BINDERS

This is the portion of the dry paint wich binds the pigment together and the pigment to the painted surface. It may be used without pigment to form a clear dry varnish film. It consists of one or more resins or polymers. It may also contain plasticisers which do not evaporate.

The binder gives the film its necessary properties; gloss, adhesion, hardness, toughness, flexibility, durability and speed of dry. It is perhaps the most important part of the paint, paints normally take their name from the binder used e. g. alyd, polyurethane, acrylic.