Professional Documents
Culture Documents
History of Paint
History of Paint
in Italy. He used warm walnut oil and also copied da Messina in using lead oxide in
his pigments.
Commercial Paint
Over the next 200 to 300 years, the old water-based milk paint, as well as the
newer oil paint remained relatively unchanged. Artists mixed their own paints, as
did house painters and furniture makers. Recipes for oil paints were closely guarded
secrets. Milk paint continued to be made the way it had been for thousands of years
before.
In Colonial America, as earlier in Europe, itinerant painters roamed the countryside,
carrying pigments with them, which could be mixed with a farmer's or householder's
own milk and lime. Often, the itinerant painter would be a tinker or farrier, or have
some trade in addition to his knowledge of paint. Practically every household had
their own cow or goat, and each community had its own lime pit. Even though there
exist many examples of early American furniture that was painted with some form
of oil paint, the look associated most widely with the country homes and furniture of
the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries is that of the soft velvety, rich colors of milk
paint.
This scene doesn't change much until after the Civil War. In 1868, the first patent
was given for the metal paint can with its tightly fitting top. With this development
came the commercial oil paint industry. For the first time, paint could be
manufactured in great mass, packaged in the new patented cans and shipped to
stores throughout the country.
But this kind of operation does not lend itself to the use of milk paint. Made from
natural milk protein, it will spoil just like whole milk. Therefore, from the very
beginning of the commercial oil paint industry, up until 1935, the only paint sold
commercially was oil-based paint, to which was added lead, mildewcides, and other
poisonous additives. Other types of casein paints were developed that could not be
considered milk paint. Casein was mixed with fomaldehyde, with ammonia, or with
borax, to create much different types of paint recipes. Around 1935, a new waterbased casein (milk protein) paint was developed with the use of synthetic rubber
and styrene. This was called Kem-Tone, the first latex paint, which met with great
commercial success.
The Green Revolution
After World War II, chemists working for major paint manufacturers began
developing new formulas for paints. Along with these developments came a
burgeoning awareness among American consumers that many of these
developments posed a growing health problem. The lead and mercury in the paint
was highly toxic, as were the many solvents (now called VOCs and HAPs),
mildewcides, germicides, and numerous other additives.
While heritage building and art restorers have maintained the use of traditional,
natural paints, in order to maintain the integrity of the colours and textures, now
the general public are involved in a global revolution as they seek to reclaim a more
natural way of being and living, in harmony with the environment, breathing
freely . . . .
The Natural Paint Company have been a part of that global revolution since 1990.