Document Qg36q3y2wOMqz8gkoDV5G2vOk

In this CU test, a measured amount of each paint sample was brushed onto a panel in a standard way. The panels were used to judge ease of brushing, appearance of the paint film, and hiding power pink, FURNITURE PAINTS \lost brands were good overall, but they differed in suitability for specific jobs Xhe relatively high cost of good furniture has persuaded 'anv a home craftsman to build his own, and compelled iianv a young married couple to settle for at least some pieces which they must finish or paint themselves. Further, redecorating a room frequently will dictate that the color of *ome furniture pieces be changed. Various stains and furni ture finishes are, of course, available, but the increasing use ()f color in the home has decided many users on a good furniture paint. What are the characteristics of a good furniture paint? Since appearance is a primary objective, the paint should dry to a smooth, good-looking film--uniform in color and gloss, and free of brush marks arid Qther blemishes. Since the other major purpose of pamting is protection wear and tear, a good furniture paint will be r6sk^^"fo damage by spilled liquids, by scratching, by "dr^tra- *ion {from dishes, ash trays, and other objects likely to be moved across it), by impact, and by scrubbing. In addi tion, for convenience, it will be easy to brush on, will dry relatively quickly, will have good hiding power, will be comparatively easy to clean without losing gloss or color, and will retain its good qualities for a long time. ^ Excellence in certain of these characteristics is, of course, more important for some uses than for others. For example, for use on metal (which may expand and contract and be subject to flexing) and for outdoor use, good flexibility and adhesion are especially desirable attributes. For these reasons--although most of the paints tested *ere judged Good in overall quality and differed little on an derail basis--readers should note carefully the differences * specific characteristics (pointed out in the Ratings, and in the Table on page 377), which make each brand more or less suitable than others for particular purposes. High-gloss enamels are the most popular paints for furni ture, but semi-glosses also are used, especially on architec tural pieces, such as built-in bookcases and cabinets. For its furniture-paint tests, CU chose 11 nationally ad vertised and distributed "quick-drying" high-gloss enamels, the three semi-gloss brands rated highest in last year's wall- paint report (c o n s u me r r e po r t s , July 1958), and a new "multi-purpose enamel" (Jet-Dri) which is being promoted as the "fastest-drying enamel made." The regular high- gloss enamels are covered in the body of this report; t&gQ semi-glosses are treated separately on page 375, and Jeb ~ i is discussed on -page v `- For each of die high-gloss brandsin the project,4 shoppers bought the three colors which, according to a sur- vey of manufacturers, are the best sellers in this type of paint: white, black, and dark green. Numbered, but other wise unidentified, samples of each brand and color were sent to CU's paint consultants, who tested and evaluated each sample for a host of factors affecting application, ap pearance, resistance to wear-and-tear, and keeping quality. The intensity range of the colors tested was wide enough, in the opinion of CU's consultants, to make most of the test results applicable to a majority of the 16 to 27 ready-mixed colors available in the brands. In terms of application characteristics, the two main fac tors evaluated were brushing ease and drying time. b r u s h in g e a s e. Because of the smaller areas involved, ease of brushing is less important in furniture painting than it is CONSUMER REPORTS 373 . FURNITURE PAINTS continued M' '- v. # ... . in painting walls. However, ail the high-glosses tested were W^^udged at least good in this respect. DRYING TIME. Although high-gloss furniture enamels com- * monly are referred to as.