Spray Paint
Spray paints have dramatically improved during the past two decades, helped by better valves and paint formulations. “You used to be lucky if you could get all of the paint out of the can,” said Rick Birle, president of Carson-based Zynolyte, a major national producer. Today, the paints are made with enamel, lacquer and urethane bases. Lacquers dry quickly, but urethanes are harder and generally considered the highest-quality product. Spray enamel is the classic industry product and can range from low to high quality.
A typical can of spray paint is pressurized to about 70 pounds per square inch, about double the air pressure of an automobile tire. After the cans are filled, each is safety-tested to a pressure of 170 pounds at the factory by submerging it in a bath of hot water. Roughly 40% of the cost of a can of spray paint is packaging and 60% paint.
About 10 years ago, spray paint manufacturers stopped using chlorofluorocarbons, the gas that is now believed to be depleting the Earth’s protective ozone layer. The propellent used in aerosol paint cans today is propyl isobutane. Spray paint is exempt from solvent emission standards imposed on bulk paint by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
The National Paint & Coatings Assn. estimates that 300 million cans of spray paint are produced annually in the United States. Those figures are based on data published by aerosol valve manufacturers, since spray paint producers do not disclose production figures. Among the dozen U.S. producers of spray paint, Krylon and Rustoleum are regarded as the two dominant brands, followed by about 10 smaller regional producers.
