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EXTERIORS of buildings

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ART CONSERVATION - Cultural Heritage and Aerobiology
ARTWORK MOLD CONTAMINATION

BOOKSTORE - EXTERIORS

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DECK FINISHES COATINGS PRESERVATIVES

EIFS & STUCCO EXTERIORS
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LEAD POISONING HAZARDS GUIDE
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PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR

SLIDE PREPARATION, MICROSCOPE
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STAINS on & in BUILDINGS, CAUSES & CURES
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING EXTERIORS
STAIN DIAGNOSIS on BUILDING INTERIORS
STAINS & FINISHES, INTERIOR
STUCCO PAINT FAILURES

TEST KITS for DUST, MOLD, PARTICLE TESTS
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More Information

Paint Lab Photo: Paint Sample Preparation and Analysis Procedures
     

  • PAINT LAB SAMPLE PREPARATION - Detailed procedures for preparing paint failure samples for lab analysis
    • Guide to high power light microscopic examination of paint chips and fragments - Simple chemical tests to aid in identifying acrylic/latex or oil/alkyd classes of paint - Lab observations aid in diagnosing the cause of paint failure on surfaces
    • Flat Surface View of Failing Paint
    • Sectional View of Failing Paint
  • CHEMiCAL TESTS of Failing Paint - separate article
  • FORENSIC & IAQ FIELD IAQ EQUIPMENT SOP - home
  • FORENSIC & IAQ LAB MICROSCOPE TECHNIQUES - separate article
  • FORENSIC LAB TECHNICAL PROCEDURES - separate article
  • FORENSIC & IAQ LABORATORY SERVICES - separate article
  • MICROSCOPE DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
  • MICROSCOPE SLIDE PREPARATION
  • MICROSCOPE SLIDE PREP, PERMANENT MOUNT
  • MICROSCOPE TECHNIQUES for the LAB
  • Questions & Answers about how to prepare paint samples for forensic laboratory analysis to aid in paint failure diagnosis on buildings, artworks, other surfaces
  • References

Click to Show or Hide Related Topics

  • PAINT FALURE, DIAGNOSIS, CURE, PREVENTION - home
  • PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR
  • PAINT / STAIN SELECTION & PROCEDURES
  • PAINT & STAIN LIFE CHART
  • PAINT & STAIN SELECTION & PROCEDURES
  • PAINT ANALYSIS, DIAGNOSTIC USES & PAINT ANALYSIS COSTS
  • PAINT FAILURE ANALYSIS
    • Chemical Tests of Failing Paint
    • Paint Failure Case Photographs-SITE
    • Paint Failure Case Photographs-LAB
    • PAINT LAB SAMPLE PREPARATION
    • Sectional View of Failing Paint
  • PAINT FAILURE DICTIONARY
  • PAINT FAILURE INDICATORS
    • PAINT FAILURE - EXTERIOR CLUES
    • PAINT FAILURE - INTERIOR CLUES
    • PAINT FAILURE - SITE HISTORY of
  • PAINT on STUCCO, FAILURES
  • PAINT SURFACE PREPARATION
  • PAINTING MISTAKES
    • BAD SURFACE PREP
    • INCOMPATIBLE PAINTS
    • PAINT on STUCCO, FAILURE
    • PAINTING SHORTCUT ERRORS
    • PAINTING OVER MOISTURE
    • PAINTING in SUN or WIND
  • VAPOR BARRIERS & CONDENSATION
  • WALL SIDING TRIM & FINISHES
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Paint chip analysis procedures for paint failure diagnosis: this article describes a simple procedure for preparing paint samples for reflected light low to high magnification microscopic examination in the paint failure laboratory. A procedure is described for mounting sectioned paint chips on edge for microscopic examination. This procedure is useful in the determination of paint layers, paint layer thickness measurement, and paint layer interactions. The procedure also permits detection of mold or debris which has been painted over.

Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.

A Procedure for Preparing Paint Samples for Examination by Reflected Light Microscopy

Additional lab photos of paint chips and paint failures can be viewed at PAINT FAILURE ANALYSIS LAB PHOTOS.

Two simple chemical tests are described for identification of paint as acrylic or alkyd, useful as a quick, inexpensive alternative to pyrolysis gas chromatography, We include photographs of the procedure for preparing paint chips for cross-section and flat surface analysis. and photos of the results of simple chemical analysis to identify paint samples as acrylic or alkyd paints.