- "quick-drying," none of those - tested dried really quickly. Most took five to eight hours to dry through. (For example, despite the phrase "Four Hour99 in die brand name of the Sears enamel, two Sears colors were in the five- to eight-hour group, and the third took over eight hours to dry through.) Drying time depends to some extent on temperature and air movement. For quickest drying, do your painting in a fairly warm, well-ventilated area. Wait about eight hours before handling the painted article and at least 24 hours (to permit hardening of the paint) before putting it into full service or giving it a second cqat. (The brands which were relatively alow require even more time.) * ipearance _ ' CU considered a variety of factors bearing on the ap- . pearance of the dried paint film. l e v e l in g is the tendency of a paint to flow slightly after application. A paint with good leveling qualities will erase brush marks, flow into carved areas, and cover such irregu lar surfaces as knobs and legs smoothly. Good leveling is particularly important in a furniture paint because of the desirability of a truly smooth finish. Most of the high^losses tested were judged very good or better in this factor. s ag g in g is the tendency of a paint to flow excessively and to : form runs or curtains on vertical o:r sloping surfaces. In ? ; > , general, the high-gloss manufacturers appear to have struck 1 ~ ,- a good balance between leveling and resistance to sagging N ( -in their enamels; most brands proved to be very good or C^ better in this characteristic, too. c o l o r a n d g l o s s u n if o r mit y is the most important sin> gle factor evaluated, in CU's opinion, because perforihance 'v-.sv?* ,'2. in this respect, more than in any other, determines the fin *V,V ished appearance of the painted article. In judging, uni formity, CU's consultants paid particular attention to lapped areas (where paint had been applied, after a fiveminute interruption of the Work, with brush strokes slightly overlapping an already painted area), cross-brushed areas (where, with no more than a five-minute interruption of the work, paint had been applied to an already painted area with brush strokes at right angles to those first used), and touched-up spots (where paint had been applied to an al ready painted area a day after the original painting) . ; ; All of the high-glosses, tested were judged at least yery good in uniformity; most; were excellent. However, the best result is possible only if the surface to be painted is prbp} erly sealed, clean, and free of irregularities. Fresh wood; -should be sanded smooth* if necessary, and given a coat of '"2VT enamel undercoat before painting; previously painted or rZ arnished surfaces should be smooth. High-gloss surfaces m'Ai- should be sanded to roughen them slightly, so that the paiqt tSs easier to apply and adheres better. For indoor use where exposure to water is unlikely, metal surfaces need no primer ; for other situations, apply a metal primer to pre vent corrosion. g l o s s was satisfactorily high in all 11 brands. WHITENESS OF w h it e. While all brands were considered satisfactory in this respect, the white of one brand (Patterson-Sargent) was judged outstanding in purity and clarity. h id in g p o w e r , as reported for each brand in the Table, is an indication of the relative ability of that brand's white, off-whites, ivories and light yellows to hide what lies be neath it. A paint with inferior hiding power may require two coats for surfaces which a paint with good hiding power could cover adequately with one coat. However, whether one coat will be enough in any given situation will depend largely on the color of the paint and the color con trasts of the surface to be painted. The individual judgments of hiding power are based only on thei&Hte o^^^hfand, because all the blacks and dark greens tested wer^ excellent in hiding power. Al though off-whites, ivories, andlight yellows may have slight ly better hiding power than me tvhites, in these shades too the brands probably would rank in about the same relative order in terms of this factor. Deeper colors (except for red and deeper yellows) are likely to be about equal to the dark greens in hiding power; pastels will fall between the pale and deeper shades. Resistance to wear-and-tear CU's wear-and-tear tests fell into eight major categories. EASE OF STAIN r e mo v a l . Fresh (day-old) pencil, crayon, and grease marks were easy to remove from the dried fil of all colors of all brands when a solution of a heavy-duty detergent was used. Removing marks that were two weeks old--the test on which is based the ease-of-stain removal ratings in the Table on page 377--was a different storyEliminating such marks was found to be relatively easy with only two brands--indicating the advisability of r* moving stains as promptly as possible. s c r u b b a b il it y . Scrubbing df any of these enamels with a abrasive--even a mild scouring powder--should be avoided unless you encounter a stain too stubborn to respond t* gentler treatment. Such scrubbing actually wears away of the paint film, dulls the gloss, and usually will change ti# color of the paint. . The painted test panels were not significantly damage** even when old and stubborn