# SW Duration Still Tacky After Two Weeks



## Brushjockey (Mar 8, 2011)

Very strange. The BM extender shouldn't have done it, sounds like you used it in correct proportions. 
No need to strip or tear out- kind of sounds like excessive "blocking", or stickiness more than the film has not set. 

Most paints now take 2 weeks to a month to fully cure, but I would think shouldn't have this problem this late.

If you can, i would give it a little more time. Maybe have some air movement ( a fan) in the room.
If it is still a problem, I would prime it with zin 123, and repaint with a different paint. 

Sometimes bad batches of paint get through. Might take it back and talk to the SW store.


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## Gymschu (Dec 12, 2010)

Bob, I'm a big SW guy, but, I gotta admit, this is a problem with interior Duration. I have some trim in my own home that is still tacky after 6 months! I used SW's bonding primer and topcoated with the Duration semi-gloss for trim. You may have to get a dehumidifier in there to knock down some of the humidity.........it's worth a shot anyway.


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## spraygunn (Nov 14, 2010)

Hey Bob,
I've seen this before and really don't know the solution. The paint was tacky for two years and never became dry to the touch. I'd say SW had a production problem. Ask the SW store to have a rep come out to take a look, sorry to say the only solution he may offer is to replace the paint and nothing toward the time spent to apply it. 
Years ago I worked with an old timer (now I'm the old timer) and we had a conversation about the same topic and he said when this happens, try wiping the wall down using a solution of vinegar and water. Don't know why it may have a result, but worth a try.


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## BobSmitt (Aug 4, 2011)

Thanks everybody. I'll try the vinegar first, and paint over if it doesn't work.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Look, I don't have a solution for you - but I'm just sitting here wondering why you added the B/Moore Extender to a SW paint and if you really ever considered that this might not be a good thing to do...I mean mixing two brands of chemicals together isn't putting all the chances on your side, and that suggests you might not have known what these products are meant for. Sorry, 'bout the results you got - but honestly what did you expect with your experiment? 

I read that the B/M Extender is really meant for their Aura line of premium paints - and these in turn are meant to be applied and then recoated fairly soon after the first coat, so are formulated just with that in mind. i.e with a lack of the ingredient that promotes coalescing. To get better open time, then you add the Extender - but most times you don't - but this just brought the paint up to normal coalescing times. But that's only for their premium paint...

Now SW Duration may not need - or cope with - an added dose of Extender so now you've gone and interfered with the normal, chemical coalescing phase of the SW paint pushing it perhaps beyond its normal open time. Nowadays these things are like fine engine motors - they're built only millimeters away from spec and don't like tampering around with them too much. At one time, you used to add an amine to extend paint open time (and hence the solution to use vinegar) - but those days have long gone. 

I hope it all works out for you. But again was there a special reason or recommendation to use the Extender? I think we could all gain from that info.


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

ccarlisle said:


> Look, I don't have a solution for you - but I'm just sitting here wondering why you added the B/Moore Extender to a SW paint and if you really ever considered that this might not be a good thing to do...I mean mixing two brands of chemicals together isn't putting all the chances on your side, and that suggests you might not have known what these products are meant for. Sorry, 'bout the results you got - but honestly what did you expect with your experiment?
> 
> I read that the B/M Extender is really meant for their Aura line of premium paints - and these in turn are meant to be applied and then recoated fairly soon after the first coat, so are formulated just with that in mind. i.e with a lack of the ingredient that promotes coalescing. To get better open time, then you add the Extender - but most times you don't - but this just brought the paint up to normal coalescing times. But that's only for their premium paint...
> 
> ...


 I am glad for this post. I was going to say something but it would not have come out any where near as well as this did.:thumbsup:


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## jsheridan (Jan 30, 2011)

ccarlisle said:


> Look, I don't have a solution for you - but I'm just sitting here wondering why you added the B/Moore Extender to a SW paint and if you really ever considered that this might not be a good thing to do...I mean mixing two brands of chemicals together isn't putting all the chances on your side, and that suggests you might not have known what these products are meant for. Sorry, 'bout the results you got - but honestly what did you expect with your experiment?
> 
> I read that the B/M Extender is really meant for their Aura line of premium paints - and these in turn are meant to be applied and then recoated fairly soon after the first coat, so are formulated just with that in mind. i.e with a lack of the ingredient that promotes coalescing. To get better open time, then you add the Extender - but most times you don't - but this just brought the paint up to normal coalescing times. But that's only for their premium paint...
> 
> ...


That's a great poing CC. I generally recommend using primer and finish from one company because they are designed to work together. I never thought about your point because I guess I always equated BM Extender with just another generic Floetrol type product, I've never used it, and wasn't aware it was an Aura specific product. There could indeed have a been a chemical reaction, and OP may have permanent open time. But, then again, two others have had a similar experience to OP where extender apparently wasn't used. We can't determine the extent of each case however. Good thinking though. :thumbsup:


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## BobSmitt (Aug 4, 2011)

ccarlisle said:


> Look, I don't have a solution for you - but I'm just sitting here wondering why you added the B/Moore Extender to a SW paint and if you really ever considered that this might not be a good thing to do...I mean mixing two brands of chemicals together isn't putting all the chances on your side, and that suggests you might not have known what these products are meant for. Sorry, 'bout the results you got - but honestly what did you expect with your experiment?


