What Paint to Use on Kiln-Fired Natural Stone

Definition

• Kiln-fired stone is a type of artisan building material that is made by heating different combinations of clay and stones in a kiln. Depending on the style and techniques used to make the stone, your surface may be either smooth or rough. If your kiln-fired stone has a rough surface, it will be easier for your paint to stick and dry on it. Comparatively, smooth kiln-fired surfaces may have a glazed sheen that can repel the initial paint layers and require additional drying time.

Painting Kiln-Fired Stone

• You will need to select a primer to use as a base coat. According to the Sherwin Williams website, adhesion primers are commonly used to paint hard, slick surfaces that are generally considered unpaintable, such as ceramic wall tile, round PVC piping, glass or laminate. To make sure your paint lasts, paint a base coat using an adhesion primer, which will bond tightly to the interior and exterior surfaces of your kiln-fired stone and allow you to paint over it with your desired color.

Which Paint To Use?

• Once your first coat of primer is dry, you can begin painting successive coats of whichever color you select. Depending on which primer you use, you may have to choose a topcoat that is compatible with your basecoat. For example, if your primer only allows for oil- latex- or water-based epoxy paints, you will need to select your preferred color using that specific type of paint.

Safety Concerns

• Many traditional paints contain volatile organic compounds such as benzene or formaldehyde, which can be released into the air and potentially cause health problems such as asthma or cancer, according to the "New York Times." To limit your exposure of airborne VOC chemicals, select an environmentally friendly paint made from natural ingredients.