JCT Research, Vol. 1, No.

3, July 2004

Flooding and Floating in Latex Paint

Huang Ying,† Cheng Jiang, Wen Xiufang, and Yang Zhuoru—South China University of Technology*

Flooding and floating are problems in many paint applications. If pigment concentration is uniform on the surface but not
through the thickness of the film, one refers to ‘flooding’ (horizontal separation). If, however, concentration differences are
visible across the surface of the paint film, one refers to ‘floating’ (vertical separation). In this article, the influence of pig-
ment, filler, additives, and processing conditions on the flooding and floating of colored latex paint were investigated. It was
discovered that too broad a distribution of pigment and filler particle size can lead to flooding and floating. Different lev-
els of pigment (TiO2) or filler (kaolin) loading cause diverse degrees of flooding and floating. Waterborne coatings that do
not exhibit flooding or floating may show these conditions when diluted. Using dispersants or thickeners with hydrophobic
constituents, increasing viscosity, reducing surface tension, etc., all help to prevent or reduce flooding and floating.
Comparison tests revealed little influence of processing conditions on flooding or floating.

Keywords: Flooding, floating, latex paint, exterior wall coating

W
hen pigment and emulsion dispersions in wa-
terborne paint are not stable, asymmetric sepa-
rations can take place. They are often accompa-
nied by flocculation. If there is sufficient dissociation and
flocculation, stripe or grid patterns can be seen on films.
This defect is called color floating. In other cases, the sep-
arations are rather regular, pigments concentrate on the
surface, causing a uniform color difference from the nor-
mal paint. This is called flooding. Floating may be looked
upon as a vertical separation of pigments, and flooding as
a horizontal separation. Figures 1 and 2 show floating in
a latex paint and its conversion to flooding with the ad-
dition of silicon oil. Flooding and floating occur during
the application of colored latex paint.1 They complicate
color matching, waste color paste or pigment, and can
hurt appearance, flow and leveling, hiding power, tint
strength, gloss, and the resistance of the paint film to wa-
ter and alkali.2-4
It is widely accepted that there are many components
and factors that influence flooding and floating. Among
these factors are:
(1) Stability of pigment and emulsion dispersion—
Inorganic pigments in aqueous coatings have been inves-
tigated using atomic force microscopy and microprobe an-
alyzers.5 Dispersability of organic pigments aggregation
degree has been determined,6 and rheological, electroki-
netic properties and surface chemistry of waterborne dis-
persions have also been studied.7-8 When excessive floccu-
lation and precipitation occur, flooding and floating
happen. So absorbing suitable dispersants on pigments
and forming an optimum absorption layer will exert a
beneficial influence on flooding and floating resistance.
(2) Flow currents within the film9-10—In the wet film, as
water volatilizes, the temperature, surface, and interfacial
tension will decline, more hydrophilic pigments will be
carried with water to the surface, and Bénard cells are
formed.11 Bénard cells in a wet film are illustrated in Figure
3. Bénard cells will persist until the coating is too viscous
for the particles to move. In many cases, flooding and
floating are more likely to occur in humid circumstances
than in dry air. Increasing the viscosity and reducing the
surface tension of the system can alleviate flooding and
floating.12
(3) The emulsion used—Binder, like pigment, requires sur-
factants for dispersion and stabilization. If the emulsion
and color paste are not compatible, or if the emulsion or
color paste is deprived of surfactants, the stability of the dis-
persion will be reduced, and flooding and floating may ap-
pear.13 So testing compatibility between emulsion and color
paste before production is essential. Methods for assessing
pigment dispersion have been compared by Van et al.14
Figure 1—Floating and flooding defects. (A) floating, (B) normal,
(C) floating converts to flooding after silicon oil is added.

*Research Institute of Chemical Engineering, Guangzhou, 510640, China.

†Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Voice/fax: 86.20.87112057.807; huangying77@21cn.com.

www.coatingstech.org July 2004 213

H. Ying et al.
Figure 2—Illustrating diagrams of floating and flooding defects. (A)
normal, (B) floating, (C) floating converts to flooding after silicon
oil is added.
(4) Application conditions—Humidity, temperature, and
processing are also influential.15
A variety of approaches have been used to alleviate
flooding and floating, such as forming coflocculates,16-17
using leveling agents,18 or adding shear thickeners.19
However, how the essential components in latex paint in-
fluence the defects of flooding and floating has seldom
been reported.
In this article, the influence of pigment, filler, addi-
tives, and processing conditions on flooding and floating
is studied. Correlative measures to prevent or alleviate
flooding and floating are also proposed.
Figure 3—Bénard cells in wet film.
214 July 2004
EXPERIMENTAL
Materials
Primal AC-261, from Rohm and Haas, was used as
emulsion. CPS Monicolor universal color pastes were used
for color. Dupont TiO2, kaolin from Jinyang in ShanXi,
China, and talc from Longguang in GuangXi, China were
used as pigment and fillers. Henkel and BYK additives
were used as dispersants and defoamers, etc.
Instruments
An MP200A electronic scale from Shanghai, China and
a GFJ-0.4 high speed dispersing plant in Shanghai, China
were used to produce the paint. A 480KU viscometer from
Sheen Instruments Ltd., U.S. and a Brookfield DV-II vis-
cometer from Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, U.S.,
ICI cone and plate viscometer from Research Equipment
Ltd., a QXD-25 to QXD-150 fineness of grind gauge from
Tianjin, China, a tensionmeter 70535 surface tension ap-
paratus from CSC-Dunouy, and a WGG-B three-angle dig-
ital glossmeter from Fujian, China were used to evaluate
and survey the experiments.
Experimental Design
The acrylate emulsion and color paste were tested for
compatibility. First, the emulsion and color paste were
blended at a 50:1 ratio. After storage at 50°C for 30 days, the
fineness was measured. If the fineness was below 30 µm, the
emulsion and color paste were considered compatible. If
the fineness was above 50 µm, they were considered incom-
patible. If it was between 30 and 50 µm, they were consid-
ered partially compatible. Other ingredients were let-down
and the latex paint was produced. Paint was applied on the
substrate (asbestine plank) to form films and flooding and
floating of the wet films were evaluated.
To study how pigment and filler influence flooding and
floating, we designed the following experiments:
(1) Different amounts of TiO2 (4, 10, 23 wt%) and var-
ious amounts of monoazo red (0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, 5, and 10
wt%), were added to the basic paint.
Figure 4—Floating in paint with different titanium.
JCT Research
 Flooding and Floating in Latex Paint

Table 1—Compatibility of Acrylate Emulsion and Color Paste

Emulsion and Color Paste Only Coatings with Other Ingredients

Bin stability Fineness

Color Paste (50°C, 30 days) µm)
(µ Compatibility Inside Surfacea

Anthraquinone red............ Uniform 28 Compatible Uniform Red floating at the brim2, flooding2
Monoazo red .................... Uniform 21 Compatible Uniform Floating4, flooding3
Indian red ......................... Uniform 30 Compatible Uniform Floating1, flooding1
Quinoline yellow............... Uniform 26 Compatible Uniform Floating1, flooding1
Monoazo yellow ............... Uniform 22 Compatible Uniform Floating1, flooding1
Disazo yellow.................... Uniform 25 Compatible Uniform Floating2, flooding1
Ferrite yellow .................... Uniform 29 Compatible Uniform Floating2, flooding1
Brown iron oxide .............. Uniform 28 Compatible Uniform Floating1, flooding1
Phthalocyanine green ....... Uniform 28 Compatible Uniform Floating4, flooding3
Phthalocyanine blue.......... Uniform 26 Compatible Uniform Blue floating at the brim2, flooding2
Quinacridone violet .......... Uniform 23 Compatible Uniform White floating1, flooding1
Delphine violet ................. Uniform 25 Compatible Uniform White floating1, flooding1
Carbon black .................... Flooding2 40 Partially compatible Uniform Floating4, flooding3

(a) Note 1, 2, 3, 4 indicate the degree of floating and flooding: 1 = slightest, 4 = most severe; the same coding scheme is used in all tables.