stains were taken off with plain detergent solution. However, when scrubbed strokes) with the same solution plus a mild abrasive, all ; panels showed a marked loss of gloss and a change^ color. In addition, a considerable amount of the paint ft was worn away in many cases (the outstanding except1 , being thq three brands listed iii the Table that were rat very good in resistance to scrubbing wear). , d r y -a b r a s io n Re s is t an c e . Superiority in this fact^r^ especially desirable in paint to be used for "knock-at# or metal articles, or for other surfaces likely to be pa[]rtfcfS larly subject to such abrasion (such as chair seats or ' 374 JOLT 1*5* Of in* y isiy >lT eauM nftiile high-gloss enamels are the most do lar Pa^nts ^or furniture, many perprefer a semi-gloss finish, particu larly on suc^ "architectural" Items as I cabinets and bookcases. * The best way to achieve such a finish furniture, in the opinion of CUV paint -gultants, is to apply a number of ^ats of a good high-gloss enamel, rubfeing each coat down with a fine abrasive ffter it has hardened. However, since consumers would find this process too tedious, CU subjected three brands 0[ semi-gloss enamels which were top ped in its 1958 wall-paint report (c o n f e r r epo r t s , July 1958) to the furniture*paint tests that are the subject of ,1,0 present report. Qnly the whites of these semi-glosses ^re tested this time since, as a result of Ks earlier semi-gloss tests, CU already bad considerable information about the performance of other colors of. the three brands. In the consultant's opinion, the findings reported here for the whites should be applicable to most shades of these brands (with the possible ex ception of the dark "decorator" shades). All three brands tested--Du Pont Ouco Semi-Gloss, Moore's New Satin Impervo, and Sherwin-Williams KemQlo--were rated Good overall as furni ture paintv hiit like the high-glosses, each had specific strong and weak points that would make it more or less suitable for a particular;job. In comparison with most of the highgloss enamel^ they were found not so suitable for|iiie on toys and "knock about" or metal furniture (see main report) and for outdoor use. They also suffered great# loss of gloss in the Weatherometer exposure. They were better than most high-gloss brands in brushing ease and resistance to sagging, but not quite so good in leveling. In ease of old-stain removal, Kem-Glo was rated good; Duco and Satin Imper vo, fairly good. In resistance to wear by scrubbing with a mild abrasive, Duco and Satin Impervo ranked with the best of the high-gloss#. Since they started with less gloss than the high-gloss en amels (both brands dried to a relatively low semi-gloss finish), their gloss change from abrasive scrubbing was less. KemGlo, rated oiily fairly good in resistance to scrubbing wear, had a gloss inter mediate between that of the other two semi-glosses and the high-glosses. In color and gloss uniformity, Duco and Kem-Glo were judged excellent. Satin Impervo very good--but for best results, a properly prepared surface is 3? even more Trith semkgld#l paints than` |Mghglosses. Besides being top-rated as wall p&htis^ these brands #erd among the fastesfrJfy4^^:p ing of the 12 semi-glosses included: CUV earlier tests. Their time was as good as that of any of th# : ^ high-glosses. \ \ . *: '-'-ci DU PONT Hum Ssmt-Oioss (E. L du Pont de Nemours & Co^ Wilmington, Del.) lists in / the New York City area at $2.97 per quart. Twenty ready-mixed colors are available.,- Some colors #ned label warnings as -to A lead content; Clfs tests and examination^ of label formulation data indicated that other colors were likely to be "safe" (see^p^j main report). - MOORE's Maw Satln Impervo (Benjamin^ Moore & Co^ NYC) Ksts in the New Yorl City area at$1.95per quart. Nineteen r mixed colors are available All colors^ labeled "safe" as to lead content; CUV 1 and examination of label formulation^ indicated that the label claims ace fikel^ to.be reliable^ SHERWIN-WILLIAMS Kem-Glo (The Sh#{? win-Williams Co.