Paint color question:

[Jamastiene]

If someone could explain this to me, it would be most helpful.

I'm building a wall-to-wall bookcase/wardrobe/cabinet with doors in a room in my house and want it to be black with stenciled red dragons on the doors.

I went to Lowe's and asked for black paint. They gave me stinky, glossy, enamel black paint. I don't think I need glossy, so I went over to the paint mixer and asked the guy if he could give me latex (water based) black paint. He said no. They don't have anything they can mix to make black latex paint.

I went back and looked in the same section where the lady handed me the black gloss paint to see if I could find either semi-glossy or flat black or anything less stinky.

They had flat black(matte), but it was still oil based and enamel.

I went home and called Sherman Williams and got the same answer. They can't make black latex paint for me.

I never knew this before. I still don't understand it. I thought flat black would be latex because it wasn't shiny(glossy). I thought the glossy meant oil based and enamel.

I'm totally confused now. If they can make enamel/oil based black paint, why can't they make latex black paint? I just want black latex paint, but no one in town seems to be able to make it happen. Why? Can anyone explain the "no black latex paint is even possible" thing to me?

[Mist]

1. Maybe check if black latex is available in exterior paints? nt

[Stinky The Clown]

2. Why do you want latex?

Consider a water based acrylic for a cabinet. Latex always retains a sort of "stickiness" even after years of curing. Acrylic is water based, so clean up is easy, but it is as hard as the old oil based enamels.

It is available in black.

[Phentex]

3. How about chalkboard paint?

It's flat and not sticky.

[Warpy]

4. Consider that the weather is warming up

and that stinky black paint will have a chance to dry with windows open. Also consider that oil based paints are more durable, a real plus for painted surfaces that will be touched frequently.

Personally, I think the red dragon on black motif will be much nicer on a gloss surface--think laquer boxes and screens.

If you insist on latex, though, find a place that sells Krylon paints. They have both flat and glossy in a black latex paint.

[RayOfHope]

5. Try this link

http://j-a-girl.blogspot.com/2009/10/you-ask-you-receive.html

It's a tutorial on painting a piece of furniture. Some of it will apply to you, some of it won't--but as you'll see, she found black paint in Benjamin Moore's wood and metal paint. The finish is nice too.