New Nova Color Paint

[joe]

Nova Color Paint:
www.novacolorpaint.com (http://www.novacolorpaint.com)


I'm kind of mad at the big paint manufacturers after using Nova. For years sign painters have been led down a dead end roads when it comes to paints. Those days are over with the introduction of Nova Color. While they've been in business for approx. ten years, most of us are just learning about them.


This is a water based, exterior latex, that dries quickly. About ten minutes. And it can be mixed with your other latex. Their deep colors are beautiful, not sticky and dry fast.


Far and away this paint is superior to any other on the market when it comes to covering power. Not only that it comes in 8oz, 16oz right up to 5gal. One coat is all you need to cover.. A second coat is good for longevity.


I'd bet everyone has seen how the big paint mfg. mix color. They squirt a little color into a transparent base. That's OK for light colors but when it comes to the deep rich hue's it fails on several fronts. For example it takes lots of coats and ends up sticky. It takes days for a good maroon, dark blue green, green, or brown to set up. To the best of my knowledge, all the big paint manufactures fail the opacity, drying time tests on the deep hue's.


If you would like this product you'll need to contact Nova directly for a color chart. It isn't a printed. They splash on dots of paint on card stock. The paint comes in Transparent, Translucent, and opaque. So don't mess up with that. You will need to see their color chart examples. O, by the way, this isn't an expensive product. The cost for most of their paint is market value. About the same prices as the big boys “GOO” paint.


Try it you'll love it. I promise.


Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com

[joewino]

Thanks Joe. I've heard nothing but great things about Nova but haven't tried them yet. For years Porter couldn't be touched for being the best paint around but now Pittsburg has taken them over and it's just not the same.

[joe]

Raymond,

Thanks for your input.

I was talking to our good friend Mike Jackson the other day and he made the comment, "Paint technology has change so much even latex paint will stick to metal." Your correct, at one time Porter Paint was the best but that's no longer the case. Now we're talking history.

The good thing about Nova is you can order small amounts as needed, thereby saving money. I don't know how many gallons of paint I had to throw out due to aging, if only I could have bought a quart of the color I needed. O, by the way, Nova sells only their colors and no mixes.

If you do buy some Nova, I'll give you a personal "Money Back" guarantee. But don't wait too long cause I'm not that young.

Joe

[brian]

Sign makers in my area swear by One Shot.
I assuming by your praise of Nova,that their product is better.
The prices are very cheap.

Brian

[joe]

Brian,

I'm afraid the old stand-by, "One Shot" is on it's way out. Over the years it's lost it's ability to cover very well or withstand the increased UV. Partially because of the govt. requirement to remove the lead. But not only that, it chalks and fades much quicker.

Little did we expect a latex to be used with a lettering quill. On the scene comes new brushes made by "Mac" for the new Nova and other latex paints. So the answer to your question is, we'll be seeing less and less distillate paints like "One Shot".

The top two latex paints are Modern Masters and Nova Color.

Joe

[curtiss]

If you want to "thin" acrylic latex paint you just use.... water ?

If you want to "thin" acrylic paint you use ... ???

Still looking for a paint 101 info site....

[chiloquinruss]

FAQ from thier website:

http://www.novacolorpaint.com/PDF/Nova_Color_Acrylic_Paint_FAQ_08-2013.pdf

Russ

[VanIslanddan]

I was not able to find any information on Canadian distribution? I did send tem an email.

[joe]

Dan,

I don't think Nova has distributors in the USA or Canada.

Joe

[ssflyer]

From their site:

"Q. Why does Nova Color Artists' Acrylic Paint cost so much less than the paints sold in art stores and mail order catalogs? A. We have been making Nova Color Artists' Acrylic Paint and selling it directly to the artist since 1965. The paint goes directly from us to you! You pay less because Nova Color Artists' Acrylic Paint is not marked up by the retailer."

[joewino]

For decades, One Shot paints were the standard by which all others were evaluated. I used them for years and was one of their most avid supporters. In the mid 80's Steve Bermann came along and started making paints that were rivals of One Shot and he did some things that One Shot was either incapable of or unwilling to do. His Chromatic Paints were the best that I had seen. His company was later merged with someone else and the last of Chromatic was seen.

The quality of One Shot began to go downhill. They began to chalk and fade and there were drying issues with some colors. What we heard from the Mother Company was that nothing had changed, but we knew better. That's when I went looking for something else.

Gary Anderson introduced me to Porter and I was hooked. No more stink, no more sticky fingers, not more cleaning everything with solvents and trying to keep my hands clean. I was sold on waterbased paints, especially Porter because their deep colors did not have a transparent base and they actually covered. In addition, they didn't clump up over time and the last thimble full at the bottom of the gallon was as smooth and fresh as the first brush load when the can was new.

Then PPG came along and things began to change again. The reds didn't cover and the purple wasn't as purple as before. Even white was different.

Along the way, Sherwin Williams' Super Paint was a good alternative, but you had to buy a gallon instead of a pint or quart, and the deep colors were not as bright.

So now it looks as if this new stuff is going to be on the shelf around here. I hope that it is as color fast as folks say. The group of signfolks called Walldogs are using it more and more.

I suppose that the pin stripers will still use One Shot, although many are going to other paints.

To those sign guys that still swear by One Shot - you must know something that I don't.

One Shot has been good to our profession and donated tons of paint to various gatherings - for which I am grateful. I just can't endorse them any longer.

[paul_z]

Joe, Thanks for the heads up. I sent a request for the color sample and asked if they have some sort of starter kit.

I also did some more research and found this : http://www.yelp.com/biz/nova-color-artists-acrylic-paint-culver-city

Paul Z

[joe]

The first time you twist off the cap, dip a brush in, and make a stroke you'll be sold!

Make sure you order the proper version. Transparent, Translucent, or Opaque.

Joe

[mikeacg]

Joe,

Finally got around to ordering some Nova paint and should have it by the end of next week. I know I'm cutting it close for all my Christmas stuff but it has been a little crazy here. I'll let you know how it goes...

Thanks for sharing this product!

Mike :)

[Doug Haffner]

One tip I got from a friend who does a great deal of airbrush work is to thin the paint for hand lettering or airbrush....
instead of water you can use clear acrylic. "Future" used to be the brand name, but is now called "Pledge with futureshine". Same stuff. It's basically no wax, clear acylic. It's a great way to thin Nova.

[Burkhardt]

Cool. I just found that I can drive to their factory store and check out what they have. I knew there must be some benefit to living in Los Angeles.

[joe]

Not too sure about that acrylic medium as a thinner for Nova. Over on the CSA forum that was first floated but later some of the artists came back saying it doesn't hold up outdoors.

Me, I just use Nova's extender base because it's cheap. A quart will last a me good year.

[mikeacg]

Joe,

Don't know if I said Thank You for the heads-up on this Nova paint but I am loving it! I have been mixing and blending colors with excellent results. They are very easy to work with as well - even called me back to answer a couple of questions. I'll be posting pictures soon since Christmas is past and I can show some of this stuff.

Mike :)

[joe]

Michael,

Thanks for the nice post about Nova. Like you say, it's in a class all to itself. There's absolutely noting on the market as bright, clean and covers as well. Hard to explain what's it's like but everyone I've turned on to has the same response as you.

For those first timers I'd suggest getting their extender base along with your order. When using the Critter it makes the flow better.

Another excellent product that goes along with Nova is Modern Masters UV Clear. Not sure if it comes in smaller quantities than a gallon. Since the Nova Color dries flat you may need some of this.

Joe