Table 2—Influence of Titanium Content on Flooding and Floating

Flooding and Floating Condition

TiO2 Content 4 wt% 10 wt% 23 wt%

Color paste 0.1 Floating2, flooding2 Uniform Floating2, flooding2

content (wt%) 0.5 Floating2, flooding2 Uniform Floating2, flooding2
1 Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1 Floating2, flooding2
2 Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1 Floating3, flooding3
5 None Floating2, flooding2 Floating3, flooding3
10 None Floating2, flooding2 Floating4, flooding4

(2) Using a formulation with 10 wt% TiO2 in the basic (6) Three types of thickeners were used to increase vis-
paint, colored by 0.1 wt% monoazo red, we added 5, 10, cosity: cellulose QP-4400, acrylic CR2, and polyurethane
and 15 wt% water to dilute the paint and stored it natu- SN-612. We adjusted the viscosity between 85–95 KU with
rally for seven days. the three thickeners; QP-4400 was added before other in-
gredients, while CR2 and SN-612 were added in the last
(3) With no change to the other ingredients in the paint,
phase of production. They were all colored by 0.1 wt%
we used differing kaolin contents; the kaolin contents used
monoazo red and carbon black.
were: 8, 11, and 14, and 17 wt%, colored by monoazo red
and carbon black both at 0.1 wt%. (7) To see whether processing affects flooding and
floating of coating, we added 0.1 wt% monoazo red in the
(4) We produced three groups of paint with kaolin and coating in four different ways: (a) Dispersed with titanium
talc of various particle sizes, TiO2, and other ingredients as under high speed agitating; (b) Added after high speed ag-
above: itation dispersion of titanium and filler, and before emul-
(a) kaolin (38 µm) + talc (38 µm)
(b) kaolin (38 µm) + talc (10 µm)
(c) kaolin (10 µm) + talc (10 µm)
(d) kaolin (2 µm) + talc (10 µm)
All were colored with monoazo red and carbon black,
both at 0.1 wt%.
(5) Several groups of surfactants were investigated to re-
veal how the surfactants influence flooding and floating:
(a) 0.8 wt% SN-Dispersant 5040
(b) 0.8 wt% SN-Dispersant 5027
(c) 0.2 wt% SN-Dispersant 5040 + 0.6 wt% SN-Dispersant
5027
Other ingredients were unchanged; the formulations
were colored by monoazo red and carbon black, both at
0.1 wt%, and then brushed. After the films dried, we
measured the brightness and saturation to compare dis- Figure 5—The floating results of carbon black with different kaolin
persion stability. contents.

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H. Ying et al.

Table 3—Flooding and Floating Difference of Latex Paint Diluted with Water
Flooding and Floating Condition

Dilution ratio ............................................... 5 wt% 10 wt% 15 wt%

0.1 wt% paste + 10 wt% TiO2 ..................... Flooding1, floating1 Flooding2, floating 3 Flooding3 , floating4