I didn't really view it as an experiment. It's not really informative to just assume the BM Extender caused the problem without some sort of evidence explaining how that could happen. Sure, it's a variable involved, but judging from other posters this problem isn't unique with SW Duration.


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## housepaintingny (Jul 25, 2009)

BobSmitt said:


> I didn't really view it as an experiment. It's not really informative to just assume the BM Extender caused the problem without some sort of evidence explaining how that could happen. Sure, it's a variable involved, but judging from other posters this problem isn't unique with SW Duration.


I personally use 100's of gallons of Duration every year and also occasionally use the exterior Duration. I've never had a problem with it. I also personally don't add any extender or thinner to any paint that I use. I don't see a need for extender, especially in Duration. It could have something to do with the temps, humidity, moisture issues, undrlying paint. I don't really have an idea other than those without actually seeing it and having been there when it was applied. Ask SW if a rep will come out and take a look, but be honest and tell them you used BM extender in the Duration.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Bob:

Maybe I didn't choose the appropriate words in my last post, but I consider an 'experiment' a trial, a pushing out of the envelope, something you do without the full benefit of hindsight, i.e. something you don't have a clear idea about. But that's just me; now maybe you were advised to use B/M Extender with a SW paint, or perhaps - just generically - to use a extender for your circumstances, we don't know, you didn't say...so why don't you tell us of the circumstances where you thought you had a handle on what was needed (i.e an extender') and why you chose B/M Extender to add to a SW paint - and why B/M Extender vs Floetrol or something else then maybe we could advise you better. We'd all like to learn from this, that's my point.

Look, I have no clue whether or not the two products reacted together in a chemical sense; I doubt it. But there is little doubt that they reacted the way they should, i.e. physically - so the extender kept the SW paint from coalescing for this amount of time. Two weeks is ridiculous. So something has toppled the normal coalescing time for a latex paint (which is something like a few hours) to a point where nothing coalesces and the paint remains in a monomeric state, meaning that a film hasn't formed at all...

I love experiments; they add to the vast reservoir of knowledge that we accumulate from experience and research. However, each experiment has a set of parameters we don't know enough about - hence the need for one - and without some sort of boundary, we're just shooting in the dark. At best, you hope to advance a bit further down the road of the unknown and, at worst, you gain nothing and have to start from scratch.


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## BobSmitt (Aug 4, 2011)

ccarlisle said:


> Bob:
> 
> Maybe I didn't choose the appropriate words in my last post, but I consider an 'experiment' a trial, a pushing out of the envelope, something you do without the full benefit of hindsight, i.e. something you don't have a clear idea about. But that's just me; now maybe you were advised to use B/M Extender with a SW paint, or perhaps - just generically - to use a extender for your circumstances, we don't know, you didn't say...so why don't you tell us of the circumstances where you thought you had a handle on what was needed (i.e an extender') and why you chose B/M Extender to add to a SW paint - and why B/M Extender vs Floetrol or something else then maybe we could advise you better. We'd all like to learn from this, that's my point.
> 
> ...


I didn't mean to suggest that the BM Extender didn't cause it either, but I was getting the impression that everyone just assumed that was the cause and closed the case in their minds.

I used the extender because it was pretty hot and I was having problems with keeping a wet edge long enough to prevent uneven sheen. I already had the Extender and didn't have any Floetrol. My choice at the moment was water or BM Extender.

I'm frustrated by the inability of written language to communicate exactly what's happening here, but the paint isn't wet in any sense of the word. If you just lightly run your hand across it you'd never notice anything amiss. Only when firm pressure is applied will you get the blocking. If this were a shelf books would stick pretty badly, but you wouldn't be able to feel it just by touching it.


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## ccarlisle (Jul 2, 2008)

Oh, I see; well then it sounds like the latex paint is just taking it's own sweet time to dry, especially with the extender added in...Latexes dry fast but cure slow, so on it's own it might have dried by now. But someone elses extender might have just slowed down the drying process enough to give you exaggerated results.

Again, no solution - but let it dry for another two weeks if you can. Good luck!


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## chrisn (Dec 23, 2007)

ccarlisle said:


> Oh, I see; well then it sounds like the latex paint is just taking it's own sweet time to dry, especially with the extender added in...Latexes dry fast but cure slow, so on it's own it might have dried by now. But someone elses extender might have just slowed down the drying process enough to give you exaggerated results.
> 
> Again, no solution - but let it dry for another two weeks if you can. Good luck!


That's what I would do also.I have to say, it was impressive that the two of you held it together and had a gentlemanly give and take conversation without going ballistic on one another, good job!:thumbsup::yes:


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## 1910NE (Sep 5, 2010)

I had a similar issue this summer with Duration exterior latex. Seemed to take a very long time to dry..


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