* Cleveland) lists in die . New York City area at $2.85 per quart. Twenty-six ready-mixed colors are available. None of the colors carried a label warningas to lead content; CUV tests indicated that all colors were likely to be "safe." m -%}' table tops). Within brands, the blacks resisted dry abrasion much better than the other two colors tested. imp ac t r e s is t a n c e a n d f l e x ib il it y , two other important "knock about" characteristics, varied widely among ilie enamels tested. The latter is particularly important ! a paint for use bn metal surfaces, which expand and convict in response to variations iin temperature, and for oubp^r-'. ose. A combined rating for each brand in both factotfis given in the resistance-to-chipping column shown in the Table. s c r at c h r e s is t a n c e, or hardness. Since all the brands but lapalac (judged fairly good) were rated as good in tins factor, it is not included in the Table on page 377. r w e a t h e r o me t e r e x p o s u r e . A laboratory accelerated out door-exposure apparatus, known as a Weatherometer, was used to screen the paints for outdoor service. Since the, de vice does not exacidy duplicate outdoor conditions, theljs^t that CUV tests did not reveal deficiencies in this type ol ex- posure should-be-interpreted mainly to mean that fherqjis no contra-indication againsT outdoor use rather than^^jljr guarantee of performance. ^ ^'7^rr- Hie white faints of all of the brands tested were exp^d in the Weatherometer for more than 300 hours--theoreti cally equivalent to almost one year of outdoor exposure. None of the paints showed any signs of failure with regard to chipping, peeling, checking, or change in color. They all showed very slight chalking, and the high-gloss paints all showed an equal and marked loss jiii gloss (but less than the change for die s#i-gl<^^||>jOs'die basis observations, CUV consultants jiMjged &B the hig brands to be good in this res^ll^tteirefbre suitable outdoor use; the three brands yddch also had superior knock-about properties would he Superior for outdoor use. s p o t t in g r e s is t a n c e . All of the* brands tested were judged good iii resistance to spotting by hot and cold water, deter gent, weak acid, and a 50 per cent alcohol solution (as in bonded whiskey). Most samples suffered a temporary soft ening and change in appearance in these tests, but they re covered in hardness and appearance. Permanent damage can be avoided by carefully blotting up spilled liquids. While some da^k greens were perma nently changed by prolonged exposure to alkaline (deter**; gent) and acid (vinegar) solutions* this kind of damage ' could he prevented by prmnp^5B|oftiug up such liquids* } r es is t an c e t o ag in g . of two aiid a haS r; months, the blacks and gre## cbhfiged only negligibly in ,; gloss and color. Although cKfiihges fcIiiefiy an apparent yel-,r' .. -a** lowing) occurred iu some whites during the test period* CONSUMER REPORTS 375 `v FURNITURE PAINTS contmued none of the changes was considered serious--esp since the entire surface of the fe$t pane]s, half of which lfad en covered during the test^ changed uniformly. V ^ Keeping qualities . For best results, paint to be stored should completely fill the can (leaving no room for airj which promotes deteriora* tion) and be tightly covered. In CU's storability tests, the cans--tightly covered, but only three-quarters full, to ac F- ^ ; celerate the test and because many consumers store paint h. under less than optimum conditions--were stored for y. three months and then examined for separation of liquid '-if- '' and solids, skinning, settling, lumps, ease of redispersion, and change in viscosity. While most of the brands tested were judged very good or excellent in storability--the ex t ceptions were Wards (good), and Glidden Japalac, and Sherwin-Williams Enameloid (both fairly good)--CU's ad vice to consumers is that the best practice is to buy only enough paint for theJob at hand. Although CU's tests indi cated that thesefpaiute^yrfll store as; well as other oil-based paints, the storability performs the test samples may have been due iir considerable part to the fact that CU took great pains to mike slue tfiatfresb samples were used in the project. Unfortunately, this type of paint may not move so rapidlyiin die stores as other types. When such pains were not taken in buying samples for ClTs^tests of lead content, redispersion of the pigment in many samples was hard work, probably because the samples were over-aged. Many paint and hardware stores have a re-mixing ma chine for paints which does the job much better than it can be done at home. The consumer should insist on this serv ice if it is available. Paint which will not re-mix to a uniform consistency should be returned to the store. feS>. RATINGS OF HIGH-GLOSS ENAMELS AS FURNlttljRE PAINTS Listed in otder of estimated overall quality b^ groupsj widuiif|ftoups, alphabetically. For all brands, Ratings are based on tests and evaluations of samples of white, black, and green in a large number of individual characteristics; for separate evaluations of the major criteria entering into CU's Ratings, see Table on facing page. Dif ferences in overall quality among brands rated Good were small, but there were differences in specific characteristics which made some brands more suitable or less so than others for a particular use. For a discussion of the lead content in paints and of CU's tests on this score, see story. Prices vary regionally and from store to store; those given are list for the one-quart si2e in the New York City area. ACCEPTABLE-Good DU PONT Dtico Dost (. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, Del.), $2.97. A good all-around paint. Some colors carried label warning as to lead content; label formu lation data and ClTs tests indicated other colors were likely to be "safe." 16 ready- mixed colors. - GLIDDEN Jopoloc (The Glidden Co., Cleveland), $2.79. Superior resistance to dry abrasion and chipping make this paint espe cially suitable for "knock-about" and metal furniture and for outdoor use. Not recom mended, however, for use in homes with toddlers; none of CU's samples carried a label warning as to lead content, hut formu lations given on labels of several colors indi cated a high lead content, and CU's tests of one such color (green) confirmed this fact (see story). Some stains were relatively hard to remove from light colors. 17 ready-mixed -- colors. MOORE'S Impervo High Gloss (Benjamin Moore & Co., NYC), $2.25. A good all-around paint. Some colors carried label warning as to lead content; label formulation data and CU's tests indicated other colors were likely to he "safe." 19 ready-mixed colors. \ NATIONAL LEAD Dutch Roy (National Lead * ', *1 Vx* j74 mY I9CT \ ,, " -Z-` ' - ' ** V' * Co., NYC), $2.75. Although judged at least good in most characteristics, inferior for "knock-about" or metal furniture or for out door use (see story) because of relatively inferior resistance to dry abrasion and chip ping. Some colors carried label warning as to lead content; label formulation data and CU's tests indicated other colors were likely to he "safe." IV ready-mixed colors. PATTERSON-SARGENT BPS Super Glosfost (The Patterson-Sargent Co., Cleveland), $2,75. A good all-around paint. All colors labeled "safe" as to lead content; label formulation data and CU's tests indicated that the claim was likely to be reliable. 16 ready-mixed colors. PITTSBURGH Woterspar (Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co., Pittsburgh), $2.73 ($3.18 for "Fiesta Red"). A good all-around paint and best overall in appearance characteristics. White had better hiding power than the white of most other brands. Not recommended, however, for use in homes with toddlers;^ some colors carried label warning as to lead content* but tests of one color (black) not so labeled on the can revealed slightly more than 1% lead content (see story). Only fairly good in drying time (one color took more than 8 hours to dry through). 20 ready-mixed colors. r: WATT A LAMBERT Effecto (Pratt & Lam bert, Inc, NYC), *2.61. A good all-around paint. White had better hiding power than white of most other brands. Not recom mended, however, for use in homes wits toddlers; some colors carried label warning as to lead content, but tests of two colo** (green and yellow) not so labeled revea~7 slightly more than 1% lead content. One tiie sloW^st-drying brands tested (two color* took more than 8 hours to dry through)- ready-mixed colors. SEARS Muster-Mixed Lead-Free Four (Sears, Roebuck), $1.79 plus shipping- perior resistance to dry abrasion and c ping make this paint more suitable "knock-about" and metal furniture and ^ outdoor use. Only fairly good, however^ hiding power of white, resistance to bing wear, and drying time (one color * more than 8 hours to dry through). All co labeled "safe" as to lead content; * formulation data and CU's tests in . . claim was likely to be reliable.^ This ; eration, coupled with superior "knock-a properties, make Master-Mixed a choice for toys, and for other ^ses in * with toddlers, 27 ready-mixed colors. SHERWIN-WILLIAMS Enameloid (Tbe win-Williams Co., Cleveland), $2.7 t-'i* ij od ; - ?