How do you thicken water based paint?


popgun

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I need a home remedy for thickening Latex or water based paint.

The lumber companies around here close at noon on Saturday so I'm out of luck buying anything until Monday.

This is water based flat white, and is thin enough to spray, but too thin to cover with a brush or roller.

Will corn starch, seven dust, flour, Bisquick, Aunt Jemima pancake mix, or anything that I may have around the house work to make this paint thicker?

Hey, I'm dead serious.

Really, I am.

....popgun

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  buckee said:
LOL .... Ya got me man ...LOL

Why is the paint so thin?? :confused:

Thanks buckee, it's good to hear from an expert.

The only reason I can think of that the paint would be so thin is because it has been in my workshop since 2005 in an uncontrolled environment. Maybe the plastic pale sweats?

I guess I'll put off this job until Monday.

Thanks again.

....popgun

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  popgun said:
Thanks buckee, it's good to hear from an expert.

The only reason I can think of that the paint would be so thin is because it has been in my workshop since 2005 in an uncontrolled environment. Maybe the plastic pale sweats?

I guess I'll put off this job until Monday.

Thanks again.

....popgun

Hmmmm, Plastic bucket, thin paint, sitting around for 3 years....I'd say it needs a really good stir or shake-em up :D All the solids have settled to the bottom of the pail. ;)

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Stirred, shaken, no solids, no settling.

Still thin enough that it could be sprayed.

Purchased from Fred's Store Aug. 2005.

Maybe I'll leave it open overnight and skim the solid off in the morning.

I have some sheetrock compound I could mix in it, but I'm afraid I would waste both the paint and the compound.

....popgun

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  buckee said:
Hmmmm, Plastic bucket, thin paint, sitting around for 3 years....I'd say it needs a really good stir or shake-em up :D All the solids have settled to the bottom of the pail. ;)

Got to agree with Buckee here. When paint has settled for that long it takes an electric mixer an amazingly long time to get the solids loose from the bottom.

In my experience, and Buckee probably has more than me when paint has really settled out, even an electric shaker won't work.

A drill attached paint mixer is the way to go. Keep in mind, it might take several minutes (sometimes as long as 10minutes) before you start to see a difference.

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  Leo said:
Got to agree with Buckee here. When paint has settled for that long it takes an electric mixer an amazingly long time to get the solids loose from the bottom.

In my experience, and Buckee probably has more than me when paint has really settled out, even an electric shaker won't work.

A drill attached paint mixer is the way to go. Keep in mind, it might take several minutes (sometimes as long as 10minutes) before you start to see a difference.

YUP :D

If you add some sort of thickener like flour, jello, etc, etc, you are only going to have a mess. It will no longer be an acrylic paint.:rolleyes:

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A young fellow was hired to paint the exterior of the local church. Wanting to make a good profit (no, not prophet:D), he cut the paint 50:50 with water, rendering it very thin. Got the job done with minimal materials and figured he was pretty clever to think of such a scheme. But a couple days later it rained and his paint job ran off, exposing his treachery. The pastor called him up and demanded he do the job over again, and properly, saying "Repaint and thin no more!"

(Hope I didn't hijack the thread too bad:o)

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  Canuck2 said:
A young fellow was hired to paint the exterior of the local church. Wanting to make a good profit (no, not prophet:D), he cut the paint 50:50 with water, rendering it very thin. Got the job done with minimal materials and figured he was pretty clever to think of such a scheme. But a couple days later it rained and his paint job ran off, exposing his treachery. The pastor called him up and demanded he do the job over again, and properly, saying "Repaint and thin no more!"

(Hope I didn't hijack the thread too bad:o)

FINALLY!!!...SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL A JOKE ....AND I GOT IT THE FIRST TIME!

:)....Thankyou,Canuck...:D...-that was great!-LOL

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  okiedog said:
If its as hot there as it is here, take the lid off and set it in the sun for a few hours and let some of the water evaporate out of it. Give it a good stirring and your good to go!:D

LOL, was kind of thinking the same thing here. Am not much of a painter but am sure that Leo and buckee have this well answered.

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Problem solved:

I left the paint pale open last night in front of the air conditioner return vent.

As the air conditioner was removing all the humidity and condensation from the house last night, it also appeared to remove the extra moisture in my paint. A good stirring this morning and it was ready to go.

....popgun

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  buckee said:
So, what are you painting today ?:confused::)

It's break time.

I'm just painting base boards in my hallway.

I just finished putting in laminated flooring and removed the base boards.

After pulling all the nails and filling the holes they looked pretty rough, plus there was about a half inch at the bottom that hadn't been painted in 35 years because it was covered with carpet.

It is looking much better now.

....popgun

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Quote:

Originally Posted by aksheephuntress viewpost.gif

FINALLY!!!...SOMEONE WHO CAN TELL A JOKE ....AND I GOT IT THE FIRST TIME!

:)....Thankyou,Canuck...:D...-that was great!-LOL

  Quote
you miss my EASY jokes and caught that one...:confused::confused::confused:

LOL- Kathleen, you are welcome. I guess I'll get to enjoy Steve B's repertoire soon. I'll let you know how that goes.:D

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