Study guides · Stuff Every Painting Scout Should Know
Practice facts for the Painting merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential. Grab a snack: this guide is the friendly version, with the answers explained and a groan-worthy joke waiting at the end of most cards.
Knowing Painting Scout saves you money, time and the occasional embarrassment.
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Short answer: To help paint stick and last longer
Primer is a preparatory coating that ensures better adhesion of paint, increasing durability and protection.
Groan of the day: A primer is a prime example of preparation.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Water-based paint
Water-based paints are easiest to clean up; brushes and rollers can be cleaned with soap and water.
Groan of the day: Water-based paint cleanup is a wash.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Adds color by soaking in
Wood stain is thin so pigment soaks into wood rather than forming a film on top.
Groan of the day: Stain makes wood grain a real color story.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: To protect without hiding the grain
Varnish is like paint without pigment, giving a protective coating while emphasizing the material's color.
Groan of the day: Varnish gives wood a clear finish line.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Flat
Flat finish hides imperfections in walls and covers large areas economically, though it is not easily washable.
Groan of the day: Flat finish flattens out the flaws.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: It is washable and water-repellent
Eggshell finish provides great washability and resists water, so it tends not to peel in wet rooms.
Groan of the day: Eggshell is a shell against bathroom moisture.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Trim and woodwork
Semi-gloss is used on trim to emphasize detail and show off woodwork like doors and furniture.
Groan of the day: Semi-gloss makes trim the shiny star.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Paint uneven surfaces
A roller with a thicker nap is used to apply paint on uneven surfaces.
Groan of the day: A thick nap naps up the bumps.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Where wet paint can blend
Open time is the interval when applied paint can be blended with additional painted regions at the wet edge.
Groan of the day: Keep a wet edge so seams do not edge you out.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Heavy parts settle to the bottom
Paints tend to separate when stored, with heavier components settling, so they require mixing before use.
Groan of the day: Give the can a shake so the paint wakes up.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Applying coats before the last one cures
Cracking happens when coats are not allowed to cure completely before the next coat is applied.
Groan of the day: Rushing coats can crack under pressure.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Improper surface treatment and moisture
Peeling and blistering are commonly due to improper surface treatment and moisture present in the substrate.
Groan of the day: Prep the surface or the paint will peel out.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Powdering of the paint film
Chalking is the progressive powdering of the paint film, mainly from UV exposure and dew condensation.
Groan of the day: Chalking leaves a powder, not a lesson.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: They are harmful to people and the environment
VOCs in paint are considered harmful to the environment and especially to people who work with them regularly.
Groan of the day: Low-VOC paint is a breath of fresh air.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Treated as hazardous waste
Disposal of liquid paint usually requires special handling and should be treated as hazardous waste per local rules.
Groan of the day: Liquid paint down the drain is a drain on nature.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Use it as a primer coat
Old paint may be usable for a primer coat or an intermediate coat, and similar paints can be mixed.
Groan of the day: Old paint can get a second coat of purpose.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: A hard glossy finish
Enamel paint is formulated to give an especially hard, usually glossy, finish.
Groan of the day: Enamel gives a hard finish that shines.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: An especially hard, fast-drying finish
Lacquer is a solvent-based paint or varnish producing an especially hard, durable finish, usually drying rapidly.
Groan of the day: Lacquer dries fast and finishes hard.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: The film-forming component
The binder is the film-forming component and the only component always present in formulations.
Groan of the day: The binder binds the whole paint story together.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Adjusts thickness and flow
The diluent dissolves the polymer and adjusts viscosity, controlling flow and application properties.
Groan of the day: Diluent thins the paint to a flow.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Water
Water is the main diluent for water-borne paints, even the co-solvent types.
Groan of the day: Water-based paint keeps water as its thinner.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Contribute color to the film
Pigments are solid particles incorporated in paint, usually to contribute color to the paint film.
Groan of the day: Pigments paint the town colorful.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Building film thickness and reducing cost
Fillers build film thickness, reduce cost, or add toughness and texture to the film.
Groan of the day: Fillers fill out the paint budget nicely.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: It is toxic to people
Lead pigments are toxic, and white lead was replaced before lead was banned in residential paint in 1978.
Groan of the day: Lead paint was a heavy problem.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Hiding and opacity
Titanium dioxide is a hiding pigment that makes paint opaque by absorbing ultraviolet wavelengths.
Groan of the day: Titanium dioxide hides well in plain sight.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Evaporating solvent leaves a film
Drying refers to evaporating the solvent or thinner to leave a coherent film behind.
Groan of the day: Drying leaves a film without a chemical drama.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Cures by chemical reaction
Two-package epoxies polymerize by chemical reaction and cure into a cross-linked film.