%v% rt^ V#- -rWQld paints may takeyery tong to dry. Some may beotaiie ^dy (i-e* show uniformly distributed, tiny spots or butaps 0n the painted surfaces). If you have any reason to doubt jj,e condition of your paint, first brush it out on a piece of ^0od to check drying time and appearance. Xube colorants are available in most brands for purchas^ who want shades not available either ready-mixed or by combining ready-mixed paints. However, the use of tube colorants may result in increased drying time and decreased glm hardness. Therefore, they should be used cautiously-- for making light or pastel shades, not deeper colors. Where possible, the use of intermixes is recommended instead of jpbe colorants. g0w much lead is safe? Recommendations of the American Standards Associalion and the American Academy of Pediatrics have set 1 per cent as the maximum "safe" lead concentration for the film of paints to be used on ld^S&3:55ier articles "likely? to be chewed by small children. Ife^lfe^York City and a few f other communities around the IK a paint film con- tains more than 1 per cent lead, the lahiilthust, by law, carry this warning statement: "Contains lead. Harmful if eaten. Do not apply on toys, furniture or interior surfaces which might be chewed by children." > i , These recommendations and requirements reflect the fact' .* that some children who have chewed surfaces coated with/^^l paint containing lead have suffered lead poisoning. Accord* '''V; 1' ing to Dr. Leroy E. Burney, the Surgeon General and head of the U.S. Public Health Service, nearly all such cases "are reported among those in the age groups one to three who have eaten considerable quantities of lead paint from walls, ^ window sills, home-painted furniture or other surfaces ac cessible to the toddling child, usually in older houses painted with old-fashioned lead paint." As a first step in CU's study of the lead content in these perior resistance to dry abrasion and chip ping make this paint especially suitable for `knock-about" and metal furniture and outjoor use. White had better hiding power jhan the white of most other brands. Only (airly good, however, in ease of old-stain re moval and resistance to scrubbing wear. None of the colors carried label warning as u> lead content; label formulation data and Clfs tests indicated all colors were likely & be "safe." This consideration, and superior *knock-about" properties, make this brand a gkely choice for toys and for other uses in tomes where there are toddlers about. 16 mady-mixed colors. WARDS Certified . Atl-Purpese Siliconized I Montgomery Ward), $1.85 plus shipping. A good paint for use where ease of cleaning h especially important, because it was best ia ease of old-stain removal White had better gliding power than whit^ ^; ,most other f twnds. Inferior for or metal \ funiture or for outdoor ifoly inferior resistance to of die slowest-drying paints tested iidjors look more than 8 hours to dry through). Some eelors carried label warning as to lead con tent; label formulation data and Clfs tests indicated other colors were likely to be "We.*' 17 ready-mixed colors. ACCEPTABLE--Fairly Good DIVOE Mlrrolac (Devoe & Raynolds Co., SYC), $2.75. Judged less than good in more ? iaportant factors than any other paint listed; only paint judged less than good in r & very important factor" of leveling. In' fcrior for "knock-about" or metal furniture ; * lor outdoor use because of relatively in|,feior resistance to dry "abrasion and chip- > Also, somewhat inferior in resistance to' ibbing wear. Some colors carried label ng as to lead content; labels formuladata and Clfs tests indicated other were likely to be "safe." 18 readycolors. CONSUMER REPORTS 377 ' v? O - ' V, |life"-'" FURNITURE PAINT continued faints, the color chartf apnd the labels lor all ready-mixed^ ^colors available in tl^l^feyl^brands in the project were p^relully examinei^^p w was not able to examine^ a ^complete set of I^W^er four brands--G&ft/en Japalac, National Lead Dutch Boy, Pratt & Lambert Ef fecto, and Jet-Dri--it examined enough of them to supple ment its tests in estimating, to its own satisfaction, the reliability or unrelia the labeling of those brands. Three categories On the basis of their labels, the paints tested fell into three groups: 1) those in which all colors were labeled "safe" as to lead content; 2) those in which the safety of all colors was implied by the absence of any label warnings as to lead content; and 3) those in which some colors carried label warnings as to lead content, and the safety of the rest was implied by their lack of label warnings. - CU selected one to three colors in each brand for leadcontent analysis. ^^i>mnjple analyzed met these two cri? "ia: 1) It was o^?^;l^>tibree popular - Igreen, and black) ih^ ^^fy, m the opinion of CU's con sultants, to have a relatively high lead content. 