How Are Deep Base And Medium Base Paint Different?

If you need to buy a can or two of paint for your home painting project, you might be wondering about such a term as the base of paint.

If you have already had to deal with paints, you probably remember that there are medium base paints, deep base paints, and a few others on the market.But which one should be used in your particular case? And what is the difference between deep base paint and medium base paint?

In this article, paint bases will be explained, and in particular, we will provide you with a comparison of deep-based paints and medium-based ones. In addition, you will learn more about the other types of paint bases that can be found in a store.

We will also tell you where medium-based paints can be used, and what color they have.

Finally, you are going to learn what components paints usually consist of, and in addition, you will learn what a paint base is in fact.

Deep Base vs Medium-Base Paint. Differences And Comparison

If you have never had a chance to work with paints, you might not be aware of such a term as a paint base. And of course, you hardly know the distinctions between those paint bases.

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One of the most significant distinctions between deep-base and medium-base paint is the amount of space that is available for tinting. Except for the clear base, all tintable base paints contain titanium dioxide in different amounts.

The amount of titanium dioxide influences how well the paint is able to cover the primary color of the surface. For example, tintable base paints that contain a higher amount of titanium dioxide cover and conceal surfaces better in comparison to lower concentrations.

Most paint manufacturers allow from 12 to 14 oz of colorant for a deep-base paint, and from 8 to 12 oz of pigment for a medium-base paint.

Also, the application method is slightly different when you are dealing with a deep base coat, in comparison to working with lighter colors.

The reason is a shortage of white pigment in the tint base used for the hues.

See, titanium dioxide makes paint concealment and coverage much better. Without this component, the paint could easily build up or be coated with many layers. Deep foundation colors may require three or more applications to achieve the desired effect.

To summarize all that we have said here, you can check out the comparative chart in order to see clearly what the major distinctions between the deep base paint and the medium base paint are.

And now let’s learn in detail what a medium-base paint is, and how it differs from a deep base paint.

What Is Medium Base Paint?

What does medium base paint mean? The medium-base paint is a thin, light coat of paint that works as a basis for subsequent layers of paint. It provides you with an adhesive surface so that one layer can adhere to the following.

Oil Painting: How And When To Use Medium

Also, it seals out humidity and prevents stains on fresh paint layers from being noticeable. Another form of medium is an additive. It can be applied to the paint before application.

Medium-base paints are composed of an acrylic and oil combination that is combined with different pigments in order to get the desired hue.

These two materials have distinct characteristics for medium-base paint, with acrylic providing better coverage than oils.

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Where Medium Base Paints Are Used?

Medium base paints can be used in any previously painted space because this type of paint is able to adhere to existing surfaces very well. Also, it does not peel or break over time.

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Usually, a medium base is used as a component of the color mixing process. White, light, pastel, deep, medium, and transparent are just a few of the paint colors that are available from various manufacturers.

What Is the Color Of a Medium Based Paint?

What color is a medium base paint? This is another frequent question that people ask.
See, the medium base paint is a pigment that is combined with mediums to make paints.

Medium bases typically come as the most effective choice for painting walls, for example, since they provide excellent color saturation.

Every medium base paints use the same characteristics as brown, whether white, brown, blue, black, green, or red. However, its use is dependent on what you’re searching for in your project.

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Deep Base Paint Definition

What is deep base paint? This is the type of paint base that contains the least amount of white pigment.

It means that you can add more color to the paint and get more vivid, saturated, and deep colors. By mixing it with tint, the deep base paint can result in deeper and bolder colors, something which is difficult to do by combining the two paints at home.

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Like this, now you know more about the two most popular and common types of paint base, the deep base, and the medium base.

With that in mind, we hope it will be easier for you to figure out which one you might need for your next painting project.

Other Types Of Base Paints

If you think that there are only deep base and medium base pains out there, you are wrong. There are a few more, and you should be aware of them and their specifications. It will help you to differentiate them more or less easily.

