variety and rapid drying time, it has become a famous paint solution and artists these days frequently utilize it.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Using Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is a more pliable chemical substance. This implies that the paint will stretch and shrink appropriately at temperatures. This helps to decrease peeling and splitting. As a result, it is ideal for outdoor renovation works. Related to the previous point, these paints are much longer-lasting and much costlier, 

Disadvantages

• Because it is chemical-based, it is much harder to wipe away with soapy water than latex paint.
• It does not come together with many coatings. The majority of acrylic paints have a little gloss to them. It is hard to find matte acrylics. 
• It usually comes in small tubes or boxes which makes it rather pricy.
• Acrylic paints contain hazardous and combustible ingredients so, it is not very ecologically friendly.

Best Surfaces for Acrylic Paints

Craft Acrylics

It's the most affordable acrylic paint you'll come across. Craft paint is fantastic for crafts as the name suggests! It has a cream-like texture. It may be put on almost any surface. This type of acrylic is often insufficiently pigmented for an artist or crafters liking.

These little containers are mostly made up of additives which makes blending extremely tough. This seems to be why there are so many different hues and tones in craft acrylics.

Student Grade Acrylics

Because student grade color is designed for fine art majors discovering their passion for painting, these varieties of acrylics come significantly more pigmented than craft acrylics. It enables the students to experiment and mix colors with excellent performance. However, it has a thicker formula, similar to artist-level hard body paints, but gentler. 

It is much pricier than craft ones, although it is still reasonably priced. For a novice, student paints are indeed a terrific method to get started in painting because you can find your feet as an artist before investing in more expensive colors.

Artist Acrylics

Artist-quality acrylic paint is the highest quality of acrylic paint available in the market. These heavily pigmented colors provide exceptionally brilliant strokes and a clean texture, enabling them to combine and add to the canvas. There are three kinds of artist-quality (Professional) paints.

• Heavy Body Paint: It has a buttery texture that distributes easily with a palette blade or a paintbrush. This is the color you'll need if you want to start painting on canvas with a range of brushwork of varying textures and thicknesses.
• Soft Body Paint: Soft body paints (also known as fluid paints) have such a thick butter texture. It doesn't leave paintbrush traces and has a consistency halfway between thick face paint and ink.
• High-Flow Acrylics: High-flow acrylics are a comparatively newer solution that has all of the characteristics of a competent, abstract expressionist acrylic paint but in a very fluid, ink-like consistency.

What is Latex Paint?

Originally, the term "latex" refers to the application of rubber in one shape or another about a polymer, or solids, in paint. Latex paints are now manufactured to be water-based and are developed on polyvinyl and acrylics.

As a result, they are quite simple to wash with soapy water. Latex paints are classified into three types: vinyl-acrylic, 100 percent acrylic, and alkyd-modified latex. It is exceptionally long-lasting and impervious to scrapes and stains. It also increases the resilience, stickiness, and sturdiness of the metallic surface. 

Latex-based paints are excellent for overall projects, for example, for metals and nonmetals substrates. All the layers which we can put on these substrates can be referred to as coatings.

Nevertheless, latex paint does not normally stick well to rising surfaces, and while it can be used over wallpapers, the liquid in the painting may lead the material to rip away from the wall.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of Latex Paint

The following are the primary benefits of using latex paint -

• It is simple to apply to a substrate and dries much quicker. As previously said, this is advantageous to use if you are repainting a tiny area.
• Latex paint is not too expensive.
• It can be removed simply by washing with water.
• It is good to use because it emits fewer toxins 
• Latex paint often requires fewer applications to complete.

The Drawbacks are:

• Cracking is common with reduced latex paints. They're a good choice if you're searching for a cheap method to add some color to a not-so-important item, but reduced-quality latex paint isn't worth it when there are better options in the market.
• These paints are not very weather or waterproof.
• Before putting latex paint on chairs, clean and condition them. Because latex paint adheres to the upper layers of the item, it will crack and damage if the chairs are not prepared properly.