sion addition; (c) Added after the basic paint is produced,
that is, the last in order; and (d) Color paste premixed
with emulsion, then added into the paint in the usual or-
der. Flooding and floating were evaluated for each after
natural and accelerated storage at 50° for 30 days.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Influence of Emulsion
The results of the compatibility experiment of acrylate
emulsion and color paste are shown in Table 1.
It can be seen that most color pastes are compatible
with the emulsion, except that carbon black paste is par-
tially compatible. However, in the paint produced with
the same emulsion and different paste, flooding and float-
ing appear in varying degrees, in which monoazo red and
carbon black paint are most severe. That is why we chose
monoazo red and carbon black paste for the following ex-
periments. In the case of quinacridone violet and del-
phine violet, white color floats on the surface. It can be
concluded that, in most cases, the emulsion is not the
main cause of flooding and floating.
Influence of Pigments and Fillers
The influence of TiO2 content on flooding and floating
is shown in Table 2 and Figure 4. It can be seen that paints
with different TiO2 content differ in flooding and floating.
This is because pigment particles vary in hydrophilicity.
While a volatile component like propylene glycol which is
used as a cold-resistant agent evaporates, it carries rather
more lipophilic particles to the surface, so the scission of
color emerges. Usually, 20–30% TiO2 content latex is used
for the preparation of light tint paint, 8–13% TiO2 content
latex is used for the preparation of a medium shade coat-
ing, and < 4% TiO2 content latex is used in deep color pro-
duction. To summarize, high TiO2 makes flooding and
floating worse, especially with high paste content. The 10
wt% level may not be the optimum, but it certainly is bet-
ter than the others at low paste content.
The effect of dilution with water on flooding and float-
ing is shown in Table 3.
It is observed that, when a nonfloating paint is diluted
with water, flooding and floating may occur, or their
severity may increase. When more water is added to the
paint, the dispersants are diluted and there is compara-
tively less dispersant available to stabilize the pigment.
The paint becomes more hydrophilic, so lipophilic com-
ponents are more likely to phase separate. Last, but by no
means least, the decrease of viscosity makes the move-
ment of particles easier. The addition of water also tends
to raise the surface tension, inducing more severe Bénard
cell flows.
The influence of kaolin content on flooding and float-
ing is shown in Table 4, and the floating results of carbon
black are plotted in Figure 5.
The main component of kaolin is Al2O3•2SiO2•2H2O. It
has some other names, such as hydrated aluminum sili-
cate, China clay, white bole, etc. It can engender
thixotropic structure, form a kind of spatial network struc-
ture, and prevent aggregation of pigment particles, thus
alleviating flooding and floating.
It is found that there is an optimum content of kaolin.
Increasing concentration favors dispersion stability, but
makes dispersion difficult. Application properties and
gloss are impaired at high concentrations. Based on Table

Table 4—Influence of Kaolin Content on Flooding and Floating

Kaolin Content 8 wt% 11 wt% 14 wt% 17 wt%

Carbon black ..............Film status after natural setting Floating1 Floating1 Floating1 Floating2
for one week flooding2 flooding1 no flooding floating2
Film status after accelerated Floating3 Floating2 Floating1 Blocking
storage for one month flooding3 flooding2 no flooding
Monoazo red ..............Film status after natural setting Floating2 Floating1 Floating1 Floating2
for one week flooding2 flooding1 no flooding floating2
Film status after heat Floating3 Floating2 Floating1 Blocking
accelerating storage for one month flooding3 flooding2 no flooding

Table 5—Influence of Particle Size on Flooding and Floating

Test Item .................................. Kaolin (38 µm) Kaolin (38 µm) Kaolin (10 µm) Kaolin (2 µm)
+talc (38 µm) +talc (10 µm) +talc (10 µm) +talc (10 µm)

Monoazo red (0.1 wt%)........... Floating3, flooding2 Floating3, flooding1 Floating1, no flooding None

Carbon black (0.1 wt%) ........... Floating3, flooding3 Floating2, flooding1 Floating1, no flooding None

216 July 2004 JCT Research

 Flooding and Floating in Latex Paint

Table 6—Influence of Dispersants on Flooding and Floating

Dispersants Flooding and Floating Surface Tension (dyn/cm)

Carbon black ...... 5027 (0.8 wt%) Floating1, flooding1 34.5

5040 (0.8 wt%) Floating2, flooding2 41.5
5027 (0.6 wt%) + 5040 (0.2 wt%) None 37.1

Monoazo red ...... 5027 (0.8 wt%) Floating1, flooding1 34.3

5040 (0.8 wt%) Floating1, flooding2 41.8
5027 (0.6 wt%) + 5040 (0.2 wt%) None 37.0

Table 7—Influence of Different Thickeners on Flooding and Floating

Thickener

QP4400 CR2 SN-612

Content............... 1.5 wt% 1.2 wt% 1 wt%

Viscosity .............. 92.1 92.3 91.8
Monoazo red....... Floating3, flooding3 Floating1, flooding1 Floating2, flooding2
Carbon black ....... Floating3, flooding3 Floating1, flooding1 Floating3, flooding3

