# Paint still sticky after two days



## Andy in Germany (23 Jun 2021)

I've been painting some metalwork with clients and found the paint is still sticky after a couple of days. On the first day I assumed it was damp conditions and put them inside overnight, but now it's still tacky. 
I know it's the correct paint, so I'm assuming something is wrong in the application. What could it be and does anyone have suggestions for fixing the trouble?


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## Cycleops (23 Jun 2021)

Sounds like it's reacting with what is underneath. Do you know what's there?


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## Teamfixed (23 Jun 2021)

Oil based I take it? Some just seem to take a long time to not have a very slight tack. Ive recently made wardrobes and paint them with Dulux oil based and that took a couple of weeks to feel completely dry.


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## Mark Grant (23 Jun 2021)

Since the formulation has had to change by law and lots of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) taken out I find gloss paint in particular takes much longer to dry/go off.
Another possibility is that the paint wasn't mixed / stirred thoruoghly before application.


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## Andy in Germany (23 Jun 2021)

thanks for the comments and thoughts...



Cycleops said:


> Sounds like it's reacting with what is underneath. Do you know what's there?



In some cases some nasty paint that was actually supposed to be used for wood, so I can imagine that's the cause.

In other cases the original (very old) green paint, sanded down to the metal in some cases.


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## Andy in Germany (23 Jun 2021)

Mark Grant said:


> Since the formulation has had to change by law and lots of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) taken out I find gloss paint in particular takes much longer to dry/go off.
> Another possibility is that the paint wasn't mixed / stirred thoruoghly before application.



Will try and stir it better, thanks...


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## Cycleops (23 Jun 2021)

Will probably go off eventually.


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## PaulSB (23 Jun 2021)

My experience is some paints can take a very long time to dry completely. For example I would wait several weeks before putting anything heavy on to a newly glossed windowsill.

I don't know the cause but your experience doesn't surprise me.


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## Illaveago (23 Jun 2021)

What is the paint ?
Oil based paints dry by oxidation and solvent based paints dry by evaporation .
I've had experience of spraying cars with paint that didn't dry . It wasn't fun having to wash the paint back off with thinners. The first one was because the paint didn't have driers added. The supplier thought it was for mixing and not spraying.
The second one was clear lacquer which was 2 pack . There was nothing to say that it needed activator . After hours of trying all sorts of thinner to wash it off I discovered that petrol removed it easily .
Old 2 pack activator will cause problems with drying .
Sometimes air moving over the surface will speed up the drying process. Just be careful of dust contamination .
Good luck .


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## Andy in Germany (23 Jun 2021)

Illaveago said:


> What is the paint ?
> Oil based paints dry by oxidation and solvent based paints dry by evaporation .
> I've had experience of spraying cars with paint that didn't dry . It wasn't fun having to wash the paint back off with thinners. The first one was because the paint didn't have driers added. The supplier thought it was for mixing and not spraying.
> The second one was clear lacquer which was 2 pack . There was nothing to say that it needed activator . After hours of trying all sorts of thinner to wash it off I discovered that petrol removed it easily .
> ...



We were "loaned" the paint by the painting department so if it had needed an activator they'd have told us. I suspect it was put on too thickly and/or not stirred properly. 

I have toyed with the idea of thinning it as well.


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## keithmac (23 Jun 2021)

I always remember my friends front gate, it had been painted with Hammerite and even after 6 months there were still soft spots where the drips/ runs had skinned over!.

Many light coats are the best idea with modern paint, as said all the thinners that would have evaporated reasonably quickly have been removed.

I've got a car to paint at some point, not looking forward to it!.


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## oldwheels (23 Jun 2021)

keithmac said:


> I always remember my friends front gate, it had been painted with Hammerite and even after 6 months there were still soft spots where the drips/ runs had skinned over!.
> 
> Many light coats are the best idea with modern paint, as said all the thinners that would have evaporated reasonably quickly have been removed.
> 
> I've got a car to paint at some point, not looking forward to it!.


Long time ago I brush painted a small van with yellow household gloss. Worked ok and no brush marks. It was known in the family as the Yellow Peril as there was a hole in the passenger footwell floor not yet patched. MOT's were less stringent in those days.


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## keithmac (23 Jun 2021)

oldwheels said:


> Long time ago I brush painted a small van with yellow household gloss. Worked ok and no brush marks. It was known in the family as the Yellow Peril as there was a hole in the passenger footwell floor not yet patched. MOT's were less stringent in those days.



I've seen a lot of projects where they use Rustoleum oil based paint diluted with thinners and sprayed, looks my best bet.

I believe modern cars use water based colour coats and a 2 pack clear coat?, that's why they suffer badly from stone chipping.


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