Groan of the day: Two-package epoxy mixes up a chemical cure.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: By reacting with oxygen over time
Drying oils cure by crosslinking after solvent evaporates, reacting with oxygen over days or weeks.
Groan of the day: Drying oils take their time to oxygenate.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Powder baked onto a surface
Powder coating applies paint as a fine powder, then bakes it so it melts and adheres.
Groan of the day: Powder coating is a bake-on finish.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: For an even color
Roller application generally requires two coats for an even color.
Groan of the day: Two coats make the color even Steven.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Slows drying and adds translucency
A glaze is an additive used with paint to slow drying time and increase translucency for artistic effects.
Groan of the day: Glaze gives paint a slow, see-through style.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Increasing friction on surfaces
Anti-slip paint contains chemicals or grit to increase friction and reduce slipping, especially when wet.
Groan of the day: Anti-slip paint has a grip on safety.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Barnacles sticking to ship hulls
Anti-fouling or bottom paint prevents barnacles and marine organisms from adhering to ship hulls.
Groan of the day: Anti-fouling paint tells barnacles to get lost.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Form a stretchy protective membrane
A roof coating sets as an elastic membrane that stretches and provides UV protection.
Groan of the day: Roof coating stretches its protection.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Give off visible light
Luminous paint exhibits luminescence, giving off visible light through fluorescence, phosphorescence, or radioluminescence.
Groan of the day: Luminous paint is a glowing example.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Changing color with heat
Thermochromic coatings contain materials that change conformation when heat is applied or removed, changing color.
Groan of the day: Thermochromic paint has a heated color debate.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Light energy
Photochromic molecules change conformation when light energy is applied or removed, changing color.
Groan of the day: Photochromic paint sees the light and changes.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Gum arabic
Gouache is an opaque watercolor variant; both use gum arabic as the binder and water as a thinner.
Groan of the day: Gouache sticks with gum arabic.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Raw egg yolk mixed with oil
Egg tempera uses an emulsion of raw egg yolk mixed with oil as its medium.
Groan of the day: Egg tempera is an egg-cellent old medium.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: A natural emulsion from milk
Milk paints, also called casein, use a medium derived from the natural emulsion that is milk.
Groan of the day: Milk paint is udderly natural.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Opacity and film thickness
The opacity and film thickness of paint may be measured using a drawdown card.
Groan of the day: A drawdown card draws the line on thickness.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: To reduce exposure to fumes and splashes
PPE and hygiene protect you from paint hazards; a counselor can explain proper safety procedures.
Groan of the day: PPE keeps paint off you and your worries at bay.
Sources: Scouting America: Painting
Short answer: Falls are a serious risk
Ladder safety is important when painting; learn safe setup and ask your counselor for supervision.
Groan of the day: A steady ladder keeps you on the level.
Sources: Scouting America: Painting
Short answer: Gives gloss, durability, and flexibility
The binder imparts properties such as gloss, durability, flexibility, and toughness to the paint film.
Groan of the day: The binder holds things together, so it is a real page-turner.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: By dissolving and absorbing light
Dyes are dissolved in the paint and impart color only by selective absorption of light.
Groan of the day: Dyes dissolve into the mix, so they never stand out awkwardly.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Solid particles or flakes
Pigments are solid particles or flakes incorporated in the paint, usually to contribute color.
Groan of the day: Pigments are solid characters who flake out only on purpose.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: It can re-dissolve
Because no chemical crosslinking is involved, a lacquer film can re-dissolve in solvent.
Groan of the day: Lacquer has a dissolving personality when old solvents return.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: Very little or no solvent
UV curing paints can be formulated with very low amounts of solvent, or even none at all.
Groan of the day: UV curing is enlightening work for a coating.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: An aqueous dispersion
In US paint, latex simply means an aqueous dispersion; latex rubber from the rubber tree is not an ingredient.
Groan of the day: Latex paint has no rubber tree in its family tree.
Sources: Paint
Short answer: By coalescing particles
Latex paints cure by coalescence, where water and solvent evaporate and binder particles fuse together.
Groan of the day: Coalescence means the particles finally come together as a team.
Sources: Paint
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To help paint stick and last longer. Primer is a preparatory coating that ensures better adhesion of paint, increasing durability and protection.
Applying coats before the last one cures. Cracking happens when coats are not allowed to cure completely before the next coat is applied.
Water. Water is the main diluent for water-borne paints, even the co-solvent types.
Slows drying and adds translucency. A glaze is an additive used with paint to slow drying time and increase translucency for artistic effects.
Opacity and film thickness. The opacity and film thickness of paint may be measured using a drawdown card.
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