This article is part of our series: Diagnosing and Preventing Paint Failure on Building Exteriors. Readers should also see Paint Failure Case Photographs-SITE and then Paint Failure Case Photographs-LAB and see PAINT & STAIN GUIDE, EXTERIOR for a guide to the selection and proper application of paints and stains on exterior wood surfaces.The diagnosis and cure of paint failure on buildings, particularly on wood siding and trim, is quite possible if there is a careful and thorough inspection of the building, its history, its surfaces, and the actual points of paint failure. It is diagnostic to compare the same coating on the same type of surface at different locations on a building and in areas of failed and not-failed paint.

Flat Surface View of Failing Paint Chips for Paint Failure Diagnosis

Paint chips and samples from a painted surface can be easily mounted flat for microscopic examination, though care should be taken in selection of mounting media to be sure that the media does not react with or modify the sample. Flat mounting of paint chip samples to examine the exposed and inner surfaces is a basic step in microscopic examination and lab diagnosis of failing coatings.

Examination of the exposed paint surface in flat or planar view may disclose defects such as micro cracking, micro blistering, or contaminants. Examination of the inner, hidden, or release-surface of sample paint chips from a failing coating can provide critical information needed to state the cause of the paint failure with confidence.

The inner paint surface may show wood fibers, chalked dust from the painted-on surface, or even separation of paint ingredients or surfactant bleeding which form critical diagnostic data but which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Photographs of these failures are provided in other chapters of this document.


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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

  • Leila Kotama, Product Manager, Tikkurila Paints Oy, Finland. Dr. Kotama has more than 20 years experience as a paint chemist.
  • Ulrik Runeberg, Conservador , Museo de Arte Contemporaneo de Puerto Rico, San Juan Puerto Rico
  • Bodycote Materials Testing, Ontario, Canada
  • Paint and Surface Coatings, Theory and Practice, R. Lambourne & T.A. Strivens, Ed., Woodhead Publishing Ltd., William Andrew Publishing, 1999 ISBN 1-85573-348 X & 1-884207-73-1 [This is perhaps the leading reference on modern paints and coatings, but is a difficult text to obtain, and is a bit short on field investigation methods - DF]
    Provides a comprehensive reference source for all those in the paint industry, paint manufacturers and raw materials suppliers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and industrial paint users. R. Lambourne was in the Research Department at ICI Paints Division and the Industrial Colloid Advisory Group, Birstol University, UK.
  • Paint Test Laboratory Listings Welcome: independent forensic and microscopic or chemistry labs offering paint analysis or paint failure services are welcome to be listed here at no fee. Contact Us

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
    Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd
  • Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
    Special Offer
    : Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

  • Analysis of Modern Paints, Thomas J.S. Learner, Research in Conservation, 2004 ISBN 0-89236-779-2 [Chemistry of modern paints, overview of analytical methods, pyrolysis-gas chromatography signatures of basic modern paints and their constituents, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for paint analysis, direct temperature-resolved mass spectrometry, and analysis in practice - technical reference useful for forensic paint science, focused on art works -DF]
  • Art, Biology, and Conservation: Biodeterioration in Works of Art, Robert J. Koestler et als. Eds., Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2003, ISBN 1-58839-107-8
  • Building Pathology, Deterioration, Diagnostics, and Intervention, Samuel Y. Harris, P.E., AIA, Esq., ISBN 0-471-33172-4, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 [General building science-DF - ** Particularly useful text **
  • Understanding Ventilation, John Bower, The Healthy House Institute, ISBN 0-9637156-5-8, 1995 [General building science-DF - ** Particularly useful text. Mr. Bower has retired from the field but his book continues to be important]
  • Dampness in buildings, Diagnosis, Treatment, Instruments, T.A. Oxley & E.G. Gobert, ISBN 0-408-01463-6, Butterworths, 1983-1987 [General building science-DF]
  • Home Reference Book - Carson DunlopThe Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

    Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
  • GO TO Carson Dunlop's Home Study Course Information - How to Become a Home Inspector: Carson Dunlop's nationally recognized Home Study Course, selected by ASHI the American Society of Home Inspectors and other professionals and associations. This website author is a contributor to this course.
    Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd
  • Certainteed Weatherboard fiber cement siding and trim products - see certainteed.com/ or see certainteed.com/resources/sidingandtrimspecsheet.pdf
  • "Moisture Control in buildings: Putting Building Science in Green Building," Alex Wilson, Environmental Building News, Vol. 12. No. 5. [Good tutorial, "Moisture 101" outlining the physics of moisture movement in buildings and a good but incomplete list of general suggestions for moisture control - inadequate attention given to exterior conditions such as roof and surface drainage defects which are among the most-common sources of building moisture and water entry.--DJF]
  • Masonite Woodruf® Roofing or Masonite OmniWood® Siding Lawsuit Settlement Notice - PDF file
  • Paint Handbook: testing, selection, application, troubleshooting, surface preparation, etc., Guy E. Weismantel, Ed., McGraw Hill Book Company, 1981, ISBN-10: 0070690618, ISBN-13: 978-0070690615, [Excellent but a bit obsolete paint theory and practice, also a bit light on field investigation methods, out of print, available used-DF]
    How to select and apply the right paint or coating for any surface. The first major reference to help you choose the correct paint or other finish to do the job best on a particular surface exposed to a particular environment. Experts in the field give full advice on testing surface preparation, application, corrosion prevention, and troubleshooting. The handbook covers wood, metal, composites, and masonry, as well as marine applications and roof coatings. A ``must'' working tool for contractors, architects, engineers, specification writers, and paint dealers.
  • Paint and Surface Coatings, Theory and Practice, R. Lambourne & T.A. Strivens, Ed., Woodhead Publishing Ltd., William Andrew Publishing, 1999 ISBN 1-85573-348 X & 1-884207-73-1 [This is perhaps the leading reference on modern paints and coatings, but is a difficult text to obtain, and is a bit short on field investigation methods - DF]
    Provides a comprehensive reference source for all those in the paint industry, paint manufacturers and raw materials suppliers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, and industrial paint users. R. Lambourne was in the Research Department at ICI Paints Division and the Industrial Colloid Advisory Group, Birstol University, UK.
  • Seeing Through Paintings, Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies, Andrea Kirsh, Rustin S. Levenson, Materials in Fine Arts, 2000 ISBN 99-051835 [ forensic science, technical reference, focused on art works - DF]
  • Sealants, Durability of Building Sealants (RILEM Proceedings), J.C. Beech, A.T. Wolf, Spon Press; illustrated edition (1995), ISBN-10: 0419210709, ISBN-13: 978-0419210702
    This book presents the papers given at the RILEM Seminar held at the Building Research Establishment, Garston, UK in October 1994. The book provides an opportunity for researchers to review up-to-date progress towards the achievement of the objectives of the standardisation of laboratory techniques of sealants in the variety of service conditions to which they are exposed.
  • Soiling and Cleaning of Building Facades (RILEM Report), L.G.W. Verhoef (Editor), Routledge; 1 edition (November 3, 1988), ISBN-10: 0412306700, USBN-13: 978-0412306709
    The report of a comprehensive investigation by RILEM which examines all aspects of the cleaning of facades, subject to soiling by both biological and non-biological agencies. The contributors are international authorities working in this field giving essential advice to all those who need to know how to approach the problems connected with the soiling and cleaning of building facades.
  • Staining, Prevention of Premature Staining in New buildings, Phil Parnham, Taylor & Francis; 1996, ISBN-10: 0419171304, ISBN-13: 978-0419171300
    The appearance of ugly staining early in a buildings life, ruins an otherwise pleasing appearance, tarnishes the image of the owners and gives rise to costly refurbishment works. In this book Phil Parnham raises a number of questions that should be considered whenever a new building is being designed or built. These are: * why has staining become so prominent; * what causes premature staining; which parts of new buildings are likely to be affected; * how can it be avoided? By using a number of highly illustrated case studies, the author answers these questions and ends by suggesting measures that should be taken by all design and construction professionals to prevent premature staining.
  • "Weather-Resistive Barriers [copy on file as /interiors/Weather_Resistant_Barriers_DOE.pdf ] - ", how to select and install housewrap and other types of weather resistive barriers, U.S. DOE
  • ...
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