2) Its safety was either explicitly claimed on the label or implied by the absence of a Earning. The deepest shade meeting the second criterion was chosen. The lead concentration in the tested colors of 12 brand? proved to be J jper cent or less. These test results, together with an examfejttpn />f the formulation data given on the labels and of ffie Information on the various color charts indicate the likelihood that most of the manufacturers of the paints tested have complied with the New York City law and the A.S.A. recommendations, and that their labeling, or lack of it, as to lead content can be relied on. However, the one color ("Empire Green") of GUdden Japalac that was tested had a very high lead content--12.5 per cent; and Pittsburgh Waterspar and Pratt & Lambert Effecto sam pies slightly exceeded the "safe" maximum. (According to the manufacturer, the label information for Japalac is being rectified, and the name of the product is being changed to Japalac Alkyd Gloss Enamel. Pittsburgh Watch spar indicated on its color chart, but not on the label, that its black was unsafe for use on children's furniture.) On the other hand, the experience of CU's shoppers sug gests that shopkeepers and clerks may not be reliable guides as to the safe|y of the paints fey sell. Some sales personnel represented 4s safe for use qntoys and children's furniture paints that were clearly labeled as unsafe for this purpose. In the 12 brands whose labeling appears reliable, the con sumer's best guide is the label itself. JET-DRI--VERY QUICK-DRYING, BUT . }Jet-Dri is a new enamel which the manufacturer (Jet-Dri Div. of Consoli dated Chemical & Paint Mfg. Co., Inc., NYC) claims "dries in 15 minutes" and is the "fastest-drying enamel made." , CU ran samples of Jet-Dri through the same test series as it did the regular enamels covered in this,report. It proved to be quick-drying indeed, although not quite so spectacularly quick as the maker claims. Its black dried through in a half- hour, its white in about an hour, and its dark green in under two hours--as com pared with a dry-through time of five to eight hours for most of the regular brands tested. Like most of the other enamels, Jet- Dri was rated Good in overall quality, despite deficiencies in some specific characteristics. The product was rated only good in color and gloss uniformity (poorer than any other brand tested) and good in leveling; therefore, it was judged capable of producing a good but not outstanding finish on a properly prepared surface. It was rated only fairly gpod in impact resistance, scratch resistance, and hiding power of the white. Ijt was judged one of the poorest brands tested in resistance to dry abrasion. . S v.V; Because of its relatively inferior dry- abrasion, impact, and scratch resistance, it would not be a good choice for use on toys or other "knock-about" items, or on metal furniture or for outdoor use. On the other hand, Jet-Dri was rated excellent in ease of old-stain removal and resistance to sagging, and very good in resistance to scrubbing wear. In gloss, the black and dark green were similar to the semi-gloss enamels, the white to the high-glosses. (For a discussion of the significance of the factors listed here see the main body of this report.) A word of caution Because of its fast drying character istics, CU wanted to know whether JetDri poses more of a fire-hazard than other brands. Therefore, CU subjected the paint to a standard flammability test. The Interstate Commerce Commission and some local and state governments define a flammable liquid as one which, at a temperature of 80F or less, gives off vapors which will ignite, or flash, when exposed to a flame under specific condi tions. In CU's tests a number of colors of Jet-Dri were tested and all flashed below 80F. Temperatures in this range are, of course, common in homes, especially in summer, so Jet-Dri must be used with special caution. No flame--or even * lighted cigarette--should be permitted is the painting area until the paint hadried. Jet-Dri was correctly labeled as being "flammable." Some regular enamels in the project also were labeled "flam` mable," but when CU tested them f<* flammability, their flash points all turned out to be above 110 F. The term "flam mable" apparently is rather loosely use in the paint industry. Adequate ventilation is particular*! important with Jet-Dri, because it is mu# volatile than the other enamels and produce a greater initial concentration fumes after application. Also, some pie may object to its odor, which sharper than that of the other paints. While Jet-Dr?s color-chip chart wron? ly indicated that all colors were toxic," some colors carry a warning ^ cerning lead content on the can la^e . self (see page 377). CU's lead-con^ analysis of three colors, and the fact t , other colors likely to contain lead warnings, indicated that Jet-Dris j labels are likely to be reliable a8 safety. The list price for one quart of ^'^J in the New York City area is * Twenty ready-mixed colors are aval a 1 376 JULY 1959 f C :/r. sm in It)