Comparing enamel paint vs. latex, if you want ease of use, latex paint is the best option. Latex paint, especially acrylic latex paint, has environmental advantages over oil-based paint. That may be true, but you must also consider that the difference may be 20 years vs 25 years and most people will change colors on something before paint actually wears out.

The chemicals in acrylic paint are what allow it to have more elasticity than latex paint. Enamel paints are oil-based, and they provide a hard and glossy finish. Water-based paints are easier to use, simpler to clean up, dry faster, and have a less intrusive smell than oil paints.

Latex paint is more commonly known as acrylic paint. It is a plastic that dries faster than oils and … Read more » 0. Enamel paint is further classified into three kinds: floor enamel, fast-drying enamel, and high-temperature enamel. Also, there’s a latex enamel. However enamel paints will fair better in areas that require high maintenance or that has exposure to moisture like kitchens and bathrooms. Oil-based paint is more durable, but it takes longer to dry, and cleanup requires turpentine or paint thinner (mineral spirits). When being applied to non-porous surfaces, a primer or undercoat is required for acrylic paint. Oil-based enamel paint is known for its annoyingly strong odor. When You Might Choose Acrylic Paint The biggest benefit that comes with using acrylic paint on a house is that the chemicals cause the paint to have greater elasticity. Most professional painters always prefer to use latex paint for walls, and then use oil-based enamel paint … When an acrylic paint cures, the monomers join (or polymerise) to form long-chain molecules of acrylic plastic, forming the film of the coating.

(Enamel paints also cure by polymerisation, but do not utilise an acrylic base). Acrylic and latex paint are somewhat similar as they are produced from acrylic resin. Water Based vs. Chemical Based. Acrylic vs Latex Paint. Though both paints are similar in some respects, they have many differences between them. Latex water-based paint is the clear rival in the market, so let’s compare water-based latex paint vs. enamel or oil-based paint. Latex acrylic's advantages include superior adhesion, breathability, color-retention, flexibility, opacity (coverage) and washability. However, for some projects, you need the high-end, timeless quality of good enamel paint.

In many applications, they are almost as good, and in some applications even better, than oil-based enamel paints.

Instead, brushes, sprayers, pans and drips can be simply cleaned with water and, if needed, mild detergent. It gives off a glossy and hard finish after it is applied on a surface. For example, the paint job on a car vs. the paint on a toy that’s made of metal. Enamel paint can be oil-based, water-based, or latex-based.