Tint Base Paint

Tint base paint adds colorants in order to produce the desired color.

Colorants are enriched paint pigments that can make a significant impact on the coloration process when being used in a tiny amount.

Usually, when you get your paint colored at a shop a wide variety of colorants are administered.

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You won’t even realize which ones are used, in fact. Furthermore, you may not know which ones are still in your current paint, so deciding what to add is typically just a matter of guess.

Accent Base Paint

Accent-base paint is the type of paint that has rich, glossy, or vibrant colors. Generally, it is water-based trim paint widely used for doors, skirt bumper, trim, etc. Accent-based paint provides dark or deep shades, color richness, ultra hiding power, well scrubbing, and stain resistance.

Accent base plant can be easily applied with a regular paint roller, spray, or brush depending on what method you prefer or which one is the most suitable for you.

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What Is the White Base Paint?

The white base paint is the type of paint where the white pigment is found in its initial form, let’s say so.

However, it is still not true white paint. Such paint bases typically have a white tint, but you will also obtain some color deposits. Also, it is important to consider that, if you are trying to revitalize the underlying color, for example, and you are using a white base paint, you may need many coats to achieve the desired effect on the surface.

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What Is the Base Of Paint?

Now that you have learned a bit more about the paint bases, we find it necessary to let you know and explain what the paint base is in fact. Like this, if you haven’t got the idea of the previous explanations, now they can become much clearer.

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To begin with, we want you to take into consideration that a base paint is not a primer as quite many people think!

See, we use primer as a foundation coat before painting a wall or aother surface. Base paint, on the other hand, is not used for making base coats.

What Is Paint Base And Tint – FAQ

However, base paint is still one of the most essential components of paint. Its base is a thin and solid material that creates the body of the paint and contains the majority of it.
The foundation is what makes the layer of paint opaque, more complex, and elastic. In addition, it prevents shrinkage and cracks from forming.

So simply speaking, a base is a working medium in paint that is made particularly for combining colors. Where base one is used for pastels, base two is used for slightly darker colors. Finally, base four is used for intense darker colors.

Paint bases that are offered by paint manufacturers typically include the following options:

• white
• pastel
• light
• medium
• deep
• clear

Clear bases are used when you need to create darker colors, whilst white bases result in the lightest colors. Just to compare, a light base creates a lighter color than a medium base.

Also, the paint base determines how resistant paint is to dirt and stains, as well as defines its durability when the painted surface is being scrubbed.

What Other Components Does Paint Consist Of?

It’s not only the base that paint contains. In addition, you can find a few other components in it that work together in order to create a homogeneous and smooth substance that we use for covering different surfaces.

Colorants

Without a colorant, your paint would not be used at all! This is why one or more colorants are typically added to a tintable base to create a color.

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Saturated colorants mixed into a white base form a lighter tint of the pure saturated colorant.

For example, if a burnt-umber colorant is added to a white base, the result would likely be a very light beige color. A light base produces a slightly darker beige and medium base results in an even darker beige color. Colorants also determine how much color will fade.

Titanium Dioxide

All tintable base paints contain titanium dioxide in different amounts, except for the clear base. This one doesn’t have any. Titanium dioxide defines how effectively a paint conceals the previous surface color.

For example, tintable base paints containing larger amounts of titanium dioxide hide surfaces much better than bases with smaller quantities of this component. While light bases are more opaque than medium bases, white bases have the most titanium dioxide with the most complete coverage. 

Dark paints created from bases with little or no titanium dioxide provide less opaque coverage.

So, now you know what makes the deep base and medium base paints distinct, and also, you learned what other types of paint bases exist.

We also told you what components are typically used in paints, and what the paint base is in fact.

With that in mind, you will now be able to easily figure out which type of paint base you need and how it should be used (as well as how thickly applied), for you to get the desired effect on your walls or other surfaces.

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