Spray paint is an aerosol paint that is used by spraying it. The result of the spray is a fine mist. If you paint using this type of paint, you can finish painting faster and more uniformly than using a conventional paintbrush.
However, because it is in the form of an aerosol, the chemical fumes produced by the paint are flammable. Therefore, we must be careful when using it. In order to understand more about spray paint, let’s talk about flammability of spray paint and “what makes it flammable?” here.
The Materials used to Make Spray Paint
Spray paint is made from three main ingredients, namely pigments, solvents, and propellants. What’s that? Here we provide an explanation for each of these materials.
- Pigments: There are four types of pigments commonly used. The first is a white pigment which is made of titanium oxide and is used to make the painted surface more opaque. Then, there are color pigments made from synthetic chemicals to form mixed colors. Then, there are the inert pigments that are used to change the characteristics of the paint. Lastly, there are functional pigments that provide extra performance characteristics to protect against UV rays.
- Solvent: This material is a liquid to carry the rest of the paint material. The right solvent will affect the stability of the pigment dispersion. In fact, some of them can cause the outer layer to swell. There are also non-aqueous solvents that are used instead of water-based solvents. This material serves to prevent the corrosion of the metal.
- Propellant: This gaseous substance allows the paint to escape. Chlorofluorocarbon gas is the starting material used to make spray paint. But in the end, the substance was banned for use because it accelerates the depletion of the ozone layer. Finally, propellants (1,1,-difluoroethane and 1,1,1,2,-tetrafluoromethane) are now used as substitutes.
Read also: Know Your Paint: Is Acrylic Paint Flammable
The spray paint is flammable because of that propellant. Spray paint is made from a mixture of steam and water as described above. This mixture is flammable. While the liquid itself is not flammable.
What Materials Make Spray Paint Combustible?
Flammable liquids can ignite and burn at normal temperatures. While combustible liquids are flammable above normal temperatures. The flash point of flammable liquids is below 37.8 oC (100 oF). Meanwhile, combustible liquids have flash points above 37.8 oC (100 oF) and below 93.3 oC (200 oF).
Then, is spray paint flammable when dry? Spray paint does contain propellant gasses, namely propane and butane. Both are types of oil-based gas so they are flammable. But when dry, the substance can no longer burn. Spray paint is also flammable if there is still in the air.
Well, if you want to make sure that spray paint safety is good for indoor use, keep the paint away from fire or hot materials. Then, how long does spray paint take to dry? Usually, the paint can be touched after 5 minutes. But, you have to wait about an hour for the spray paint to dry completely.
Read also: Will Rain Wash Away Acrylic Paint? How to Prevent It?
Are There Types of Non-Flammable Spray Paint?
The good news is that there are non-flammable spray paints on the market. This type of spray paint is suitable for indoor use. The base material is water, non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and smokeless. Because it does not contain aerosols, this type of spray paint is non-flammable. You can safely use it on walls, masonry, or electrical panels.
Those are some explanations that you should know about spray paint. Of course, there are many types of spray paint that you can buy.
If you want to use spray paint but still save your budget, then you can buy cheap spray paint. Well, as additional information, if you use spray paint that contains aerosols in the is spray paint flammable room, then make sure that the room has good ventilation.