The Best Way to Utilize Latex

It must be applied on a clean, dry surface and latex paint is recommended. This flexible painting material may be used to paint a wide range of substrates, including wooden, brickwork, metals, and cement. It is advised that you use a primer  before applying them.

Latex paint will not stick well on surfaces that have not been thoroughly cleaned and prepared. To eliminate filth and grime, pre-prime the area with lukewarm water and gentle soap. Let the area completely dry before adding the primer.

Latex paint may be used to improve the appearance of trim, flooring, ceilings, and walls. Typically, wood furnishings may be repainted with latex paint, which is available at various shops. Home furniture painting is typically one of the simplest projects to complete using this paint. A latex paint coating will attach to the surface when you put over a dried oil-based layer or latex primer.

Acrylic Latex- The Hybrid!

If an ink's name contains the word "latex," it is frequently followed by the word "acrylic," just like in "acrylic latex." Rather than rubber, this depicts the usage of plastic composed of acrylic and otherwise polyvinyl far more appropriately. Since around 2010, the most prominent acrylic latex paints on the market are vinyl acrylic rubber paints.

Because it employs a polymer material, or plastics, as the binding, it is the most cost-effective one too. This paint comes in a broad range of textures, from plain to high shine, and varied materials may lend different types of depths and contrasts to a final product. Acrylic latex evaporates rapidly.

Key Differences Between Acrylic and Latex Paint

There are a few differentiating factors that set these two paints apart and a comparison table to make thing easier -

Comparison Table

 The points on the comparison table is expained below for effective conception-

• Predominant Applications: Because of its UV and moisture-wicking features, 100% acrylic is commonly used for external usage, although latex is preferred for most internal uses because of its own low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), greater covering qualities, and simplicity of use.
• Covering: Latex provides more protection per application than acrylic, needing fewer coatings.
• Longevity: Because acrylic paint has much more flexibility, it can withstand thermal gradients better, minimizing splitting and flaking. It is more resistant to scrapes and stains.
• Price: Acrylic paints are far costlier than latex paints.
• Simplicity of use: Because latex paints are liquid, they emit low VOCs, requiring minimal air exposure for safe handling. They are also easier to wash off. Acrylic paints emit significantly more vapors and necessitate the use of lighter fluid for cleaning. Latex colors also dry faster.
• Resilience against sunlight: One advantage of choosing acrylic paint for outdoor work is its resilience against sunlight. This elevates them beyond latex paints and places them well ahead of oil-based paints.
• Preference: Latex paint may damage outdoor wood furniture, like stretching and shrinking in environmental conditions and wetness. Acrylic paints are a preferable choice for woodwork that will be exposed to the elements. 

Practical Example

No matter the sort of latex-based paints you're using, it is simple to apply on clapboard, ceilings, rafters, or even woodwork. But make sure to wash well before beginning to paint. Allow drying after applying a latex-based foundation. Then, apply the first layer of paint. A new layer (if necessary) can be applied for as few as 4 hours.

Example 1: John needs to paint a wooden table for his new office. He chose two different latex paints. After applying the base, he did the first coating with a gray one. He waited and then applied the second coating after 4-5 hours.

Acrylic paint, based on the kind, is ideal for use inside or outside and will last the lifetime of your item without yellowing or splitting. The most popular and least costly variety of acrylic is crafting paint. It appears in many different colors, does have a smooth thickness in texture, and may be used for a wide range of interior creative projects, such as woodwork, pottery, papers, cloth, glasses, and canvases.

Craft paints generally dry between a few minutes or longer, depending on the quality and application.

Example 2: Maria wants to create a piece of glasswork for her college project. She chose student-grade acrylic paint for it. She made some swift strokes with acrylic and decorated them with glitter besides using metallic acrylics. For her art project, she made some pieces of art on canvases with different acrylic paints as well.

Example 3: Mr. Cooper wants to repaint his house again as the house has faded in color giving it an unnaturally old and tame look. He is confused between two types of paints- acrylic and latex. After a lot of research, he figured that acrylic wall paint would be more resilient against sunlight as it does not fade easily.