4, 14 wt% is a comparatively effective dosage. In practice,
several fillers are often used in combination to meet per-
formance requirements.
Small particle size tends to alleviate flooding and float-
ing. According to Stokes’ law, the velocity of spherical par-
ticles sinking in a liquid is given by:
V = D(dpi–dbi)r2/η
where V: velocity; D: proportional constant; η: viscosity;
dpi: density of pigment; dbi: density of binder; r: pigment
radius. This equation indicates that sinking velocity de-
creases when the particle size decreases, or the difference
between pigment and binder density is reduced, or binder
viscosity increases. The effect of particle size on flooding
and floating is shown in Table 5.
Influence of Additive Agents
The influence of dispersants on flooding and floating is
shown in Table 6. SN-Dispersant 5040 is a special polysodium
carboxylate dispersant for latex paint. SN-Dispersant 5027
is a polyammonium carboxylate with higher molecular
weight than 5040. 5027 is more lipophilic and has lower
surface tension. For the higher steric hindrance and lower
surface tension, 5027 is good at alleviating flooding and
floating; but 5040 has higher dispersing efficiency when
used alone, so the use of both shows the best effect.
Sedimentation can be adjusted by increasing viscosity.
CR2 is an acrylic thickening agent; a schematic of its struc-
ture is shown in Figure 6. Its hydrophilic “segment” coa-
lesces with water to thicken, and its lipophilic segment’s
hydrophobic function keeps the particles detached, and
forms a steric network, thus controlling flooding and
floating. It can be seen from Table 7 that steric hindrance
plays an important role in the control of flooding and
floating.
QP4400 is a kind of hydroxyethylcellulose from
Cellosize, and SN-612 is another hydroxyethylcellulose
from Henkel Ltd. Hydroxyethylcellulose is widely used in
paint. However in this case, it is less effective in reducing
floating, for CR2 is more similar in structure to and com-
patible with the dispersants. So, the compatibility be-
tween thickener and dispersant is very important.
The influence of different viscosities (adjusted using
CR2, since it is the most effective thickener among the
three) on flooding and floating is elucidated in this exper-

Table 8—Influence of Viscosity on Flooding and Floating

CR2 content.......................... 0.8 wt% 0.85 wt% 0.9 wt% 0.95 wt%
Viscosity (KU) ....................... 89 94 103 112
Monoazo red........................ Floating3, flooding3 Floating2, flooding2 Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1
Carbon black........................ Floating3, flooding3 Floating3, flooding3 Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1

Table 9—Influence of Processing on Flooding and Floating

Processing 1 2 3 4

Monoazo red After natural

setting (3 days)
After natural
setting (7 days)
After accelerated storage
for 1 month
None Almost none Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1
Almost none Almost none Floating1, flooding1 Floating1, flooding1
Floating2, flooding2 Floating2, flooding2 Floating2, flooding2 Floating2, flooding2

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H. Ying et al.
Figure 6—Structure scheme of CR2.
iment; the results can be seen in Table 8. It is found that
higher viscosity reduces flooding and floating.
Influence of Processing
It can be seen from Table 9 that processing has little in-
fluence on flooding and floating. In practice, color paste is
added as process number 3 according to the principles of
convenience, speediness, and economy.
CONCLUSIONS
In this article, flooding and floating in latex paint were
studied and the causes were summarized from the aspect
of components. Ways to alleviate flooding and floating in
waterborne coatings were explored. The following conclu-
sions can be drawn:
(1) Generally, color pastes are compatible or partially
compatible with the emulsion. However, in the paint pro-
duced with the same emulsion and different paste, flood-
ing and floating appear in various degrees. So, emulsion is
not the main cause of flooding and floating.
(2) Paints with different pigment or filler contents dif-
fer in flooding and floating conditions. It is because pig-
ment particles are different in hydrophilic property and
lipophilic nature. Usually, 20–30% TiO2 content latex is
used for preparing light tint paint; 8-13% TiO2 content la-
tex is used for preparing a medium shade coating; and < 4%
TiO2 content latex is used in deep colored paint production.
Reducing the surface tension, increasing the viscosity, and
using finer particles help to prevent flooding and floating.
(3) Steric hindrance in both dispersants and thickeners
plays an important role in the control of flooding and
floating.
218 July 2004
(4) Processing conditions have little influence on
flooding and floating.
To sum up, reducing the surface tension, forming spa-
tial network structure, decreasing the particle size, mini-
mizing the difference between pigment and binder den-
sity, and increasing viscosity are helpful in preventing
flooding and floating.
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JCT Research